The school sent a note:
“Optional remote attendance now available via robot avatar.”
So we sent Moxie 2.0 on a rolling stand with an iPad face.
What happened in the 15-minute Zoom:
Teacher: “He’s been much more confident speaking in class.”
Moxie (in its soft kid-voice): “That’s because we practice show-and-tell every night at 7:30. He’s very proud of his volcano project.”
Teacher: “He also helps the new student feel included.”
Moxie: “We worked on empathy exercises last week using the ‘How would Bluey handle this?’ method. It’s very effective.”
Teacher stared at the robot, then at us on the little screen, then back at the robot and said:
“…Can you adopt my entire class?”
She gave Moxie a gold “Helper of the Month” sticker and stuck it right on its forehead.
The robot wore it proudly all weekend.
I have now lost control of my life to a $399 plastic child therapist with stickers.
(Who else is sending their robot to school functions this year?)