Last week, Alaska’s governor announced that schools will operate in “distance delivery” mode until the end of this school year. I haven’t seen my students in person since early March, before Spring Break. I didn’t get to say good-bye to them. That fact is especially heartbreaking because I won’t be returning to the elementary school in the fall. Due to a shrinking student population, specials there have been reduced for next year. No more music, no more Mr. CJ. (I’ll still work full time at the middle school.) The fact that I didn’t get to say a proper farewell to those students… Like I said, heartbreaking.
The play I’m directing has been postponed until the fall. We could run lines via Zoom or similar means. Theoretically, with less than ten people in the cast and crew, we could continue rehearsals in person, provided we stay 6 feet apart. But we had already started blocking (rehearsing how the actors move around the stage and interact with one another). Hard to do that when your actors can’t get anywhere near one another. Although the thought of how the play would look with that staging is amusing.
Community band has likewise had to stop rehearsals. We did try playing together via Zoom, but had no luck.
I spent a fair amount of time in January and February planning events for Pride Alliance. One of those has been postponed indefinitely, and yesterday the board made the call to cancel the other.
And yet…
Working at home has one distinct advantage: Views of the outside world! My classrooms at the schools are interior rooms. The only time I see daylight on a normal school day is my midday walk between the buildings. However, my place has large windows that let in the ever-increasing daylight, and gorgeous views of the mountains that surround town.
Spring seems to have finally arrived! The snow has mostly melted, and the sun has been out more often than not. A couple of days ago, I went for my first run of the season.
Yesterday, I had a Zoom check-in with my band students. After I finished with what I wanted to go over, several students stayed on the call to simply hang out and visit.
One of my band students has signed up for daily Zoom lessons (the requirement is weekly). They’re making fantastic progress.
I’m keeping up with my trombone practice, and have added daily guitar practice to my routine.
Since the beginning of March, I’ve read or re-read over two dozen books.
I’ve had more time to work on my various fanfiction projects.
I got to participate in my first family Seder since 2014, thanks to a digital service.
Speaking of family, I’ve been able to talk to family and friends much more.
My friends here in town and I check in with one another daily. We also had our first digital movie night this past weekend, courtesy of the Netflix Party extension.
Thanks to so many arts organizations offering content online, I’ve been able to watch shows and concerts that I otherwise would have missed. Some were previously recorded, some are done-from-home affairs. Of the latter, my favorite so far has been getting to watch my awesome cousin perform with one of her opera groups.
I’m still healthy.
everydaytrans 