What is Happening?

Hello friends,

Just wanted to check in with you and let you know what's happening here with the current world affairs.

We're good!

MIA Park Cafe #nofilter

My Qatar Motto has always been,

"We're together... and it's better when we're together."

The Ministry of Health (MOH) is doing an incredible job of containing, cleaning, quarantining, closing, and monitoring the situation since it began in China, issuing timely updates, and appropriate suggestions and recommendations for citizens here.

There have been no fearmongering-panic-inducing-posts by Qatari media. Just the facts with timely daily updates when we need to know them, and to be honest, it is helping my mental health understand what is happening. No need to project what might be happening because what is happening is being said. The Gulf-Times

and The Peninsula report daily with factual information. Qatar Living also indicates updates frequently.

In addition to reinforcing general hygiene habits, the MOH had already been monitoring flights and public gatherings. Thursday it was announced for cancelling of social events and they have stopped metro services for deep cleaning this weekend. Movie theaters, parks, and children's playgrounds are also closed. The Religious Complex is closed and Friday prayer was shortened at mosques.

Talabat (our Uber Eats) has also made recommendations for keeping delivery drivers safe so they may continue uninterrupted services.

We also have a ton of toilet paper... and zero panic-buying. The entire situation of panic-buying in the USA reminds me why people dislike the USA. I did attend to food purchasing, but not in excess or haste. I currently have more groceries in my apartment than the total number of food products I had for the entire 18 months I've lived here and more than what most people will eat this entire calendar year. Friends attended to the Qatar Distribution Center (QDC, the one store in the whole country to sell Alcohol and Pork products) for all of us. The line was out the door but manageable and customers inside were behaving, cueing properly, and acting respectful.

As GEMS Corporate announced the first week of March their yearly GEMS Review of schools would be postponed indefinitely, schools in neighboring United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and 5 other states) closed and their spring holidays moved forward, and plans in UAE were implemented for distance learning, we saw the signs and used that week to begin small discussions about "how to" and "what if" we move classrooms fully online.

The second week of March went quickly, intently with purpose, and with all-hands-on-deck it was efficient and smooth.

8 March Sunday, it was suspected that we would be closing schools by the end of the week and moving to E-learning platforms.

9 March Monday, Ministry of Education announced at 1pm all public, private, independent, and collegiate schools would be closed Tuesday, indefinitely.

10 March Tuesday, staff reported and sorted through MOE reports, notices, and policies. We remained calm even though these items kept changing. Once we would figure out a plan, the policy would change or update or place further restriction, and we would regroup, hastily, and with a deadline. Our school Core Values include Tenacity and Innovation and Purpose - this was an entire situation for these three values - and faculty pulled together, made priority lists, gathered E-learning platform information, met as teams and workgroups, and figured it out. The learning curve was steep, our patience was tested, technology crashed and was buggy, but "We're together... and it's better when we're together."

Meeting after meeting.... can you tell I'm exhausted?

I keep feeling this was the energizing oomph I needed for this academic year.

I don't want anyone to be injured or hurt, but the challenge of moving early years music classes online is a bit of a creative boost I needed.

This entire academic year has just been screwy. I'm ready for a reset.

We received word from both the country and our employer that traveling was at our own risk. Corporately, were forbidden to leave the country until our own spring break time, 3 April, as this is not a holiday but simply moving to E-learning platforms. We are expected to be teaching at normal work hours here in the country.

It was also announced (maybe a sign off sheet) that you will travel at your own risk during spring break - it was hinted that if you hadn't cancelled your plans, you probably should, because flight bans and country restrictions update hourly and it was hinted that aside from the 14-day quarantine you'll be subjected to basically no matter where you land, you're on your own if you get stuck indefinitely in "your dream country" as we don't know how long flight bans will be in place. It was said we are expected to return to work on time and date after break, and a month from now as the entire situation is unfolding and changing minute by minute... it's best to remain in country.... it was implied if you go and get stuck somewhere, you're subject to possible termination.

