I have had two students who have had to endure Covid-19. They were young and healthy, but the virus hit them pretty hard; they had most of the common symptoms: headache, fatigue, loss of taste and smell. It’s not something you’d wish on anyone.

 

Classrooms are great. The proximity of students helps with overall communication, but I certainly don’t want to contract Covid, and I don’t want sick students, either.  On-line is our only option right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a few tasty glasses of lemonade from the lemons we’ve been given.

 

Glass #1   Driving. Before Covid, I was spending way too much time in Austin traffic. When class was done at Highland Learning Center, I had to go to another class at Cypress Creek. Usually, 183 northbound at 4:00 P.M. was a parking lot. During non peak hours, the drive was about 20-25 minutes. During rush hour, it was three times that. Also, there was no circling the parking lots looking for a spot. How much gas money have I saved? How much wear and tear on my car have I saved? And of course, driving is a health risk.

 

Glass #2 Since Covid, students and teachers have not been not locked into a single location. I was able to spend a month in Phoenix caring for a relative, and I was still able to conduct class. One student, although I don’t encourage this, joined us this week from his phone while driving. When he got home, he connected from his computer, and he hadn’t missed  too much of the class.

 

Glass #3 Teachers and students can still attend if they are feeling under the weather. As mentioned earlier, my two Covid sick students attended every class, and of course, no one was put at risk. Flu? Cold? Now you can still attend.

 

Glass #4 Being more productive because we are not driving, circling, buying gas, and being stuck in traffic is wonderful.

 

Glass #5 Recorded classes allow students to replay the class for things they may have missed, and students who were unable to attend the virtual classroom have a chance to make it up at their leisure.

 

Glass #6   No masks.

 

Glass #7  You can wear the same pants every day. Just sayin’. Not that I’d ever do such a thing.

 

Covid stinks, but technology allows us a silver lining. So, enjoy the lemonade. Try with a sprig of mint.