Category:

Let the Games Begin?!

5/11/2020

I am saying this with both fingers crossed; it looks like we might get to start showing in June. Last week, instead of extending the ban on showing, USEF released a Tool Kit for show managers. It's a lengthy read with lots of embedded links and a few things that made me wrinkle my nose in disgust/frustration/aggravation?, but at least we are headed in the right direction.

Click the image to read the press release.

My own chapter of CDS has five shows on hold, two of which we've already rescheduled for the fall. We haven't heard anything from CDS yet as to how many of USEF's rules we need to adhere to, especially since a lot of the rules just don't make sense for teeny tiny shows like ours.

Like this one, Create an Emergency Response Plan specific to a COVID-19 incident or outbreak that includes local medical resources and addresses outbreak protocols including medical evaluation, isolation and quarantine, and reporting. I am sorry, but how is an "outbreak" going to occur at a horse show, and how in holy f--- would we KNOW that an outbreak has occurred? Will people become infected immediately and begin foaming at the mouth? I certainly hope not, but I've seen a lot of movies where that happens.

Horse Show Task Force

Here's even more: Require a facemask or face covering for all staff, officials, volunteers, service providers and participants when not mounted on a horse. My one problem with this is what do I do as a competitor if I must lead my horse to a mounting block that is not positioned at my trailer or my stall? Do I wear the mask until I mount and then lower it so it can then serve as my stock tie? If I don't wish it to serve as my stock tie, do I shove it in a pocket? If I don't have a pocket, do I drop it on the ground? I won't have a groom or family member with me, so I won't have anyone "safe" to hand it to, and why would anyone want to touch it anyway? So I guess I am back to dropping it on the ground.

Need more? How about these three:
1. Prohibit the public, spectators, and non-essential personnel such as guests from being on the competition grounds until further notice. What about our small summer show series that's held at an equestrian center? How do we prohibit paying boarders from coming to the barn? I am not sure how we can kick them out for spectating or grooming or riding their own horses. We already can't prohibit them from using the warm up arena during the show. Now USEF wants us to prohibit them from showing up at their barn, the one they're paying to use. We can "prohibit" all we want, but we have no way of enforcing this rule.

2. Organize horse arrivals and departures to limit contact between people. I already get to a show a little before my scheduled ride time and leave when I am done. Are we now going to wait in a line on the side of a road as each person unloads her horses and stuff so that we're doing things in isolation? Funny how 400 people can be in Costco, but 20 ladies can't show up at the show grounds throughout the day.

3. Arrange judges’ and other officials’ areas to comply with social distancing requirements. I can't wait to see how they work this one out. I guess the judge can just shout out her scores and comments to her scribe. Maybe they'll buy walkie-talkies.

I get it. There need to be some guidelines, but USEF likes to offer solutions that are one-sized fits all. SafeSport showed us that. COVID-19 is only reinforcing how USEF likes to deal with problems. They want a solution that can be applied to everyone and at every show. But seriously, some of USEF's requirements are going to be really hard to police, especially since events like ours are held at equestrian centers with their own clients. Our shows, whether it's our little one-star CDS shows or our "bigger" three-star CDS/USDF/USEF shows are already lightly attended. Because our venues tend to be fairly spread out and wide open, we'll be practicing social distancing without even trying. As much as I want the world to reopen and get back to work, I am not sure USEF has thought this through all the way.

My friend Jen, who is the show manager for close to a dozen CDS/USDF/USEF shows each year, sent me an entry for the Summer Dressage II show at El Sueno in mid-June. I filled it out over the weekend. I want to go, I am planning on going, but I am just not sure how much fun it's going to be. And showing is, after all, supposed to be fun.

I wrote it on the calendar, but we know how that goes.

This past month or so has shown how divided we are as a nation. We have lost the ability to even pretend to listen or respond in a respectful manner. I know that many of you think I am cold hearted without any hint of sensitivity to the issues facing us. I would argue that the complete opposite is true. My heart is breaking for the millions and millions and millions of Americans who are today without jobs. Some of those people are in my own family. Yes, I care that 80,000 have died, but far more than half of them were elderly with preexisting conditions, many of whom would have no doubt died from something else this year.

Marked in red is Kern County which has 900,000 people, a mere 15 of whom have died from COVID-19.

