My Lady of the Lantern

 ...without a post! Isn't everyone waiting for 2020 to be over? I don't think the first half of 2021 will also be the 'normal' that the world expects.  A key realization this year is that my mouth ulcers also get precipitated by anxiety/stress.  How about you? Have you learnt something new about yourself recently? M turned 6 in November, and Figlia will be 9 in January. Such a long journey.

So, schools have 'begun' for both Figlia and M. Figlia gets work on Google C.lassroom, and M gets regular assignments which he is expected to complete.  It is much better for me this way, because kids do it on their pace, and with their mother's pace. Since a few parents are now asking for classes, I am hoping that the kids do not switch to online classes, because I would be stretched to plan the availability of the apt resources for both of them to attend school virtually. I am already four weeks into teaching the new semester, and we don't have to turn up to work every day. I make it to office on 4 days on an average. Rest of the days, I engage classes from home.  Going online has increased the work required to deliver the lectures. Content, pre-reads/cases and low-stake-high-frequency quizzes are a bundle getting prepped for every lecture being taken.  WHO has recently said that the pandemic is accelerating. I can only guess why. No one can shut down...

I thought I skipped in a couple of months, but I skipped the change of year! And 2020 has been a rollercoaster on a typhoon, right? What came from bats and pangolins or was it both or neither and what spread from continent to continent, and was something I discussed as a remote instance with my students in February, is now the reason why I have been home for a couple of months now. The lockdown. I guess the pandemic is an experience that is not like any other and so universally shared and felt across the globe. Kids are home, I am home. And well, it is not a life of dire deprivation, but things that were too accessible and available before are now precious.  I have caught up on housework, home cooking, and managing class preparation for myself, and helping both kids with academic pursuits. And I have watched a lot of movies - almost every night.  I am lucky to still have a job (though with a pay cut), and that money comes into my bank account regularly. Th...