Items

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  2020-10-24

  Sensory History & COVID-19, Lesson Plan

  This curriculum was designed for a junior level US History course. First, students learn about sensory history through the study of a historical event. Then, students are asked to submit a COVID-19 sensory memory to the JOTPY archive. The curriculum and student work are being submitted to the JOTPY archive to provide insight into the sensory history of COVID-19. They also give insight into the vast array of perspectives teenagers living during the COVID-19 pandemic have based on the diversity of their current life experiences.
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  2020-10-06

  The Media & COVID-19, Lesson Plan

  This curriculum was designed for a junior level US History course. Students are asked to identify a news article that highlights an important aspect of the COVID-19 experience. Students are also asked to write a summary of the article that includes an overview of the article, why they selected the article, the importance of the article, what the article reveals about life during COVID-19, identification of any noticeable bias in the article, and a statement about the responsibility of the media during the pandemic. The curriculum and student work are being submitted to the JOTPY archive to provide insight into the topics that are important to teenagers, as well as the expectations and reality of the media during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also give insight into the vast array of perspectives teenagers living during the COVID-19 pandemic have based on the diversity of their current life experiences.
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  2020-09-07

  American Values Essay, Lesson Plan

  This curriculum was designed for a junior level US History course. Students are asked to identify core American values and to formulate a claim in response to the essential question, "Is America currently living up to its core values?" The curriculum and student essays are being submitted to the JOTPY archive to provide a picture of how teenagers view America as a whole in 2020. They also give insight into the vast array of perspectives teenagers living during the COVID-19 pandemic have based on the diversity of their current life experiences.
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  2020-09-01

  Greetings From...San Francisco

  A wonderful group of students from my first year of teaching (2011-12) has stayed in touch since they graduated in 2015. They have an annual tradition of coming back to the Bay Area at least once per year and spending the day in San Francisco. They take a photograph in front of the Golden Gate Bridge - even if it is completely covered in fog - to mark their time together. The COVID-19 pandemic made their tradition impossible this year. They still decided to mark the year by creating this "Greeting from...San Francisco" postcard style photoshopped image. It is such a sign of the times! I am grateful that the group is finding a way to stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 
  2020-08-29

  Halloween in August

  After 5.5 months in quarantine, we are bored. Like really bored. My kids starting asking if we could put up Halloween decorations around August 10th. We love Halloween. My birthday is even on Halloween. But Halloween decorations in August is a bit much - even for me! After a few weeks, asking turned into begging. By August 29th I decided "What the heck?! Let's do it. Halloween in August it is!" The kids, in their matching candy corn pajamas, had a blast decorating the house and trying on old Halloween costumes. Now let's hope we can keep the excitement up for 2 months until Halloween actually arrives!
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  2020-08-27

  The Good Stuff

  The COVID-19 pandemic has rocked our world. We face new and unprecedented challenges daily. Amidst the chaos, I am doing my best to remind myself to lean into little moments of joy. I am a teacher with 2 elementary school aged children and a baby. Teaching my own classes, while facilitating remote learning for my children, and caring for a baby is difficult to say the least. Did I mentioned that I'm in graduate school? This past week, just when I felt that it was all more than I could handle, I captured the sweetest moment between sisters. While I can't wait to get back to life and school in actual classrooms, I know there are parts of this experience that I will miss. Moments like this are definitely one of them.
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  2020-08-22