Yes, that sucks. It really does, but I don't see a huge uproar about flu deaths or about deaths due to gun violence or suicide (more than 48,000 Americans took their own lives in 2018). Did you know that 655,381 other Americans died of heart disease in 2018? How many of those deaths would have been prevented if people hadn't smoked or had exercised or eaten better? Why are we not upset about that? (source)

Bakersfield is California's 9th largest city by population, and Kern County ranks as the 11th largest county by population (3rd largest by area). Out of all of those many, many people - nearly 900,000 here in Kern County, 15 people have died from COVID-19. FIFTEEN. And for that, my county now has a jobless rate of more than 15% as of April. California's population is nearly 40,000,000. Forty million. Do you know how many have died? 2,678.

Do I want to go to a dressage show without having to wear a mask? Yes, I do, but not because I am selfish. It's because I am desperate to see my city, my county, and my state get people back to work. I want kids to go back to school, and I want us to think about what we have lost and given away for 15 people.

In my mind, It hasn't been worth it.

Well, That's a Wrap

5/7/2020

On Monday, I was tasked with the job of closing down my classroom for the rest of the year. The governor had already said we were done for the year, and my district's superintendent had said we were finished, but until things were actually dismantled, there was still a chance we'd go back.

The crates and bins usually hold student folders and text books.

Since we're still concerned with social distancing, closing down our classrooms took two weeks. One fourth of the staff came last Monday and Tuesday while another quarter went last Wednesday and Thursday. A handful of other teachers and myself cleaned up our rooms on Monday and Tuesday while the final quarter of the staff had yesterday and today to pack up everything.

Student belongings ready for pick up.

Our primary task was to gather and bag all student belongings so that the kids can pick everything up one day next week. I've never before cleaned my room by myself. It's actually a task I love to do in the final weeks of school because my kiddos and I do it together, planning for next year as w go. It's a job they love. Tossing out the old and worn is very cathartic and gives the kids a sense of closure. They also love to clean up the reusables, like scissors and caddies, in preparation for the class coming up behind them. It gives the kids a sense of power and responsibility.

Students always change out the calendar for me.

I always select and then train my most responsible kids for a long list of jobs. Some kids are in charge of stripping the bulletin boards while others reorganize the cupboards. My most responsible kids get to clean out my desk and teacher supplies. Once trained, I let my little managers select their own "staff" who they then direct to complete whichever tasks they want to delegate.

I just threw it all in the cupboard.

While I love the "free labor," what I most enjoy about it is how careful and industrious the kids are. They love stripping down the room, and they do a really good job - better than the job I did. I just tossed stuff in the cupboards without my usual process of evaluating its condition for future use. The truth is, my heart just wasn't in it.

The windows are usually covered with student work.

We worked so hard this year only to have the carpet yanked out from under our feet. In January/February, my district was brutally hit with a ransomware attack. For nearly a month we were without internet, laptops, or technology of any kind. Just about the time we found ourselves recovering from that, COVID-19 reared its ugly head. After all of our hard work, we never got to complete state testing. I was really looking forward to seeing how much my kiddos had learned this year. Now, all of our work feels as though it were for nought.

It will be nearly six months before these chairs get used.

It's frustrating because the fourth quarter is when we get to celebrate after working so hard. We do state reports which include oral reports and building state floats out of shoeboxes for our "stately parade," a fifth grade tradition. We won't get to play in our fifth grade softball tournament, another tradition the kids look forward to. We're going to miss out on Game Day and our Chip Chow Down, one of my all time favorite days. Every student brings a family-sized bag of chips and we CHOW DOWN while playing Hedbanz, Clue, and other board games. There's nothing like wearing a whale on your forehead as you plunge your arm into a massive bag of Lay's potato chips.

Empty.

We're also missing Open House, an evening where families come and see all of the projects their kids have worked on all year. Our carnival was also cancelled as was Battle of the Books, a county-wide competition that my team was really looking forward to. All in all, it just sucks. Yes, we're still "Distance Learning" while having Zoom meetings and working on things in the Google Classroom, but it's not even remotely as rewarding as finishing the year with friends and favorite teachers.

When my kiddos come to pick up their stuff next week, I won't even be able to hug them and wish them a happy summer. I'll wave from behind my barricade and smile under my face mask. If I am this disappointed, how must they feel?

I sure hope all of this was worth it.

When Three Are Not a Crowd

5/6/2020

We have followed the social distancing rules to the letter. We wear a mask when we go out which has been limited to the grocery store, bank, pharmacy, and gas station. Same thing for going to work, the feed store, and the post office. We keep six feet apart. I haven't touched another human being besides my husband since mid-March. I may not agree with every decision that's being made, but we're doing our part to limit our social interactions.

