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  2021-03-16

  Teacher Interview: Avilette de Castro

  Middle school Spanish teacher, Avilette de Castro, answers student questions about changes to education in the coronavirus pandemic. Walls: What is your name, grade you teach and school you teach in? de Castro: Avilitte Castro, Sebastian Middle 7-8th grade Spanish Walls: How has the pandemic changed the way you teach? de Castro: So, the biggest thing is that I feel like I haven’t taught enough, like I'm putting stuff out there and it’s not sticking. Before the pandemic there was more engagement and now there isn’t. Especially with those that are DL’s (distance learners). Walls: What was the biggest challenge in the beginning? de Castro: We were not prepared as teachers at all for what we had to do. I had never taught online before and I had to try to adapt everything online. Not everyone showed up. It’s not high school, they don’t think that it counts. They don't realize that even though their grades won't neccessarily carry on to high school, everything else will. Walls: What is the biggest challenge now? de Castro: So now, it’s mostly back to normal in some senses. We haven’t had any kids go into quarantine in awhile and I’m down to only 3 DL’s and I don't know if the kids are fully into it. I always have the thought that we could go back into quarantine. We just adopted a new textbook and I have to tell that book as well. The EOC (End of Course Exam) for this year is being used from this new book. I am adapting everything, but not able to get a hold of everything. I am learning this new book as well as my students. Walls: How do you think students are doing? What are their biggest challenges? de Castro: I don’t think, for me, I really don’t think I’ve taught them as well as I normally do. I hate to say this because it’s not quite bad. Some of my students aren’t doing anything, because they don’t think it will count. The other thing for me, I do a language class. A big part of my class is conversation. I don’t let them work in groups and they aren’t able to get the conversation that they used to get. Right now we are doing a food unit. They don’t get the reaction in conversations. Walls: Do you see anything beneficial coming from the changes you have had to implement? de Castro: Oh yeah. For me, doing stuff with technology has always been supplemental instead of part of the curriculum. Like if I post this you can have it and now everything is online. The kids have access to it online, doesn’t mean the students use the extra resources. I’ve been having to use the textbook website and it’s something that they can do anywhere that they are at. It’s an added resource, so it's a benefit for them. Walls: How has parent involvement changed during the pandemic? de Castro: No, one of my DL’s has his guardian sister with him the whole time and it’s a little nerve racking to have her hear me the whole time. It’s pretty much the same overall.
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  2021-03-16

  Safety at Teriyaki Ha Ha

  At Teriayaki Ha Ha on Route 1, just across from Nease High School, staff erected a wooden frame with plastic sheeting hung from it to create a protective barrier. When you walk in the front door, your order is waiting on the table. Cash is put into an envelope or credit card taken in advance on the phone. Everything is no contact. Next door is a Papa Johns where staff had masks pulled down around their necks and I observed several people walk in without masks, revealing how widely safety protocol differs from one business to the next.
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  2021-03-16

  #JOTPYPhoto from Katy Kole de Peralta

  Working from home w/ Dora the Bulldog Explorer
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  2021-03-16

  #JOTPYPhoto from Katy Kole de Peralta

  PPE vending machines at the PHX airport
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  2021-03-16

  Vaccines and Long Haulers

  When it comes to COVID-19, it seems there are more questions than answers. For some COVID-19 survivors, their COVID experience didn’t end after their infection ended. These people, referred to as “long haulers” have dealt with fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches, breathing difficulties, and insomnia. However, a surprising and potentially positive development has come out of the vaccine - long haulers symptoms are disappearing! Many patients struggling with long term COVID effects are reporting these effects disappearing after receiving their vaccination. Research, of course, needs to be conducted to pinpoint why, but this seems to be another light at the end of the tunnel for so many people who have struggling with long term COVID symptoms.
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  2021-03-16

  Indian Country and Beyond Celebrates U.S. Representative Deb Haaland’s Confirmation as New Secretary of the Interior

  In a historic first, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Debra Haaland (D-N.M.) on March 15, 2021, as President Biden’s secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, making the second-term Democrat the first ever Native American to be a member of a White House Cabinet in U.S. History. In this role, Secretary Haaland, an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo, will oversee 70,000 employees and the country’s natural resources. The Department manages nearly 500 million acres of land, and notably, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education.
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  2021-03-16

  Student enrollment is declining...where have Arizona Students gone?

  This article highlights the declining enrollments of students in Arizona and their absence, so too does the funding disappear. According to the featured article, the combination of an approximate loss of 10% percent of the student population coupled with a drastic cut in the funding levels has significantly impacted the financial operations and organization of public school districts. The enrollment loss is mostly concentrated on the elementary levels, yet a notable loss of enrollment in high schools is of some concern. Declining enrollment not only affects the students' ability to develop important critical thinking and life skills, but in-person instruction should aid the student in recognizing the workload that comes with advanced degrees and education. Another option offers students the ability to learn through the hybrid instructional model.
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  2021-03-16

  Graham County (AZ) to open up COVID-19 vaccine to all residents 18 years and older

