So, this post will be short. Not because of lack of material to write about, but because I am exhausted after almost 14 continuous hours online. The logarithmic curves in my quilt reflect my past couple of weeks. Today was where the curve accelerated “north”.
This morning I checked in with my email, to see that my invitation to have teachers share their names and courses had resulted in more than just entries in our database. I became the point person, in the absence of any other contact, for each of our teachers, many of whom did not yet know what they will be teaching tomorrow.
I worked my way through my inbox, set up an “out of office” message that I thought would explain why I would be absent for several hours, and then headed online for my morning of teaching.
Unfortunately there were TWO “out of office” options, and when I turned it on, it reverted to my “Retirement” message. Not what I had intended.
So, after a staff meeting, then three hours with my Foundations III class, I returned to 91 emails in my inbox.
I loaded up the current data I had on teacher timetables, and began to work my way through my messages in order of receipt. Most of the time I was confirming that there were not yet courses in teacher timetables. Other times I was communicating to them their courses and their time in the schedule. And much of the time I was hoping to reassure, without any solid information about when their concerns would be resolved.
I took a 15-minute break for dinner (my wonderful husband prepared his speciality – I won’t tell you what it is), and returned to my computer. When I finally stood up at 8:00 tonight I had managed to respond to 309 emails, and sent an additional 40 to our course teams, connecting teachers with others who will be teaching the same courses.
Thank goodness for Grade 9 Typing! Mr. Watson at Kincardine District High School, with his manual typewriters, is responsible for much of my career success.
I only left my seat at 8:00 pm because I could no longer access our student information system, and my inbox had ceased to grow.
I know that those who are inputing teacher names are putting in much longer hours than I. It must be so frustrating to work so hard, and know that the task exceeds the possible time.
So, I will check in with my email and our student information system when I awake in the morning. I will connect with as many as possible before our scheduled class start at 8:30 a.m.
And I hope I sleep tonight, and that our teachers can as well!
Terry Whitmell, PhD 