Wow, well this past fortnight really was one of those ones where everything goes wrong, wasn’t it?

Covid case numbers in Sydney are on the rise with the Delta strain showing no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Then, not long after it’s announced that online schooling will return for Greater Sydney, someone decides to launch a cyber attack on NSW public school’s online portal.

This of course, renders access to emails, online storage drives and classrooms obsolete. Unless you know the sideways entrances… which took this luddite a few days to catch onto…

Then, I go to type my blog post for the week (last week)…and wordpress has no idea who I am! Apparently, I don’t even have a blog site yet.

Despite the fact that I could still see it online…

Yes, this post was originally written in a word document in the hope that my prayers would affect some sort of change in the tech-atmosphere.

(In the end, I searched the internet for some tech support. Thank-you people. I’m back)

Yep… it’s been a Plan B week, this week.

It’s also a week in which I got to experiment with a few things whilst teaching online.

For example, I “made” watermelon juice in my blender a few days back now. I don’t normally do that. Once I’ve finished that off, pineapple juice is next.

Also, I’ve got a fabulous looking sewing pile that’s going to get “cracked open” to help rest my eyes from screen time as this online learning phase continues, for who knows how long…

Yet… whilst the Covid cases are terrible and it’s Plan B to me; it’s Plan A to God. He knew all along that this is what would happen.

And as terrible as it seems, I hear him saying… “You need this. You’re exhausted.”

And I know I am.

The Lord has gifted me with a bit of a break (of sorts…). Once online learning gets up and running, there is a rest. And I actually get better at not doing work on the weekends when we’re Learning from Home. Who wants to be at their computer again after a whole week of it?!

And thanks to the Catholics as previously mentioned, who did push back their exams (!) my Year 12s have received a reprieve as well…oh, thank-you.

This of course is particularly good when I question whether some of them are doing any learning at all right now. For the record, online learning with 18 year old males at 9am on a Friday morning on Zoom is not a session of quality teaching or learning. I think some of them were awake…slightly.

Fortunately this coming Friday I’ve got them 3 hours later. But frankly, any day of the week, I don’t want to teach my Year 12s until midday as long as we’re online, thank-you very much.

It’s like the one time ever that Year 9 are actually better… can’t believe I’m writing that…

I really do like my Year 12s too. They are a great bunch and I am so proud of how hard some of them are working still. Their two senior study years, just decimated…

What to do, eh?

We can give into fear mongering and terrify ourselves.

We can also be too lax and not worrying about the real threat when it’s out there.

Or we can strike a balance – and remember that there is a good God in control. He wants us to use our brains, make wise decisions – but also, to trust in him.

And, even in the terrible times – (when it’s dark and rainy, not helping!) – we should see his goodness and grace.

Yours in the plan,

Alison

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