Virtual school is SO much work!

So, school is canceled from March 13, 14 and 17-20. There is a possibility that the EdB (Education Bureau) will require us to make-up these six days at the end of the school year. We are all praying that doesn't happen. Five years ago (I'm pretty sure that's right) during SARS the schools were closed for six weeks. They did not require those days to be made up so we are hoping they will not require these six. We are also doing virtual school so that the students are still completing work during this time.

Virtual school though is a LOT of work. We have an internet program that our school uses called eclass. Each day we take attendance through eclass and we post homework on eclass. On eclass I can ask questions to students for them to reply to in a forum format. I can take polls and upload web links. I can also upload worksheets that students will need often. Because of the necessity of virtual school we have also learned how to assign work that students download, complete on the computer, and send it back to us. We can then grade it and send it back to the students. It's a great program and specifically helpful for days like this week when students are home but we need to continue with instruction. The difficult part is figuring out what work students can do at home and how much you can expect for them to understand on their own. For example, we are beginning fractions and probability in math. These are both difficult concepts for students. In order to help with this process, I wrote out outlines of the work that students should complete but I also included written instruction (basically what I would say in class) and pictures. I also changed the work that they would do on their individual white boards to a worksheet format for them to answer on the computer and send back to me. Just writing one lesson takes a lot of time and mental energy.

This past Thursday and Friday I worked harder than I usually do when students are at school. It's not that I don't work hard when students are there but I plan for the lessons and there are routines that happen each week. It is easier to get into the grove of and I'm not trying to keep up with six subjects work for four days all at the same time. I take it in smaller sections when students are there. On Friday I felt like I was trying to teach all of those lessons at once. I uploaded about 15 assignments on eclass. I made tons of copies and organized work for students to pick up on Monday. There is no way to continue with the work unless the students come in to get their textbooks so I can also send home other work as well.

Anyway, it's a lot of work but now that it is sent out I will not have that much to do the next four days. I'm looking forward to the time to get caught up on my grading, planning, and filing. I've got a lot to do to prepare my room for the next teacher and now I'm getting time to do it. I've just go to be productive during the four days. Thankfully, so far I have been. Many other teachers have enjoyed having a much slower pace of work. I guess I just have more that I want to get finished and maybe a a bigger desire since I am leaving in June. It just means that I should be able to finish my checklist at the end of the year quicker since I'm doing a lot of the work now.

Friday was a good day. I got all the virtual school work finished. Then I packed three boxes of books to ship home. There is a special book rate that the Hong Kong post does but the boxes have to be 5kg or less which is much especially when you are working with books. I mailed those boxes and picked up the box from mom. When I opened the box I was surprised and excited to see my "Easter basket" this year. Mom sent me my favorite Easter candy (and in my opinion Easter candy is the best candy sold all year) and my favorite Girl Scout cookies and a few other odds and ends. Here are some pictures below.





Mmm...candy. I love it. And mom even stuck in some Easter grass that is already all of my house. That stuff gets everywhere fast!

Friday night, I went out for dinner with Christine, Jenn, and Emily. We had Indian food down in TST. It was nice to go out. I've enjoyed having this weekend because I don't have to think about school work or feel guilty for not doing anything. I'm also not getting behind because of procrastination. This time off is a HUGE blessing for me. I plan to take full advantage of the time as well.

Saturday was another great day. I slept in some; then headed to Mong Kok. I needed to buy some things for my trip to Vietnam. While walking through Fa Yuen Street market I talked to Patrick for a while and then I headed to find the cell phone area in Mong Kok. There is an area with store after store after store of people selling cell phones. My cell phone display decided to turn blue and stay blue Friday night so I went to look about buying a new phone but I found out that they had repair places as well. I asked how much it would cost to repay it and how long it would take. It was only $170HK and 15 minutes. The phones that I had looked at started at $350HK. Needless to say for the next three months of use, I just got it repaired. I need a new phone but there is no guarantee that the phones I purchase here will actually work in the States.

After my trip to Mong Kok, I ate a late lunch and then took a short nap. This past week was Salome's birthday so I had plans for bowling and dinner for her birthday on Saturday evening. It was one of the best evenings that I've spent in Hong Kong in a long time. It's was doing things that I really enjoy. We went bowling (which I bowled the highest score of the two games 143!) and then to dinner. We had a very Chinese meal which included Peking duck, a full fish (the whole fish is served on a plate and you just pull pieces off the bone), a full chicken, sweet and sour pork, four vegetable dishes and two types of bread that you dip in sweetened condensed milk. It was a really good meal. One thing that I have observed is that I am less picky with Asian dishes. I eat more of a variety and I like most sauces (but not all) that are used. It's actually really nice to not have to make a list of things not to include. I'm still picky but it's a different pickiness when it comes to Asian dishes. I'm still not adventurous though.

After dinner, we went back to Salome and Kai's house. We played Wii. I had never played before but I enjoyed it. We also played Hoopla and Taboo. It was nice to just hang out at some one's house and play games. That's what I like to do more than go to a bar to drink and meet people. I don't drink and I don't like the atmosphere of bars which is why I don't ever go out with Sara, Christine, Emily, and Jenn. It's just not for me. I pray that when I move to Athens I can find some friends that like to just hang out, play games, eat out, play sports, etc.

I didn't leave Sal's house until 12. I didn't realize how late it was. It was such a good day. Well I need to work on some job applications today and it's already 1. I only have a few hours until my Cantonese class so I best get to work. Have a great day! And for those in GA, stay safe during all of those storms!