  Shanna Gagnon Internship Portfolio

  I first heard about the A Journal of the Plague Year: An Archive of COVID-19 (JOTPY) internship opportunity through Arizona State University's History Master's Student's Facebook page. I decided to pursue my M.A. in history degree for a variety of reasons: I love learning, I love history, and I hoped to gain exposure to potential career opportunities. I chose to attend ASU because it was clear to me that the faculty prioritize community. When I saw Dr. Kole's Facebook post, I was instantly captivated. It was precisely the type of experience I was looking for without even knowing it. And it was an opportunity to work in real-time with ASU faculty and with other M.A. students, which created additional avenues to build community. I contacted my faculty advisor and decided to drop my upcoming courses to open up my schedule for this once in a lifetime experience. Before JOTPY, I had very little knowledge of public history. As a high school educator, I have always believed in the importance and power of public history. Outside of teaching, however, I had no experience working in public history. My experience with JOTPY taught me that public history requires professionals to simultaneously use high-level critical thinking skills (i.e., how can we fill silences within the archive) and pay attention to details and minutiae (i.e., make sure that curator’s folksonomy terms are lowercase). One's ability to think "big picture" while not losing sight of the building blocks is crucial to the success of projects such as JOTPY. I have developed the ability to easily transition my thinking depending on the type of archival work that I am engaged in. Additionally, I have developed my ability to write in various modalities (i.e., blog posts, collection plans, press releases). I have fine-tuned working remotely, sharpened my problem-solving skills through innovative thinking, and learned a variety of new software – from Omeka to Slack to otter.ai. I have also developed an understanding of ethics and best practices in public history. Although I am not sure in what capacity, I would like to continue to work within the field of public history. As expected, the JOTPY internship was indeed a once in a lifetime experience. It felt good to do something for the very first time again. I felt challenged by the different types of writing we were asked to produce. Having never written a collection plan, a press release, or a blog post, each of those assignments pushed me outside of my comfort zone. As a result, I learned that I indeed do still love learning new things. Perhaps the most fulfilling aspect of this experience for me was working within my internship cohort. Our team's ability to directly communicate with each other, to offer constructive feedback, to step in to help others when needed, and to adapt to ever-constant changes characteristic of working in a rapid response live archive, was simply incredible. I also really enjoyed engaging with ASU faculty. Dr. Kole was an incredible leader whose guidance and support truly brought out the best in every single intern. She cultivated our strengths and presented opportunities for us to further develop our interests and passions while supporting the overall mission and work of JOTPY. I am not sure where I am headed next. However, I do know that by leaning into unique opportunities is something that I enjoy. I plan to continue to look for various ways to further develop myself academically, professionally, and personally. I developed the San Francisco Bay Area Collection as a way to ensure the diversity of the region was captured within the archive. One of the Collection's strengths is its ability to intersect with other major collections within JOTPY. While I do not have an official role within JOPTY, I plan to further develop the San Francisco Bay Area Collection through the curriculum I develop for my own students.
• 
  07/06/2020

  William "Billy" Cummings Oral History, 2020/07/06

  William “Billy” Cummings, an employee of the food service company, Choicelunch shares his experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. He describes the suddenness of the pandemic. Billy explains the impact COVID-19 had on his job and on the jobs of his co-workers. He discusses how the company he works for pivoted their business model to stay open. Billy expands upon the impact COVID-19 has had on the food service industry and food services workers. He details his initial reaction to COVID-19 and describes the pressures families are experiencing at home. And reflects upon how this experience may impact the types of jobs people have in the future. Billy calls upon the greater community to come together to ease the impact of COVID-19 on businesses and families.
• 
  07/25/2020

  Anonymous Oral History, 2020/07/25

  Shanna Gagnon conducts an interview with Anonymous. Anonymous is a 5 year old boy that lives in Northern California. He explains his initial reaction to COVID-19. Anonymous discusses how the pandemic has impacted his daily life, including who he can and cannot play with. He describes what people are acting like in his neighborhood. Anonymous details a recent family trip to the beach. He shares what he believes worries people most. And talks about why it is important for his family to stay extra safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anonymous imagines what life will be like a year from today and includes a possible new reality for what playground time will look like when he returns to school. His responses also cover how businesses are responding to COVID and his family’s consumer behaviors during the pandemic.
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  07/25/2020

  Anonymous Child Oral History, 2020/07/25

  Shanna Gagnon interviews an anonymous 8 year old girl about the COVID-19 pandemic. She explains her initial reaction to learning about COVID-19. Anonymous describes how the pandemic has impacted her daily life. She discusses how her family and friends are responding to COVID-19. She talks of the things that are important to and worrying people right now. Anonymous details the most difficult parts of the pandemic for her. She shares how COVID-19 is impacting local businesses and schools. She also discusses how she thinks life will be different moving forward and includes her thoughts on vacations and milestone celebrations, such as Halloween and birthdays.
• 
  2020-03-13

  My Last Hair Cut

  It has been 19 weeks, 133 days and 3,192 minutes since my last hair appointment. I know this because my last visit to the salon was the day that the county I live in announced shelter-in-place orders. I dropped my kids off at school and had a 9:30 a.m. appointment. I had a feeling it would be my last appointment for a while so I snapped a photo. In denial about what was to come, I confirmed my next appointment and was on my way. By 3 p.m. that day, only essential businesses were allowed to remain open in our county. I am not a vain person. But I definitely miss my hair appointment! Yes, it's because my hair looks awesome afterward. But it's more than that. I miss my stylist. We have known each other for more than a decade. He did my hair for my wedding. I was in the process of setting up a meal train for him as he was supposed to donate a kidney in June (this has been postponed). We are close and I miss him. I'm sad for his loss of business over these past 19 weeks. I am confused why some business have been allowed to re-open, with safety protocols, but his business has not been offered the same opportunity. I am worried about what the upcoming months look like for his business and for him personally. I hope that someday soon they will be allowed to safely resume business. And when they do, I'll be more than ready to see my dear friend.
• 
  2020-07-03

  Kid's Masks

  In the case that schools return in person this fall, I decided to stock up on face masks for the kids. I realized that we'd likely need as many face masks as the kids have socks or underwear and worried that kid's masks would sell out as the school year neared. I found these super cute animal masks for the kids and they love them. I was really worried that my kids have trouble wearing masks. To my surprise, they have yet to complain about them. Although they are young, their ability to grasp the seriousness of this pandemic is truly amazing.
• 
  2020-07-16

  New Desks!