Just heading out. Photo by Wendy.

So this past weekend, when Wendy and I found that our schedules had finally lined up, we decided to get together for a trail ride. We knew it would be easy to maintain social distance while still interacting safely. I also invited my friend Edyta to come and ride Speedy. It was the most fun I have had in a really long time.

It took forever to get all three horses to line up and sort of face forward. L to R: Wendy on Beanie, me on Izzy, Edyta on Speedy.

My friend Wendy lives on the other side of the Tehachapi Mountains in Rosamond, a small town on the very western edge of the Mojave Desert. She brought her mare, Beanie, who was an absolute rockstar of a three-year old.

Very brave pony!

Edyta is an old friend who has ridden all of her life but who now finds herself horseless as she raises her two girls. When I asked her if she wanted to join us, she was hesitant about riding Speedy. She's known him since his endurance days and has heard plenty about his shenanigans. I laughed and told her that he's only difficult for me. She agreed that it would be fun and met us at the park.

Edyta called Speedy a perfect gentleman.

Because it's a trail I like and know well, we repeated the same loop I had done a few days before. Beanie is only three and Edyta hadn't ridden in nearly two years, so I wanted the trail to be fun and easy for everyone, and that included Izzy. This time I remembered to start my activity app as we headed out, but then I forgot to turn it off until we were well into lunch - sheesh. The mileage, at nearly eight miles, was actually a wee bit farther than I had thought.

I thought it was 7.5 miles. I was close.

We averaged four miles an hour more or less - mostly because we stopped a lot, but the last nine tenths of a mile really lowered our average as I had forgotten to end the workout. The whole loop took us a little less than two and a half hours. I think we spent that long eating lunch in the shade.

When you forget to turn things off. Apparently I don't move very fast when I am sitting.

Our mile split times times weren't helped by the numerous places we stopped to take pictures. It was such a perfect day though that all of us wanted to take photos, especially once we got to my favorite lookout point over Lake Ming. I have a million shots of that view from between Izzy's ears, but this time, Edyta got a shot of his whole body!

Photo by Edyta

Edyta and Speedy G

Wendy and Beanie, who was clearly checking out the view herself. Photo by Edyta

Throughout the ride, we laughed, told stories, and just generally took a few hours to relax and let go of all of the stress and anxiety that is plaguing all of us. When we got back to the trailers, we hosed the horses off, made sure they had hay and water, and then we dragged out some chairs and the cooler.

Photo by Edyta

We feasted on pasta salads, guacamole and chips, salami and cheese, flavored mineral water, and some delicious custom made desserts that Edyta thoughtfully brought with her. (We sat at a distance from one another, used Clorox wipes, plastic silverware, paper plates, and avoided touching anything that someone else might touch.)

Photo by Edyta

For many people, including myself, the social distancing is causing its own set of mental and health issues. Connecting with friends face-to-face really helped me feel more balanced and centered. I missed the goodbye hugs that we would have given each other under other circumstances, but we made sure to give air hugs.

Horseman's Barn - Photo by Edyta

Of all the societal norms that may be abandoned when this passes, I sure hope that hugs amongst friends isn't one of them.

When it Rains, it RAINS!

4/9/2020

California is well known for its fantastic climate. Of course, we're also a huge state so different parts of the state experience different weather. In general, the coast is pleasant all year long, the mountains see snow in the winter but have mild summers, and the central valley has mild winters and blazing hot summers. I don't mind because it means I can ride about 360 days out of the year.

California at its finest. PC Sean Sweaney

When it rains here in Bakersfield, it lasts a few hours and then moves on. Our annual average is 6.47 inches. For the year. As in all 12 months. Last year, we got a total of 4.43 inches. In 2013-2014, we had 2.41 inches. Some of you get that in a few hours.

On my way to the barn ...

Over the past 4 days, we've had 2.2 inches of rain; a full third of our annual rainfall and just slightly less than what fell in all of 2013/2014. I don't think anyone's complaining though. When you live in a land that exists in perpetual drought that's also regularly on fire, any drop of precipitation is much appreciated.

Is that our arena or a lake?

Yesterday morning, I kept a close eye on the radar, certain that the clouds would dissipate quickly letting me make my daily barn run. Not only did the clouds not disappear, but they got thicker and heavier. Since there's no time like the present, I let both dogs jump in the truck, and we headed out in a downpour.

I have never seen Speedy's dry paddock this wet.

