Tales from the Pandemic 4

ZOOM

In this together.

Keeping you connected wherever you are.

A sign of the times is ZOOM.  As all of the activities were getting cancelled, teachers and instructors were quickly figuring out a way to get connected online and continue with the classes.  Without too much of a break, everything gravitated towards ZOOM and it became zoom, zoom, zoom 24/7.  Teachers were using it to teach classes.  Families were using it to check in with each other.  And friends were using it to have virtual happy hours.  Zoom became our new way of existing.

Ian and Sam was on Zoom each week for:

Ballet Class
Tap dance Class
Musical Theatre Class
Voice Lessons
Religious School

In addition, so many organizations were finding out a way to offer camps and lessons online to keep the kids engaged. It is simply awesome all the online virtual resources we have at our fingertips.

Ian was able to take a Storytelling Through Scenic Design.  This class meets every weekday for one hour and at the end of the session, the kids present their own scenic design they have created.   Ian's voice coach is offering an online musical theatre class twice a week.  During this time, the class will have watched a Broadway musical and come together online, thru Zoom, to discuss it and learn some of the music from it.  Another option Ian has it to take improv classes for teens online from Second City in Chicago.  How cool is this?

Schools are using a different method for distance learning using Blackboard. A schedule was developed the kids had to follow, starting on Tuesday, April 14th, the day after Spring Break ended. However, for the first 3 weeks (plus 2 days!) school for my kids did not exist.  Such a crazy thing to be stuck at home all this time and not have structure to our day and not have any idea what "school" will look like, when the teachers get distance learning figured out.

Sam will have 1 hour a day with her class, Monday thru Thursday.
Ian will have school two days each week: 5 hours one day and 4 hours another day.  Each of these two days includes a full hour for lunch.

So many things have been offered online.  Art lessons, musical performances, plays, virtual tours of cities, museums, zoos, and landmarks.  It is truly phenomenal how the world has stepped up and offered everything for free to try to help entertain and educate all of us who is stuck at home.

But at the end of the day, it is Zoom that has become big winner.  Zoom has reported more than 200 million daily video users during worldwide lockdowns.  *From US News and World Report.

Can you even imagine how different all this would be if the pandemic occurred 15 years ago?  None of this would've been possible.  Our online world was not nearly as advanced as it is now.  We would be stuck at home and feel so isolated.  Through the internet we've been able to be together, while staying apart.  It is truly a miraculous thing to have this in our lives.

Tales from the Pandemic 3

Moments of time during our quarantine:

Right before our world changed:

March 11 at 8:59 PM · Washington D.C. ·

Coronavirus will not stop our friendship!!!We had a great time catching up, not catching the virus! We survived, hand sanitizer in, well, hand. Thanks Robyn for taking me to the remote area of D.C. like last time. Doors locked! Lol

Nicole Harlow‎ to Robyn Mazer Toppall

March 12 at 6:39 PM ·

Please appropriately clear your calendar for tonight, as the parent comments on the FCPS post stating schools are gonna open tomorrow, are going to be legendary!!! #WhereIsDavid!!

March 12 at 9:36 PM ·

One of the best comments on the FCPS FB page:

Are you out of your mind? Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, and every other University have cancelled all classes; the NBA, NHL, and NCAA have shut down; Broadway has shut down; Disney world is closed; travel is banned; DC, MD, VA, NY have declared states of emergency; the stock market had suspended trading; the federal government has gone to 100 percent telework! But you don't see a reason to cancel classes?"

March 12 at 9:39 PM ·

Now if we could just get a forecast of snow, then we will close. 😂

March 13 at 5:12 AM ·

The parents have been heard. Over 1,300 comments blasting the superintendent on what a G-d awful decision it was to not close our schools today. School is now closed. Power to the people!!

March 13 at 7:41 AM ·

Lucy patiently waiting for the kids to wake up and tell them there is no school today. 🐶 ♥️

March 14 at 9:52 PM ·

People, It’s just gotten real. 😳

GH HALTS PRODUCTION OVER CORONAVIRUS

March 20 at 3:25 PM ·

I’m thinking FCPS can stop the flashing school zone speed limit signs, you know, indefinitely. 🤣

March 28 at 10:59 AM ·

Tales from the Pandemic: Lori and I sent our mom (age 76) an iPad so she can FaceTime with my family and Lori’s. I had the iPad sent to Lori & Ben so they can set it up with WiFi, iCloud ID, etc. Lori put netlix and amazon prime on it and logged her in. We made everything as easy as possible to get her up and running with minimal technical knowledge needed. The iPad was dropped off at the door and no human contact was made.

Within the last 24 hours:

1. I FaceTime mom to make sure all is good. After about 10 minutes, while FaceTiming(!!), we discover the iPad is still in the box and she didn’t realize that the box wasn’t part of the device.

2. Mom decides to watch a movie on Netflix. She said the one she picked out was making her ill (it had to do with the Holocaust) and she needed to turn it off. She called me to ask how to turn it off. Meanwhile, over the phone, I hear people getting shot in the background and mom saying “Oh G-d, oh G-d). Everything I tell her to do to turn it off (and believe me I got super creative too - including having her hold her finger down on the little circle showing how far into the movie she was and fast forwarding to the end), it wasn’t working for her. Mom decides to put the iPad with the movie playing in the guest bedroom and close the door until the movie is over. Even with the door closed, you can still hear people getting shot. I told mom to at least turn the volume down. She said she finally got the volume to where she likes it and doesn’t want to mess with it. Apparently that was a struggle too.

3. This morning when FaceTiming, mom said she needed to go to the App Store and wanted to know if there was one in Altamonte Springs she could visit. 😂😂

I love  mom and how she is trying so hard to get it.

April 1 at 11:14 AM ·

Is it wrong I am so hoping I wake up and this was all a bad dream. And we’ve been able to do all of our usual activities, but right now, I am still asleep and don’t realize it!?!? 🤔😆

April 1 at 4:30 PM ·

Tales from the Pandemic: Our family’s greatest achievement! This 2,000 piece puzzle took us an embarrassing amount of time to do. We all had different periods of being obsessed trying to get it done. It was truly a team effort. Gooooo Team Toppall!
Kudos to the Reber’s (Leslie and Matt) who did a virtual puzzle contest with us. They started their 2,000 piece puzzle the same day we started ours. They’ve been done for a long time now. For awhile it was fun texting pics back and forth each night documenting our progress. But it quickly became evident that they are puzzle gurus and we are puzzle impaired.