Ah Covid, Thank you for the chance to spend 24 hours a day with the people I love the most; Thank you for the chance to listen to my husband teaching and my children learning; Thank you for the chance to hear my son’s violin lessons; Thank you for the chance to endlessly run the heating and the dishwasher; Thank you for the chance see my own face, in close up, on my screen for hours at a time. I am so grateful. TRACEY PATE HEAD OF ENGLISH
Mixing up the home office routine has been an important part in keeping our remote teaching and learning experience as enjoyable as possible. As we spend the time during lessons mainly at our own desks inside, we try to find time to do our homework on the verandah to catch much needed Vitamin D and fresh air to clear the head. On cold days we might sit near a window to catch some sun rays. Doing activities that bring the family together is also an important aspect during these times: playing boardgames ( CODENAMES is a brilliant family game!), baking German-style bread rolls and sourdough bread have been a new favourite in our house, along with the ‘usual suspects’ of reading, listening to music and watching TV. FRAU JESSIKA RABE TEACHER OF GERMAN LANGUAGE AND YANI (YEAR 11)
‘It’s 8.00! Trinny, Tom, Josh… Get up!’ Coffee… Breakfast… News feed…. Emails… Teams… Teams mentor post: Morning Mrs Madden [waving smiley face, dancing monkey, waddling penguin] ‘Unpack the dishwasher please and make sure you put away the milk!’ Team mentor post: Morning 6B [gif with a pug waving] ‘Woof! Woof!’ ‘Someone let Holly out please!’ [Doorbell] That’s a typical morning in the Madden household during offsite, online learning. Seemingly chaotic, but I’m actually really grateful for the noise, movement and humour that has filled our house and my screen. Isolation with three adolescents (Years 8, 10 and 12) and a class full of energetic and creative Year 6 girls has been anything but isolating. I’m also incredibly grateful that I have had the opportunity to learn from my three children and students each day about what worked and what didn’t and use their feedback to inform my practice. Do I miss the classroom? …a resounding yes! That said, our offsite online experiences have shone a bright light on what really matters and has kept us safe. PIP MADDEN BAYVIEW MENTOR
10
Mentone Grammar ALWAYS CONNECTED