The ranch owner would have let me know if there had been a problem, but I hate to make her slog around checking on everybody. I needed to exchange Speedy's medium weight blanket for his heavier one anyway. I was glad I did because it continued to rain for the rest of the day and into this morning.

I think it was trying to float.

Izzy's side was no better. Both dogs thought the whole things was fabulous. That's labs for you though, and both of ours are confirmed water dogs. My husband laughed at me when I told him I had brought the dogs with me. My truck now smells of eau de wet dog, a very pricey fragrance.

Yellow Dog beelined for the muck. Gross.

Our black lab was much more sensible. He kept to the grass and out of the horses pens, a rule about which Yellow Dog conveniently forgot.

Tobias likes his paws clean.

Even though Izzy's blanket is looking a bit worse for wear and is held together with carabiners and spare parts, I tossed it on him. By about 7:30 p.m., the ranch owner called and asked if it was okay to pull it off. For the second time in a row, he had managed to get out of the leg straps and had it hanging off his body in a way that only Houdini could have accomplished. We both agreed that safe and wet was better than dry and tangled. He hates wearing the thing anyway. No wonder that blanket has seen better days.

Heading home.

By the time I was finished, the tanker trucks had succeed in pumping a good portion of the water off the road. The river and canal run parallel to the road, so when the ground can't absorb the water quickly enough, they siphon the water off the road and dump it in the canal. Things are still pretty wet this morning with showers predicted through this afternoon. I think I'll wait until later in the day to make my daily barn trek. For the next ten days, we have sunny skies forecasted with temperatures in the mid-70s.

I think we can deal with that.

One More "Schooling" Post

4/3/2020

No, not that kind, although I plan to get in a good schooling ride or two today. No, this is just another school-related post. I have horse stuff to write about - like the awesome lesson I had earlier this week, but right now, elementary school is really on my mind.

Yesterday, my district declared that our school campuses will remain closed for the duration of this academic school year. I am hugely disappointed and desperately worried about my kiddos, but it is what it is.

The laptop crew - yes that's me at the bottom with my mask.

On Wednesday and Thursday, I worked with a few other teachers, office staff, and our custodial crew to distribute Chromebooks to those families that needed a device. Parents formed lines out on the basketball courts to complete paperwork, and then they lined up at the entrance to our cafeteria. Their child's teacher's name and the student's laptop number were called out. Then one of us scurried to that teacher's Charger On Wheels (COW) where we located the correct laptop. The custodians disinfected the laptop, we added a charging cable, and all of it was stuffed into a plastic bag for distribution.

We took each assembled kit to our librarian who recorded the Chromebook's ID number, and then the laptop was handed out to the family over a barricade located at a different door. We essentially had a "place your order" window and a separate "pick up" window. The whole thing worked quite smoothly while helping everyone maintain appropriate social distance.

I have to say, except for one complete idiot, it was a really rewarding experience. At least a third of my own students made an appearance, so it was great to see them and have them see me. While I don't know every student at our school, I know enough of them that my cheery wave and hidden smile brought out a shy smile from them as well.

Me in red with my colleague waving in the back.

After handing out Chromebooks, I zipped on over to one of our Junior High Schools to hand out meal packs. Our kitchen chefs and bakers are doing an awe-inspiring job of feeding thousands and thousands and thousands of kids each day; we're serving meals at ten of our schools. I helped hand out lunches last week, but that was on a much smaller scale. At the school where I worked on Thursday, the kitchen staff - with help from some of the custodians, prepped and bagged more than 2,000 meals which were ready to hand out by 11:00 a.m. Besides myself, two other of my school's teachers showed up to distribute them.

The kitchen crew rolled out tray after tray of meals which included that day's lunch paired with the next morning's breakfast. At the top of the drive through lane, one of the kitchen staff recorded the child head count while Mrs. G., one of our 4th grade teachers, yelled out the number of meals needed. It was then up to Ms. C., one of our 6th grade teachers, or me to grab the number of meal bags needed and hand them through the window. Every single carload of kids got a cheery hello and a have a great day! as they passed through the meal line.

At the end of an hour and a half, Ms. C. and I had collectively handed out more than a thousand meal packs through more car windows than I could count. Some families came though needing a single meal pack, but many needed up to five or seven!

By 1:00, I was wiped out. I had handed our Chromebooks and meals for more than 4 straight hours. It was a good tired though. Then I went home and answered tons of questions in the Google Classroom, answered another half dozen parent questions in ParentSquare, and then talked to several more students on the phone.

