Distance Learning Here We Come
School beings on Monday and I feel woefully unprepared. I'm taking on distance learning this year because it's the safest option.
2 Comments
August 15, 2020
I haven’t figured out how to approach all of this
I'm going to be splitting my focus this week between work and getting the kids ready to begin school next week. I have an interview first thing this morning and then a business meeting in the afternoon. After that, I'm working with the boys to help them get organized and prepped for school to begin next Monday. There are a few phone calls I need to make to the school to figure out some of the logistics that I have questions about. I need to look at a new desk for the boys as well. We have one but I'd like for each of the boys to have their own setup. I haven't figured out how to approach all of this just yet. There are a few things that I'll…
August 11, 2020
Distance learning for the first time is pretty f*cking scary
School is getting closer and closer and I'm getting nervous. We will be distance learning for the first time because there isn't a snowballs chance in hell that I would put my kids in a classroom right now. I know it's the right thing to do but I'm questioning whether I'm the right person for the job. Unfortunately, I'm the only person for the job, so I don't really have a choice. Everyone is stressed out and lockdown is continuing to take its toll. The house setup is not really conducive to distance learning and I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. Using the dining room table is probably the easiest solution but the boys may end up distracting each other if I don't separate them. Ideally, they'd…
August 5, 2020
We basically have 2 weeks before school begins
School supplies have started to arrive for Emmett. Elliott already received a textbook and laptop a few weeks back. Emmett received books, art supplies, a science kit and his laptop. The math workbook is enormous. We have about 2 weeks left before school is supposed to begin and frankly, I'm nervous. Things are already so challenging and that's without having to try and manage distance learning. At this point, I'm not even sure what's going to happen in Ohio. It's not yet been decided as far as I know. I suspect the school year will at the very least, be delayed. We'll have to see what happens and how it impacts us. For right now however, I'm just hoping that I can pull this off. I told Gavin that we…
August 1, 2020
My current back to school plan is far from perfect but at least it’s safe
I'm trying to keep things moving forward and I feel like I'm doing a halfway decent job. That's not easy for me to say that either. I tend to focus on my many failings and gloss over my parenting wins. I do feel pretty accomplished to have a basic strategy for the upcoming school year. We haven't left the house in a few days. It's been insanely hot and COVID is worsening in Ohio. There's also a renewal of the general safety concerns where we live. There have been shootings recently and while that's not unheard of its been getting pretty bad. I've mentioned before that gunshots are an almost daily occurance where I live. I don't always know what happened but we hear them all the time. The gunshots…
July 29, 2020
Finalizing plans for this school year
I just got off the horn with the boys new school and they begin on August 17. We're still waiting on something for Emmett but they're finishing him up now. For the record, I will not be sending the kids to a brick and mortar school this year, as there is no universe in which that would be safe under the current circumstances. Lizze and I are in full agreement on this. The boys will be doing distance learning which means that it will be conducted online, with the entire curriculum provided. They receive laptops and do school for about 5.5 hours a day, 5 days a week. It's going to be an interesting transition but it is what it is. Their safety and wellbeing have to come first. What…
July 28, 2020
I wish he could just be a kid
Gavin and I waited outside the school as we do every single day. Gavin was lost in his game and I was anxiously awaiting the doors to open so I could see how the boys did today. They've both been struggling at school as a result of all the recent changes that have been forced upon them. The good news is that both of them made it through the day. Emmett was in pretty good shape and that's awesome. Elliott on the other hand, had a pretty rough day and it absolutely breaks my heart. When he went to school this morning, he was so stressed out that he'd broken out in hives. Before school, I gave him his new antihistamine that doubles as a mild anti-anxiety medication, hoping that…
September 18, 2019
Even baby steps are steps forward
It was a rough night. Emmett had nightmares throughout the entire night and kept waking up. I'm exhausted and we ended up oversleeping as a result. To make things worse, I was so overwhelmed last night that I forgot to bake a new batch of pepperoni rolls for their lunches. Thankfully, Elliott and Emmett both decided to have leftover pizza in their lunch instead. I'm pretty sure they took pitty on me and while I appreciate that, I'm hoping they actually eat their lunch today. We got out the door a few minutes early because I needed to talk to the school and clarify how we were going to handle the boys when they were distressed while at school. I made sure the boys were present so everyone was on…
September 18, 2019