  Staff Reports SAFFORD – The Graham County Department of Health and Human Services has announced that starting Monday, March 22, any resident of Graham County who is 18 years old or older will be eligible to receive a vaccine for COVID-19. Those who would like a COVID-19 vaccination should contact their primary care physician or schedule an appointment with the health department by clicking here. Those who schedule appointments will currently be given the two-shot Moderna vaccine at the Graham County Health Department Vaccination Center at 627 W. Main Street in Downtown Safford. The health department will announce a clinic for the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine at a later date. While the Pfizer and Moderna two-shot vaccines utilize messenger RNA, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine works through a different mechanism and uses the more traditional DNA, which is introduced to the nucleus of cells with an adenovirus which is modified so it cannot replicate itself and cause disease. All three vaccines have been approved for use by the federal government and have safety records in good standing. All prompt the body to produce T-cells, which retain a memory of the protein and attack it. “We would like to thank everyone for their support as we have navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic this past year,” said Graham County Health Department Director Brian Douglas. Greenlee County Gila Health Resources in Greenlee County will hold a COVID-19 vaccine drive at the Morenci Club Hall at 314 Plaza Dr. in Morenci on Friday, March 19, from 1 – 8 p.m. At the vaccine drive, any adult resident of Greenlee County or those who work in Greenlee County can show up to receive a dose of the Moderna vaccine with no appointment or registration necessary.
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  2021-03-16

  #JOTPYSilver from Emma Facca

  #JOTPYPhotos
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  2021-03-16

  Why America should help vaccinate the world against COVID-19: 'This is not charity'

  With new COVID-19 variants appearing, the WHO and GAVI have teamed up to give vaccines to countries that are having difficulties obtaining them. The United States has given $4 billion to cause.
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  2021-03-16

  We Are Not Your Jokes, Your Vacation Spots, of Your Toys

  To all of our community members who are hurting and angry, please take time and space. Be easy on yourselves and each other. We will do the same. To our teammates, thank you for checking in. We are grateful. Please continue to work with us + each other to end violence against Asian and Pacific Islander women, girls and gender non-conforming communities. Tonight we are talking about the Asian women massage parlor workers who were killed - but we work for all of us. In solidarity. To everyone else, we hold the entire racist and misogynist system + culture accountable (and that’s only the tip of the iceberg). We are not your jokes, your vacation spots, or your toys. Take care, community. We need you. End this violence. In pain and outrage, AAPI Women Lead [retweet- @jennyyangtv Asian women are your punchlines Sex workers are your punchlines Kung flu is your punchline You fucking did this] #aapiwomenlead #intersectionalfeminism #insolidarity
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  2021-03-16

  Surge in Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans

  As the U.S. continues its battle against COVID-19, it is also battling a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans. A recent report found that hate crimes against Asian Americans in major U.S. cities surged by nearly 150 percent in 2020 —even as the number of overall hate crimes fell. Stephanie Sy looks at how the violence has marred one community, and how they are coming together in its wake.
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  2021-03-16

  Finally got my shot

  I'd been trying to get a COVID vaccination appointment on the State of Arizona's website since late January. Finally, on the evening of Monday, March 15, I found a couple of slots open on the following evening at the State mass vaccination site at the Arizona Cardinals Stadium. It was about a 35-mile trip, and my wife drove me out there. Once we got to the site, everything went really smoothly and the staff were very pleasant. I got my first Pfizer dose and an appointment for April 6 for the second. It was nice to see the ASU banner at the site. Altogether, the travel time and the process on site took about an hour and forty-five minutes. I feel immensely relieved.
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  2021-03-16

  Bill's Against Trans Children

  Verified Reposted from @chasestrangio PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY. 1. Watch this video of a father begging his government not to silence his trans daughter’s spirit. 2. Share this video and raise all the alarms to #ProtectTransKids. 3. Help contact South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and tell her to veto HB1217 a bill that bars trans kids from sports and forces all kids to turn over private medical information to the state. Gov. Noem could sign the bill at any moment. Call! 605-773-3212. E-mail: governornoem@state.sd.us. 4. Help share info about Alabama bill SB10/HB1 which makes it a FELONY to provide gender affirming care to trans people under 19. The House is voting TODAY. Call Alabama Reps and tell them to Vote NO on SB10. I am not exaggerating when I say trans kids’ lives are on the line. Act now!!
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  2021-03-16

  Local support group helps grieving families who lost loved ones to COVID-19

  With COVID-19 restrictions, handling grief is difficult. The normal ways of showing support for a family, or person, that has suffered a death are not currently possible. People are isolated and are unable to receive the emotional support they need to handle the loss. Those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 seem particularly hard hit by the grief and isolation. In response, a grief center in Cincinnati has started a special online support group for people who have lost loved ones to COVID-19.
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  2021-03-16

  Peru's prime minister oversees vaccines in nursing home

  Peru's prime minister Violeta Bermudez oversees vaccinations in a nursing home. Part of the rollout in Peru.
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  2021-03-16

  Consumo per cápita de cemento en el Perú retrocedió a niveles de hace diez años

  The cement industry has always been stable, expensive, and increasing. In urban areas, space is precious and construction is costly. This article is very telling of how the pandemic has affected the construction industry and cost of materials
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  2021-03-16

  Mask trash #15

  Blue & white disposable face mask east of Rural road found along the South Bank of the riverwalk along Rio Salado.
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  2021-03-16

  Mask trash #14

  Black fabric disposable mask draped over a stick at the boat launch near Tempe Beach Park. This photo shows a lot of other trash washed up here, including a dead fish.
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  2021-03-16

  Mask trash #13

  Child's fabric face mask with a Batman print. This was found near Tempe Beach Park. I picked it up and brought it home as it was in pretty good condition. First, I'm soaking it in vinegar and then I'll wash for my 2yo to use.
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  2021-03-16

  Plenty of Vaccines, but Not Enough Arms: A Warning Sign in Cherokee Nation

  As COVID-19 vaccine efforts are still going strong across the United States, the Cherokee Nation is struggling to get more members of the community vaccinated. Some of the hesitancy to get the vaccine stems from the memory of the government's medical malpractice the greatly affected indigenous people. Other members of the community have questions about the vaccine's side-effects and how it will affect their pre-existing conditions.