Here in Massachusetts (and most of the Northeast), we will remember this summer for being HOT and usually HUMID -- especially in August which was about 5 degrees above average. I just melt in the heat. I'm such a wimp about it.
We tried to ignore this stain in the 1st-floor ceiling, but it bubbled and grew in May and June. Finally got a plumber in early-July to check the pipes, which required this beautiful "skylight" that didn't get fixed for 6 weeks. The first plumber disappeared as contractors sometimes do; in late-July we found another guy who confirmed that the problem was a leak from the old cast-iron bathtub.
The upstairs bathroom was always problematic and fairly hideous. To replace the tub, they'd have to take off the tiles on that wall. If you're going to replace those, then ya might as well redo ALL the wall tiling, right? Or at least remove some to put drywall there. And the sink/vanity unit was too small anyway. That is how a brown spot in the ceiling turns into a 3-week-long, multi-thousand $$ bathroom renovation.
I have some handyman skills, but this was well beyond my toolbox. Even the professional contractor struggled at times and had to ask colleagues for help. I really respected him for that. The house was built in the 1920s and the upstairs was probably renovated in the 1960s (judging by the mint green tiles and other clues). There were some weird piping issues and wall material mysteries.
My wife and I did the last 10%: sanding the plaster, painting the walls, installing the new cabinets, plumbing the sink. The job was finally done August 20th. It is reassuring to know that the bathtub is MUCH less likely to fall through the floor, and it certainly does look cleaner and brighter now!
My wife and I did the last 10%: sanding the plaster, painting the walls, installing the new cabinets, plumbing the sink. The job was finally done August 20th. It is reassuring to know that the bathtub is MUCH less likely to fall through the floor, and it certainly does look cleaner and brighter now!
Oh yeah, I also had to replace the dishwasher in July when the 2-year-old unit stopped draining properly. (Frigidaire > Maytag!)
What does all this have to do with flipped classrooms? Uh, not much really. Except I think there is a metaphor somewhere about projects that got a lot more work than the naked eye can see. When I look at these walls, now I know what's behind them and how much effort it took to make the bathroom look this way. Same for the dishwasher, which required at least 8 hardware store trips in 2 days.
Our students only see the videos -- not the script / planning / outtakes / editing and everything else we did for several hours to produce that 10-minute lesson. Does that matter? Probably not. We get better at these jobs over time, and with experience it gets easier. This year's dishwasher job was easier than 2016 when I'd never done that before; installing the upstairs sink was just like when I did it for the kids' downstairs bathroom last year.
Nothing else in this house is allowed to break until June. I just won't have time for that until Summer 2019.
What does all this have to do with flipped classrooms? Uh, not much really. Except I think there is a metaphor somewhere about projects that got a lot more work than the naked eye can see. When I look at these walls, now I know what's behind them and how much effort it took to make the bathroom look this way. Same for the dishwasher, which required at least 8 hardware store trips in 2 days.
Our students only see the videos -- not the script / planning / outtakes / editing and everything else we did for several hours to produce that 10-minute lesson. Does that matter? Probably not. We get better at these jobs over time, and with experience it gets easier. This year's dishwasher job was easier than 2016 when I'd never done that before; installing the upstairs sink was just like when I did it for the kids' downstairs bathroom last year.
Nothing else in this house is allowed to break until June. I just won't have time for that until Summer 2019.
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