I love my job, but I am really glad Spring Break starts today at 12:37!

My Other Second job

4/2/2020

Post Publish Edit: All cash is locked in a safe, and we have a security system with cameras that we use daily without exception.

Not too long ago, I talked about my "second job." The one where I monitor detention a few days a week. It's not really a second job, but it does help pay for Speedy's pills. Since schools are closed, nobody is earning detention. That's wonderful of course, but it also means that I am not getting my usual end of the year supplemental pay check.

Given that the nation is pretty much on lockdown due to COVID-19, there aren't any shows either which means I still have "plenty of money" in my budget for pills. While this is true, I am still preparing for show season. I am also trying to get ahead of things by saving every non-essential dollar that I can.

My "money at hand" savings account.

One way I do that is to save cash in envelopes earmarked for certain things. While I do have a regular savings account that I add to each month, I've found that saving cash in an envelope keeps that money from being spent. It's easy to make an online transfer, but not so easy on my conscience to grab a twenty from an envelope. You'd think that a cash envelope would be easier to pilfer from, but it's not. To me, it feels like stealing.

The first four envelopes, Newt Registration (which is over $800 annually!!!!!), Vet, Show, and Trip, all fall within my monthly budget. I know how much to save in each envelope each month, and I am religious about it. The Prascend envelope is the one that gets paid for by my extra jobs.

April's box is paid for!

Besides detention, I also coordinate my school's annual Battle of the Books team. My district provides a small stipend for the teacher who runs the program. I make about $200 a year. While I've run the program with my team all year, the actual BOB competition has been cancelled due to COVID-19. I don't think the kids know that yet, but they are going to be hugely disappointed when they find out. I am not sure yet if I am going to get paid or not, but that and the spring detentions that I would have supervised were going to pay for Speedy's summer box of prascend.

His April box, which I just bought, was paid for by yet another job I do. This one is legit and not at all related to teaching. About a year ago, an immigration attorney that I know asked me if I would be interested in doing some writing for some of her clients. She's also a friend which is how she knows I like to write.

Internet photo

I know nothing about the law and wasn't sure I was even remotely qualified to help, but I agreed to take the work. What with attorney-client privilege and the confidentiality agreement I've signed, I can't say much about what I do, but essentially, I interview her clients and write their stories. Of course, I am writing about specific information that they give, but really, all they need is someone who can put their words together without making too many spelling and grammar mistakes.

Another internet photo.

It has turned out to be the most rewarding and fascinating experience. The stories that the clients share always tug at my heart. I get so invested in their journeys that it's hard to pass off my work and be done. My part is only a very small one, so I don't get to hear what eventually happens. The cases that the attorney takes aren't resolved quickly. They take years to process which means I never hear the end result.

Just this week I finished with the most recent case. Unfortunately, the attorney probably won't have another case for me to work on for a while. I get an email every few months, but it might be even longer for the next one. COVID-19 is forcing a lot people out of their jobs; jobs that don't pay when the worker is at home. Immigration issues are expensive to resolve, so being out of work isn't going to make that process any easier.

So until detention starts back up in the fall, I might have to keep my ears on alert for a third second job. Let me know if you hear of anything.

Working Together

4/1/2020

Today I am heading to school to hand out Chromebooks to the families that don't have a device. I'll do the same thing tomorrow. And after that, I'll help hand out nearly a thousand meal packs to families.

Yesterday, I saw that two of my students had left some pretty work-specific questions in the Google Classroom. I called up the assignment each one was referencing and then got them on the phone, one at a time. M needed help with her math. It took 30 minutes to work through the problems with her, but it felt so good to actually be teaching!

The math lesson.

E needed help with his science. I had assigned a game on BrainPop, and he wasn't sure how to do a drawing with Google Draw. He's pretty tech savvy, as a lot of kids are, so I told him to click this, click that, insert here, and save. Again, it was so refreshing to talk to a kid and "hear" the lightbulb click on. I usually get to see it on their faces.

Speaking of which, our district has disabled the camera on the Chromebooks for safety and legal reasons. So even if I do hold a class meeting on Zoom, the kids won't be able to see each other. That's probably a good thing.

The science lesson.

I also ran some much needed errands yesterday. I hadn't been to the grocery store in at least two weeks, and neither had my mother-in-law. I let her know I was heading to Albertsons, so she sent me a list. When I dropped her groceries off, I set everything on her counter, and then we went outside.

