First Snow of '22

    This morning, the heavens dropped seven inches of snow on top of our heads. It started out as wind and rain that woke me up around three this morning. By six in the morning, when my alarm began blaring (far too early for comfort might I add...), the ground was covered, and I knew there was no way that I was going into school. Thankfully I work in a district that understands that driving to school means I am risking sliding off a mountain. We were instructed to come in if possible but told that working from home was also an option as long as we filled out a log detailing what we accomplished for the day. Needless to say, I stayed home.

    There is something so quiet and still when you first step into snow that deep. Everything seems silent and still. But if you stay out just a little longer, you notice that the silence is misleading. There is a lot of movement under the surface. Animals start moving around, you hear birds hopping in the branches and across your deck, and the steady drip of the melt as the sun begins to peak through. It is the movement that is barely perceived that will sprout and show growth when April and May roll around.

    I made quite a bit of progress. I discussed a few things with my clinical intern, and I am looking forward to co-teaching with her this semester. I reviewed my syllabus, updating it and creating a student-centered version that will stand as my first attempt at a liquid syllabus. I designed and published my Canvas pages for the next semester using a few designs from Canva. I met with colleagues through Zoom and accomplished several other small tasks knowing that students would be gracing my door on Wednesday.

    I am very intrigued by the idea of a liquid syllabus. I came across the term from a friend and fellow castmate. Essentially, it is a syllabus that is easier to access and uses positive, equitable language. I will still be giving parents a more traditional version of the syllabus to sign as that will protect my intern and me should any of the parents decide to be a bit, well, interesting. But I enjoyed the exercise of translating that into something my freshman students will find more welcoming. I followed the instructions at this Canvas course from California Community Colleges Online. I used Google Sites so that students and parents could open it even if they were not signed into a school account, and I made sure that it was easy to view using a smartphone. It is far from perfect, and I will undoubtedly continue to modify it- it needs more images and could be a bit more engaging, but it is better than just throwing something up on Canvas. 

    I may be oldish, but I am still learning new tricks. I am looking forward to picking up a few more. If I can make life more welcoming and inclusive for the people around me, I will have done things well. Today was my snow day. I hope the barely perceivable movement I engaged in today will bear fruit as the students return later in the week.