  Our local school district announced that we will begin the 2020-2021 school year with remote learning for all students. When schools shut down at the end of the last school year, we made due with what we had because we believed it to be a short term situation. Knowing that we are heading into a new school year and we are still remote warrants some major workflow changes in our household. My husband will be working from home. I am returning to teaching as my maternity leave has come to an end. And 2 of my kids will be going to school remotely. In order to make it work, we will all need our own workspaces. Target to the rescue! The morning after the district's remote learning plans were announced, I ordered desks for the kids. I sure hope this keeps us all sane and on track this school year!
• 
  07/07/2020

  Anonymous Oral History, 2020/07/10

  Shanna Gagnon, of California, conducts an oral history interview with Anonymous. In the 30 minute interview they discuss numerous topics about the COVID-19 virus including shelter-in-place, early thoughts and feelings about the pandemic, consumer behaviors, supply chain concerns, employment, ventilators, death, face masks, politics, infection rates, social distancing, college, stimulus, deferred rent, and home and family life.
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  2020-07-03

  Another Day, Another Puzzle - Day 112

  With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. Another puzzle complete on Day 2 of our get away. A puzzle to match his shirt!
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  2020-07-02

  Another Day, Another Puzzle - Day 111

  With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. A family member that lives nearby was out of town so we decided to pack up for a little get away. The change of scenery was incredible on so many levels. We also scored access to a new collection of puzzles. We started with a small 200 piece puzzle within 30 minutes of arriving!
• 
  2020-06-29

  Community Rock Garden

  Today I stopped by a community rock garden that popped up at the start of shelter-in-place orders in March. Over time, the rock garden has grown. The result is a beautiful myriad of rocks with diverse messaging. It is clear that some rocks were created by adults and others by children. Some rocks have cartoon characters, like Lilo and Stitch, painted on them. Others have a rainbow, the viral icon of hope during this pandemic. Many rocks contain uplifting and encouraging messages. There were 2 groups of rocks that really caught my eye. The first was a cluster of rocks that read "BLM" and "Defund the Police." There is so much more our community is experiencing in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic. The second was a beautiful painting of a nurse. She is wearing a mask and half of her clothes are her nurses uniform while she is dressed as Wonder Woman on the other half. This simple rock is such a beautiful tribute to medical professionals who are on the front lines of this pandemic.
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  2020-06-29

  Heroes Work Here

  The Reutlinger is a senior living community, specializing in assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing, nearby my home. About a week into our shelter-in-place orders, this sign appeared near the main entrance to the facility. The sign reads "Heroes Work Here." Senior care facilities have been hit the hardest during the COVID-19 pandemic. When an outbreak of the virus occurs within these facilities, it spreads quickly and typically results in a large number of fatalities. Those working at the Reutlinger during this pandemic are working on the front lines and are heroes as they risk their safety to care for some of the most vulnerable members of our community.
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  2020-06-20

  Another Day, Another Puzzle - Day 99

  With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. It was dad's turn for a photo with the completed puzzle! These two had a lot of fun completing this puzzle together and did this in just one afternoon. Dad recently got his "summer cut" from his sister, a former hair stylist, that we live with. Our son continues to refuse to allow us to cut his hair. It is getting so long! Tomorrow we will have sheltered-in-place for 100 days. 100 DAYS. This was supposed to last 14 days. How much longer will this be our reality?
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  2020-06-05

  Another Day, Another Puzzle - Day 84

  With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. We had a major puzzle mishap! Our daughter spilled an entire cup of water on the puzzle. We tried to dry the pieces but it did not work. The pieces completely disintegrated! While we were disappointed that we could not finish the puzzle, we did learn to keep liquids away from puzzles. Also, check out his hair! Although he has easy access to a hair cut as we live with his aunt who used to be a hair stylist, he refuses to get his hair cut. There are so many people out there wanting a hair cut that they cannot get. And here he is refusing a hair cut he can get! Note the presence of a mask on our table. We ordered a few different styles for the kids to try on to make sure they are successfully able to wear them as our county begins to open back up.
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  2020-05-23