I had already begrudgingly cancelled mine. Inshallah the country will still be there, and populated, by the time this clears and I can travel there safely.

11 March Wednesday, staff reported and sorted through the series of changes, organized ourselves for content and schedules, did test runs and meetings. Finalized the E-learning platform:

Upper School was already linked to Google Classroom, will use.

Lower School was already linked to ClassDojo for photo sharing and messaging, and some grades were linked to Google Classroom and SeeSaw, will use.

Everyone will use Zoom for an appropriate synchronous learning for asynchronous lesson time, posting archived links in shared folders.

Grades 3-4-5 will also all use Google Classroom.

Grades PreK (Nursery) through Grade 2 will also all use SeeSaw.

12 March Thursday, we went live at 7:45am for our first E-learning sessions. Students logged in and asked questions: "What was happening? When can they come back to school? What about projects and presentations we had scheduled? What about school concerts and sporting events? Are we as teachers ok?"

Say hello to my team, Ms. Betsy Art and Mr. Romero PE They've held me up at some really difficult moments this school year. I'm grateful!

12 March 9:10 am I taught my first class online with 44 KG2 (Kindergarten) students logging into Zoom! Eager little singers were signed into the class before 8:45am, waiting in Zoom. Their little faces circled around as we sang familiar songs, two new songs for a new way of learning, tapped on pillows instead of drums, and I sent them off to dance to Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers with an empty pillowcase (we use scarves in class).

Normally, full of children, now the classroom sits idle.

It was hilarious, difficult, humbling, emotional, psycho, and enjoyable to see their little faces on the screen. I spent the next 3 hours answering parent emails and messages regarding the craziness of it all. I spent another hour filing photos students sent in response to the assignment. I spent another hour creating content for a prompt to be issued next week.

At this time, I'll teach one class a day, with everyone at that assigned grade level (theoretically 110+ students) logging in at that time, post a prompt a day for another class not meeting with me, organize messages and submissions, and create online content for both live sessions and posted sessions.

It was a busy day of understanding platforms, balancing screen time, filing assignment distribution, answering parent questions, managing parent complaints and suggestions for improvement. It was oddly fun though and a nice change of pace from some of the stress this academic year.

Thursday night I went for a Girl's Date Pedicure and dinner with the team.

To be honest, we're spent.

But we're ready for whatever happens next.

"We're together... and it's better when we're together."

We're strong enough as a teaching unit to not let anything come between us and the students and learning.

Malls are quiet and nearly empty.

Grocery stores are stocked but quiet.

No one is panic buying anything.

The Corniche is quiet and almost empty.

Souq is quiet and almost empty.

Taxis and Uber rides sit idle.

We're still figuring it out, but we're ok.

It's different at this time as parties, restaurants, and clubs begin to close and there is hardly anything to do but sit and wait. Touch base with those we know in other countries and examine how the world is coming to a halt.

But there aren't any bombs flying or revolutions happening or takeovers of neighborhoods or limited supplies and if I've learned anything from fellow teachers or friends who HAVE lived through military curfew times, fighter jets, food shortages, and actual personal safety situations, this will be all be fine.

Current total number of cases in Qatar

as of 1pm Saturday, 14 March = 337.

I wish you luck as the Globe Navigates this - as I'm typing this our entire situation might be changing (my phone is chiming with work related messages....)

I will tell you this - watching pandemic type movies is NOT a good idea (did it Friday night, now I'm psycho about it), fear mongering is not worth your mental health at this time, and as my friend Cari would say, "DO YOU REALLY NEED THE 100th BOX OF RIGATONI STOCKED UP?"

What is good is camaraderie, friendship, old-school Looney Toons videos and Rocky and Bullwinkle Shows. Cooking, reading, dancing, and sleep.

"We're together... and it's better when we're together."

Stay safe, write me, and for the love of all things on Earth at this time, go wash your hands.

Slainte.