Tuesday, March 2, 2021

School visit 2019 vs. now

school visit 2019:

  • email contract to school
  • ensure school signs and returns contract 
  • make travel plans/reset forgotten passwords
  • make sure certain clothes are washed
  • pack those clothes
  • pack flash drive
  • pack clicker
  • pack wipes (I was doing this long before COVID)
  • check if state you are going to uses EZ-Pass
  • if so, pack EZ-Pass
  • forget to pack something (headphones? portable charger? socks?)
  • get in as much family time as you can before you leave
  • check in online for flight
  • doublecheck that your airline rewards number is on the reservation 
  • travel
  • doublecheck that your hotel rewards number is on the reservation 
  • enter school address into GPS night before to determine when to leave hotel
  • catch up on the work you couldn’t do while in transit
  • place towel on floor so you won’t touch hotel carpet when doing a workout
  • (if it snowed overnight but school was not canceled) build in 5 extra minutes to clean off rental car (10 if it does not have ice scraper)
  • figure out breakfast place on the way with food more edible than what the hotel serves 
  • accidentally run over cone kindly reserving your parking space
  • scan license in school office
  • meet host 
  • check tech 
  • fill water bottle
  • smile at the audience
  • do your thing
  • sign books
  • eat Panera with kids in library
  • fist-bump your way out (I was doing this long before COVID; have not high-fived since 2014)
  • return to get flash drive you forgot in the school laptop
  • fill up rental car gas tank
  • say hi to fellow school-visiting author you bump into at airport
  • go home

school visit now:

  • email contract to school
  • ensure school signs and returns contract 
  • remind family not to vacuum or drop anything for the next little bit
  • walk downstairs to home office
  • (optional) raise standing desk
  • turn on computer
  • smile at the dot
  • do your thing
  • go back upstairs

Both have advantages. Both have disadvantages. I love both ways. But, of course, I cannot wait to be back in a school in person.

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