Trying to make do

My Tarot To-Do of actions

Monday was supposed to be the first day of the final quarter of the 2020 school year. The sun was shining, the wind was breezy, the citrus trees are scenting the air, and nobody was there to enjoy it all due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is very jarring to see a place so full of life be suddenly so still. However, there are still things to be done, despite the fears of viruses spreading unknowingly among the population.

I am setting up modules in Google Classroom. It feels easy enough to set up on the fly. I tried to set things up in Microsoft Teams, but the system was just asking for specific commands that feel like too many steps to get there. While I understand that the district has paid for the service and use, it feels very clunky in regards to its user interface.

Attempts at connecting remotely with other teachers and staff has been easy to adjust enough, but certainly the chaotic nature of the classroom (and people in general) is not aided by what can feel like the dumbness of technology. It is good to see fellow educators and all of us trying our best to help.

Overall, staying at home feels as if we are waiting for some dreaded terror to fall on us, especially when we are unable to stop the ever-increasing spread of illness. It feels like Poe’s Masque of Red Death, only we know the uninvited guest of pestilence is already sitting comfortably in the living room.

Despite this, we should carry on. Seguir adelante y ponernos las pilas. As a collective society, we all use our time and improvement for the better, as opposed to merely pass the time in fear hoping for a return to normalcy. There is no return to normalcy as chaos is now the norm. What we decide to do with ourselves knowing that is another matter.