She leaned against their truck, and I leaned against mine. We had a nice long chat. She's been cooped up with my father-in-law far too long and needed to see someone else's face! Normally, we would have hugged on arrival and departure, but with the current situation, we just waved. My in-laws are in their seventies; they have reason to be wary of social interactions, even from family.

Ranch owner's load.

I go the feed store once a month. Yesterday was also that day. The ranch owner's husband has some health issues, so he's definitely sheltering in place. She does all of the errands, but he worries about her coming into contact with someone who is sick. Knowing that, I texted her and asked if she needed anything. Of course she needed something; when don't we? So I filled her order and mine.

My part 1 of 2.

This shelter in place recommendation is going to be in place for a while longer. I think it's really important to remember that there are friends, family, and neighbors who going to feel isolated, left out, maybe even forgotten. For those of us that are healthy and at a low risk of getting seriously ill, I think it's our duty to do what we can for those who can't.

Reach out to someone today. Maybe they just need a phone call.

Media Overload

3/30/2020

I did not think it was possible, but I am approaching burnout when it comes to all media. I now know why people take a break from Facebook. Some of it is self-inflicted like my daily check of the CDC and the WHO websites. Those are the only forms of "news" I trust right now. The rest of it comes across as hyperbole which makes it difficult to filter out the nuggets of truth hidden amongst all of the noise.

First stop of the day.

The rest of it, the virtual interactions, have become part of my job. While I use a lot of websites and apps in my role as a teacher, those interactions are offset by the face to face time I spend with my kiddos. Now that we aren't meeting face to face, my face to screen time now dominates my day. I am not a fan.

Second stop.

One issue is that my hours are no longer typical school hours. Parents and kids message me when they can, and for most, that's not from 7:20 - 2:50, my contracted work hours (or in my case, from 6:00 a.m. when I typically arrive at school). Since I am not physically at school from 6:00 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. - I go to the barn in the mid-morning, eat lunch whenever I feel like it, and run an errand if need be (like getting diesel), I feel obligated to respond to a parent or student message no matter the day or time. On Saturday, I answered a number of messages. I did the same thing on Sunday.

All. Day. Long.

Many of my students' parents are essential workers - we live in America's garden after all, so they're still at work. The time they have to communicate with me is in the evening and on weekends. I feel that it's my duty to respond, especially since there is no question that my situation leaves me nothing to complain about. I can still ride my horses, I am getting paid, my husband is getting paid, I get to sleep in, and I live outside of town, so social distancing is super easy.

This can be a time sucker if I am not careful.

So what does my day look like? Well the first thing I usually do is open my MacBook and write a blog post. After that I check my two personal email accounts and maybe spend a few minutes checking in with friends and family on Facebook. From there, it's game on.

Three is my max.

Depending what my tasks are for the day, I then open my work-assigned Chromebook to check my Google Mail account for school. By the second or third day, I realized that waiting to check those message until morning was way too hard, so I added my school email to my phone. I never really understood the need for individual mailboxes before; now I do. I simply can't keep all of the message straight, and the important ones were getting lost in the shuffle. With a school account on my phone, I can now sort through those messages throughout the day no matter where I am.

Because I need more apps on my phone.

I am also attending Zoom meetings. Many of you have probably been using Zoom for a while, but in teaching, especially for the little guys, face to face interactions are much more effective. Right now, we're doing staff meetings and grade level PLC meetings on Zoom. I am toying with the idea of having a class meeting via Zoom, but I'll only risk that if I get desperate. Eleven year olds can be unpredictable.

I get more notifications here than on Facebook.

The email messages lead me to my ParentSquare messages. If you haven't used ParentSquare, think of it as Facebook for a school or district. It's actually an amazing app that is really saving our butts during distance learning. It can be a bit overwhelming though. I get message from my district, my school site, and individual people. I also create posts which then generate even more messages in the form of responses. In ParentSquare, I can relay updates to families as well as let them know when I have assigned work in the Google Classroom.

It works just like a real classroom except it's virtual.

The Google Classroom is where I assign and correct student work. The Google Classroom also has a comment/chat feature which I had turned off all year. Real life chatting is rampant as it is; I didn't need to add virtual chatting as well. Since I can't call on raised hands to answer questions, nor can we hold classroom discussions, I have turned that feature back on which means I have an entire new level of messaging that I need to both monitor and respond to. Plus, kids can ask me questions about their assignments.

One more app to monitor.