  Another Day, Another Puzzle - Day 71

  With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. Immediately after he finished his first ever 1000 piece puzzle, he asked to do another one! He took a much more active role in sorting the pieces for this puzzle. It is so fun to lose ourselves in puzzling. It takes our minds off of the gravity of the world in which we live. Just looking at this photo, it is hard to believe that we are living in the middle of a pandemic.
• 
  2020-06-12

  A Vegas-ish 40th Quarantine Style Birthday

  At the start of 2020, my group of college friends planned a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate a dear friend's 40th birthday. As we all live in different areas of the country, it was clear by the start of April that the trip would not be happening due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After 20 years of friendship, we couldn't let a milestone like this pass us by. We decided to throw her an over the top Zoom birthday party. I put together party packs, complete with colorful wigs, dessert plates, confetti and cocktail stirrers, and sent to each party guest. The birthday girl's package had strict instructions directing her to wait to open right before the start of the party. Together, the guests made a photo slideshow that included the top 40 things that we love about our friend and read it to the guest of honor during the party. We also decided to make a cocktail together and brought our own desserts and candles so that we could sing to her. The group coordinated with her husband to make sure that she had the cocktail supplies and a dessert to join in the fun. It certainly wasn't what she had imagined for her 40th birthday. But it was unique, thoughtful, a lot of fun, and definitely a memory to last a life time.
• 
  2020-04-07

  Viva Las Vegas! CANCELLED

  Contra Costa County COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders were announced on March 13, 2020. As is typical for me, my calendar was full of various activities in the summer months. I love summer! And, as a teacher, I have more freedom during the summer months to travel and to spend times with loved ones. One of the upcoming events I was most looking forward to was a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate one of my best friend from college's 40th birthday. Somewhere between college and now, life began to move at warp speed and we don't get as much time together as we would like. So, for many reasons, this was a major trip for us all. In early April, it was clear that the trip would no longer happen. We all received a text from the birthday girl letting us know the trip was officially cancelled. While I am sad, it is definitely the right decision. I am hopeful that 2021 will give us the opportunity to reschedule! It is hard to imagine that it could possibly be an entire year before we can all comfortably travel and be together once again.
• 
  2020-05-30

  A Garden Grows in Danville

  At the start of the Bay Area's shelter-in-place orders, there was a lot of uncertainty about the food supply chain. Given that we live with a couple of high-risk individuals, we wanted to ensure that we had access to fresh food without risking exposure to COVID-19. We quickly got to work and planted squash, tomato, pumpkin, peppers and pea plants. We involved our children from the beginning and have had a lot of fun gardening as a family as it has brought us comfort and has been incredibly therapeutic during these trying and uncertain times. Preparing Garden Soil: March 28, 2020. Plants Begin to Sprout: April 15, 2020. A Garden Grows in Danville: May 30, 2020.
• 
  2020-05-31

  "This is the best meal of my life!"

  Cousins, Claire Gagnon (1), Taylor Anderson (10), Jessie Anderson (6), Logan Gagnon (5), and Delaney Gagnon (8), have sheltered-in-place together since March 13, 2019. They have had incredible attitudes and have shown true resiliency in their abilities to process this new normal. After over 11 weeks of eating home cooked meals, the adults decided it was time for pizza delivery! The kids were ecstatic and exclaimed over and over, "This is the BEST meal of my life!" It was sweet to see them take such joy in something they likely took for granted before this experience.
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  2020-05-23

  Walnut Creek Brewery, Calicraft, Launches Quarantine Blues Juicy IPA

  Calicraft, a brewery located in Walnut Creek, California, launched "the Quarantine Blues Juicy IPA" during the state's shelter-in-place. Restaurants and bars across the state are struggling to stay in business and some establishments, like Calicraft Brewing Company, are finding creative ways to drive business despite the difficult conditions. I discovered the beer on Memorial Day and it brought some much needed levity to the day. The label includes a clever poem/song that reads: Sittin' on the porch, got nothin' to do. Grab yourself a can of the Quarantine Blues. Kidz going crazy, you could use a little hazy. Crack yourself a can of the Quarantine Blues. Runnin' outta TP, makes you feel kinda queasy. Pour yourself a glass of the Quarantine Blues! Drink up: at home. Pair with: Tiger King, Homemade Bread. calicraft.com // @califcraft
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  2020-04-29

  New Hobby Developed During Isolation

  Delaney Gagnon, age 8, developed a new hobby during her time in isolation: balloon art! She proudly displayed her new skills during a virtual Girl Scout talent show held via Zoom. Delaney created the yellow dog balloon during the talent show. And decided to make herself the orange "isolated" balloon crown while watching her fellow Brownies perform their talents. #ASU#HST580