COVID and School

~ quirkymoms486

We want to keep this page fun, but there is a big fat elephant in the room, and I’m here to talk about it and share my thoughts and feelings!

School.

As you know, I am a mom to two amazing school aged daughters. My oldest is in the 4th grade, and my youngest is going into first. We love our school so much!

We had just gotten back from a spring break trip March 13. We had so much fun, but little did we know, we’d be coming home to pure chaos.

The night we got home, our Governor held a press conference stating she was shutting down our schools. What were we going to do with our two daughters while my husband and I work full time hours?!

If there’s a will, there’s a way.

A week after the schools shut down, my boss decided to shut down my work. It was scary, but also really great because we were able to focus on getting a routine established for “remote learning”. There were still SO many fears and concerns.

I’m not going to lie or sugar coat it, but it was rough. It was so new to the teachers, the students, and for most parents. We sort of had a good idea on what to expect as we had done online school for our oldest daughter in the past (that is another story for another time…).

Honestly, our girls did not handle the shut down well. At. All. For the first few weeks, there was little to no routine.

My oldest hates school. She is so smart, and she knows it. However, that doesn’t mean school comes easy to her on all subjects. She loves using the computer, and prefers learning through apps, and online videos and instruction. She was THRIVING once we figure out what apps were “OK’d” by her teacher and the school. Getting her to sit down and read, was a challenge, but she loved having books read to her via Audible. (That was a Godsend.)

Now, my youngest is completely opposite. She loves sitting down in her bean bag chair with her books, and journals. She loves using flash cards and doing her work sheets. The online stuff was cool, because it was a little more interactive, but she definitely is a pencil and paper kind of learner.

By the end of the school year, we had established that we were going to keep our girls learning, but we did it in our own way. We used materials given to us as a guide, but really built our own methods.

SO, Summer is wrapping up here this month, and that leaves us with a HUGE decision. What in the H-E-L-L are we going to do about the 20-21 school year?!

Who the hell knows!

As of right now, we are definitely leaning towards online learning. It will be hard to find a balance, between work, school and home life, but I truly feel in my heart, this will be in the best interest for my family.

I know my daughters more then anyone else, and I know they did NOT do well with the shut down. It took a lot of persistence to get my kids going on a good schedule. There was a lot of yelling and tears, not going to lie!

I know that if I can get my kids on a good schedule right at the beginning of the year, it will make having another “shut-down” a lot easier IF we end up having one. If not, and COVID “goes away” then we won’t be behind, and my kids can jump right back into the school year in the classroom in January.

I understand there are A LOT of different opinions about school, and COVID. I’m not trying to make a political statement by any means. I’m truly doing what I feel is best for my family during these unprecedented times. No one understands what we are facing, and no one is making a right or wrong decision wether you are doing virtual, or not.

Amanda and I truly appreciate all of our followers, and we hope you enjoy our blog!

Thank you so much for reading, and if you feel like throwing your opinions in the comments, by all means, please do!

Next week, I’ll keep things a little more light and fun! 😉

Published by quirkymoms486

At Quirky Workin' Moms you will find all things lifestyle and motherhood. From the ups and downs of being a mom, kid friendly recipes, family life and fun activities for both kids and adults. Quirky Workin' Moms is here to let you know that it's ok to be a working mom, it's ok to be a little quirky and it's ok to let loose every now and then!

28 thoughts on “COVID and School”

  2. I think this is a great post and commend all parents who have these choices to make at this unique and difficult time. My belief is that parents know their children the best, as well as the health needs of those in their family.

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  3. I love that you share your thoughts on this issue! Most parents in my area in the US are planning on sending their kids back to school, but a surprising number of families found they enjoyed having their kids home all the time and started looking into homeschooling, as their circumstances allow.

    Love that you found ways to thrive and keep learning during the lockdown!

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  5. I know so so many people having to make the same difficult decision right now. It’s not easy, and I appreciate your candidness when talking about the difficulty transitioning to distance learning earlier this year. But you’re doing the right thing, cause you’re doing what you know is best for your family! Stay strong mama! You got this!

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  6. Covid has definitely been so tough especially with schooling. Covid struck us in South Africa whilst in the middle of the academic year & in turn we’ve lost so many teachers and students too so I totally support why you wanna homeschool !

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  8. What a difficult time for all parents right now! My daughter is only 1 so I’m thankful I personally haven’t had to struggle with this, but my heart goes out to you immensely!! And honestly, your situation sounds so “normal” I can imagine so many children struggling with this! Me personally, I never learned well on the computer, so I can relate!

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  9. Everyone’s situation is so different! It really bothers me when people judge others, but as you said, there have been a lot of battles about what’s “right”. I’m hoping that now that we’ve had time to prepare (and experience from the spring lockdown) that online learning or hybrid school will be much different and we’ll be able to handle it much better. xo Nipa

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  11. I have three school-age sons (8th grade and 2 6th graders) and we just started back school yesterday. Our school district mandated virtual learning and although there is a lot of controversy on the subject, I try to think “we can do this, we can do hard things”. I never thought I would be doing school this way with my sons, but I try to of the new opportunity I get to be a prominent figure in my son’s life. Any way it stands, parents everywhere have a hard decision to make. And no matter what decision, you did the best thing for you and your family!

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  13. It is going to be a very difficult decision for so many whether to send the kids back to school or not. We, too, are leaning toward online learning. We just want to do what’s best for all of us. The case for so many I am sure. Take care and stay safe. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. Covid has really messed this school year. Not only for Grade school children but also tertiary going students.
    I do pray this all goes away soon.
    You’re doing great with your kids. Sending you all love

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