Busy day ahead. the weekend is already "done" in my head and it hasn't started yet! The Back is being a brat, too, with numbness and tingling in both legs, which feels really odd. Never had this in both legs before getting the back shot. Still, I'll take a tingle over the pain any day, and hope that it isn't a precursor to more trouble. Time will tell. Had a good argument with my friend last night over the best way to resolve this thing. Do I duck out of school early and have surgery, or nurse the issue along with shots until it is no longer an option? She things the former is the way to go, I think the latter. If I can make it through the school year, I need to do it. My friend said I shouldn't care and should just let it all go and be out as long as I need to be out. I just can't do it! I think part of the reason why is that I love my job so much and enjoy it, but also all the other things that will need to be put on hold -- classes at Create, possible new classes elsewhere, etc. And boarding my beloved birdies for the time immediately following surgery. The "what if's" loom large. What if it doesn't work? What if it takes longer than expected to heal? What if I get an infection because of the immunosurpressants and get slapped in the hospital? What if things get worse instead of where I am at right now? I think the best thing to do is nothing until I see the surgeon again in late October. Will make a decision based on suggestions. Tough to get old!
On the professional front, I hear Etta James singing "At Last" when I think about recent classroom developments. Our school is now set up to use Google Classroom, which is a platform for teachers to organize class materials online for students. UNBELIEVABLY GOOD. And easy. Ever since the web has arrived, changing education forever, I have been trying to organize class materials online for student access with varied success. The access methods sometimes get in the way, requiring numerous student log ins, passwords, etc. Cumbersome. Not so with GC -- students enter one simple code once, enter their school email and voila! The class content is available in a clean, organized format. It is easy for a teacher to create, all posted materials are archived for future use, and content is delivered immediately. After seeing a good presentation about GC on Wednesday, I was up and running with thirteen classes immediately by Thursday afternoon. I love love love it!!! This is perhaps the best tool I've encountered for online teaching. Cue Etta!
On a funny note, I shared the Quilting Arts photo fiasco with my 8th graders as the article was supposed to be about their work last year. Yesterday a group of them said that they learned that what the magazine did to my photo was illegal. They learned about it in their law elective. They suggested I sue the magazine and make enough money to retire. I am not that type of person, but thought it was cute they could personalize the information they've learned with my New Mullet Photo in Quilting Arts.
Onward to the weekend. What will you make today?