I am also assigning work in Next Gen Math which means I creat the assignments and then check back to see who has completed them and monitor how they did.

And another one.

This week, since all the kids are picking up their laptops* from school, I am also assigning 20 minutes a day on Lexia Core 5. It's a leveled program that allows kids to practice a variety of reading skills, but the teacher uses the interface to find out where kids are stuck and offers intervention.

* I'll be at work on Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 - 11:30 to distribute laptops, and on Thursday, I'll then drive to another school to hand out meals from 11:00 - 12:30. I will definitely appreciate the break from staring at my screen.

We have so many apps from which to choose.

Once the kids have their laptops, I'll also be assigning and checking their Accelerated Reader quizzes. Depending how long distance learning continues, right now we're scheduled to return to school in early May, there are even more apps and websites that I can use. Last week and this week, I assigned work in BrainPop.

Work isn't the only place I am juggling apps and websites. I am also still running our CDS chapter's Facebook page and website. We had a show scheduled for late April, but after USEF extended the ban on showing, we cancelled that show and are in the midst of rescheduling for October.

Just one of the Facebook pages I administer.

I've decided I am just too busy to monitor yet another message source. So for now, I am closing comments on my blog. You can still comment of course, but you'll have to do it on Facebook. I share my blog posts there each morning, and the posts are always public. So if you have something you want to share, or you just need to tell me what a terrible person I am, find me on Facebook.

Cheers!

Keeping Busy

3/23/2020

Last week, most of my students were at school on Monday and Tuesday. Ten were absent on Monday, and fourteen elected to self-quarantine on Tuesday. By Wednesday, school was officially closed through April 13th, which will be the end of our regularly scheduled spring break.

On Wednesday morning, I did what most of my students probably did - not a lot of anything. Those last few days of school were so stressful. Not knowing what was going to happen, worrying over how much my students were going to miss, and thinking about what I could to do help. That afternoon though, I finally dove into my school email and saw that there was a need for teachers to hand out meal packs for the remainder of the week. I quickly responded that I would be there.

Left to right: me in my school gear, a kindergarten teacher, one of our cooks, and a 4th grade teacher.

My district, like most here in Bakersfield, offers the Seamless Summer Option meal program to children 18 years and younger. What that means is during the summer, meals are provided free to all children 18 years and younger. The state reimburses districts who provide the meals. Given that we are in a state of emergency, the Governor authorized districts to expand the Seamless Summer Option throughout the duration of school closures.

When I showed up on Thursday, I donned my gloves and started taking orders. As vehicles drove past our meal station, they either showed how many meals were needed by holding up their fingers, or we stepped up to the window. Those were my favorite interactions. The kids were super excited to see their teachers handing out meal packs, and every single family expressed their gratitude.

Since so many teachers were eager to help, the fourth grade teacher in the photo created a sign up so that everyone could come and help over the next few weeks. The day I handed out meal packs, we served more than 260 breakfast/lunch combos. And you know, it was really fun.

Unfortunately, it was decided that it was more efficient to consolidate the program. Instead of all of our schools handing out meals, meals will now be handed out at select school sites beginning today. Kids still get their meals, they just can't come to my school, which was not on the list. For now, my staff isn't needed to hand out lunches.

At the beginning of the school year, my district ditched all of the smaller communication apps - Class Dojo, Remind, and others, in favor of ParentSquare. Whoever made that decision must have had a premonition because it has a been a lifesaver. Between ParentSquare, the Google Classroom, and the Google Drive, I have been busy communicating with my students and their families.

While kids were sent home on Tuesday with a packet of work that was to last two weeks, it was hastily assembled, and by necessity, fairly generic. For my kiddos who have internet and devices, I have prepared work specific to their needs that went live this morning. Even if we can't be in the same room face to face, we can still hold group chats and continue our learning.

My district is also going to use Zoom, a platform for video and audio conferencing. Over the weekend, I downloaded the app and created an account. My principal isn't sure how much we'll need it. If we go back to school in April, we probably won't use it all. If we're out for the rest of the year though, there are some things for which we'll definitely need it.

I think we're having a staff meeting early this week using Zoom, so that should be pretty interesting. If you're a teacher, you'll know what I mean. Staff meetings for teachers go can either way - productive and quick, or more likely, a free for all explosion of noise with everybody talking and nobody listening. I wonder what that will look like in a video conference.

Not germy on the outside, but it was dirty.

