Happy Hour

Educators depend on time and space for professional conversations and collaboration to improve classroom instruction. Often these collaborative efforts are planned as part of professional development workshops or professional learning community sessions.

Yet, what we need even more are conversations that “fill” us when we’re tapped out. Some of the most meaningful, innovative, “light-bulb” moments for me have been informal chats in the hallway between classes.

In spring 2020, those impromptu check-ins or “water cooler” conversations disappeared. Working remotely has separated us physically from one other and joined us unceasingly to our workspace (kitchen table, home office, living room). The time before or after scheduled department meetings when colleagues casually checked in with one another in the doorway or corner of the room has been replaced by entry chimes to a screen full of faces. I remember the times before spring 2020 when I joked about needing a magic wand for transporting me to back-to-back meetings. Now, I do magically transport myself with the click of “end meeting” and “join meeting” buttons.

How can we find ways to recreate the informal hallway chat when we’ve been connected all day?

Recently, several of us met to try a virtual happy hour.  Although we had intended to break into small groups to discuss books, movies, or recipes, we opted to stay together to just talk.

No agenda. No meeting minutes. 

We had rich conversations about our remote and in-person teaching experiences.  We compared and learned from one another’s stories while sharing virtual shoulders and hugs for individual struggles.

Was it the same as 2 for 1 wings at our favorite eatery? No, not the same. But we do not have a comparison for this new existence, so we move on and move forward by supporting each other the best we can. If virtual happy hour is the best we can do right now, then I guess you’ll get to see wings grilled my way. Cheers.

Korean Fried Chicken Wings
by powerplantop

 

A Stay-at-Home Shelter Sunday

Yesterday was Sunday.  Even not being able to follow the same, weekly routine, it was, shall I say, a “better different.”  

I started the day watching live-streamed mass video recorded at my home church.  Admittedly, the entire day slipped by and at 8:45 p.m. I realized that no one else had watched with me.  The video is still available, so Monday might be church for the children.  

Some time later – I really don’t know how much later – I corralled a few others to do yoga with me.  We watched the video posted by my regular yoga instructor who I had not seen in person since the previous Tuesday.  Even though I can access a number of online yoga videos, it was nice to see her familiar face and hear her words of encouragement.  By the end of fifteen minutes, I was by myself. That’s okay. There are plenty more days.

At some point, I helped my daughter clip our dog’s nails, checked Facebook, talked with a colleague, and read some articles.

My son found a camera I had bought some years ago for a mission trip.  On that trip, we had been encouraged to keep our cell phones turned off, but as an adult leader, I wanted to take pictures.  Who knows what might still be on the SD card because we could not find the battery charger anywhere. That’s when I spent some time on Amazon ordering a replacement cord.  Not essential for anything but sanity.

Meanwhile, my husband kept searching for the camera battery charger cable. He opened a chest where I store incomplete baby books stuffed with mementos and boxes of photos from when I actually had film developed at a store.  We proceeded to look at old photos, smiling at memories from over 15 years ago.  I took pictures of pictures, sending them to Facebook friends and family members, some of whom I haven’t talked to in a very long time.  

The 13-year old spent the afternoon looking at slides under the microscope and taking pictures of his own.  Thankfully, he was looking at prepared slides of dog tongue and not creating new slides using our own dogs. 

I don’t think anyone actually ate leftovers, even though that had been my plan.  Cooking full meals for a few days had stocked the fridge with various containers of meats and veggies, but no one seemed hungry, or maybe they just snacked.  Anyway, cans of diced tomatoes are sitting on the counter today to remind me to fix chili. 

We taught the 13-year old to play the card game Euchre (yes, I had to look up the spelling).  He and dad won two games, but my daughter and I gave them competition. 

Ending the evening with a show and popcorn seemed more Sunday-ish and less “stay your butt home” order-ish.  It was definitely more peaceful than Saturday’s cabin fever-ish arguments. It’s Monday, and I can already see a whole lot more “ish” happening this week.  Perhaps first will be school-ish. It’s a really quiet morning for me when they sleep late, though, so there is not even a hope for schedule-ish right now.