And finally, because there is only so much social media, online platforms, and new accounts that a person can stand, I closed my laptop(s) - I now have one of my school computers here at home, and went outside to disinfect Newt. I scrubbed her from top to bottom and then used several alcohol and/or ammonia-based cleaners on the inside. The only passengers I've had in her were my husband and a colleague from work, but I figured it couldn't hurt to clean off any germs that were thinking of taking up residence.

It definitely smells nicer.

Today, I'll be checking in on my students via ParentSquare and the Google classroom. I'll be answering emails through the magic of the cloud. And thanks to video conferencing, I'll be looking for an invite to Zoom over to a staff meeting. If you need me, I'll be sitting right here.

Well, I might head over to the laundry room for a few minutes, but that won't take long.

Vice-Chairperson

11/6/2019

I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but I somewhat reluctantly volunteered to serve on the board of my chapter of CDS, the Tehachapi Mountain Chapter (TMC). I've been a member since 2010, but since I live an hour away, I've never volunteered before. In all honestly, the team that has served until now has done an excellent job. I am not sure how welcome my help would have been anyway.

So here we are, a decade later, and as always happens, the core of the old board decided to retire. You know how it is though. When someone's been doing a really good job, it's hard to find people to step up to fill their shoes. After some deliberation, Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, stepped up and agreed to serve as the chapter Chairperson. She asked me to serve with her. Darn it.

Wielding her new power!

At the chapter's annual awards banquet, Terry Quinn, the outgoing Chairperson, handed off a literal gavel to Chemaine and introduced the new board. Up until that moment, being chapter Vice-chair was really just words on a page. Once Terry formally introduced us to the membership though, my stomach gave a little flip flop. Stuff was about to get real.

Our new website!

Last night was our first official meeting. I am nothing if not dedicated, so as Vice-chair I've already logged in a few dozen hours. I started off by attending a Golden Empire Arabian Horse Society meeting in an attempt to join forces. We're hoping to put on a joint TMC/GEAHS show in the spring. So far, the folks at GEAHS are on board. Now we just need to get the venue lined up, the date established with CDS, and about a million other details ironed out.

About the
Writer & Rider

I am a lifelong rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010.
Welcome to my dressage journey.

Photo by Lori Ovanessian

Email Karen

About Speedy G

Speedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. We're currently showing Third Level for the 2020 show season. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.

August 2018

About Izzy

Izzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are schooling and showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.

March 2019

Bakersfield Dressage approved!

FOR THE SMALLER EQUINE ATHLETE

I love her stuff!

National Awards

USDF Bronze Medal - 2020

USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award - 2018

2nd Level Rider Performance, 2018

USDF First Level Rider Performance Award - 2015

1st Level Rider Performance, 2015

USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award - 2013

Training Level Rider Performance, 2013

State Awards

CDS Third Level Horse Performance Award - 2020 (pending receipt)

CDS Ruby Rider Award - 2018

Ruby Rider Award, 2018

CDS Second Level Horse Performance Award - 2018

2nd Level Horse Performance Award - 2018

Working Towards:

CDS Sapphire Rider Award
Third Level: 63.514%
Third Level: 62.105%
Fourth Level:
Fourth Level:

2020 Show Season

Show Rating
(***) CDS/USDF/USEF
(*) CDS
(s) Schooling
(c) Clinic
(r) Ride-a-Test Clinic
(Q) Must Qualify

2020 Pending …
7/11-12 SLO-CDS WC (***)
7/26 TMC (*)
8/8 - 9 RAAC (Q) (***)
8/30 TMC (*)
9/20 TMC (*)
10/11 TMC (*)
10/24-25 SCEC (***)

2020 Completed …
10/26-27/19 SCEC (***)
6/20-21/20 SCEC (***)
6/29 Ulf Wadeborn (c)

2020 Qualifying Scores

Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC)
3rd Level Qualifying Modified for 2020
2 Scores/1 Judge:
Score 1: 60.405% Atkins
Score 2: 62.432% Atkins

CDS Championship
3rd Level Qualifying Modified for 2020
3 Scores/2 Judges:
Score 1: 60.405% Atkins
Score 2: 62.432% Atkins
Score 3: 61.750% Johnson

Let the Games Begin?!

Well, That's a Wrap

When Three Are Not a Crowd

When it Rains, it RAINS!

One More "Schooling" Post

My Other Second job

Working Together

Media Overload

Keeping Busy

Vice-Chairperson

About the
Writer & Rider

About Speedy G

About Izzy

National Awards

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About the Writer & Rider

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