Tag Archive pandemic

ByGD

Summer Expectations Vs. Reality

You know those “Expectation vs. Reality” memes? I need one for my summer. I mean, I already knew it wasn’t going to involve exciting trips to far-off places or music festivals. But I thought, based on our success with remote learning during the school year, that I could pull off an interesting and educational summer at home. I certainly had big plans that seemed cool when I made them up. And I don’t think the summer we had was bad. It just didn’t look anything like my plans. What else is new, right?  

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ByGD

Out with a Bang and a Whisper

At the end of the school year, everyone in my family felt that distance learning was generally successful for us. But we were also very ready for the school year to end. After getting off to a strong start, we barely limped across the finish line for the last week of school. But it was also a strong finish. Because nothing is ever simple.

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ByGD

Seattle Dance Collective Bridges the Distance With Home

Photo by Henry Wurtz c/o SDC

Against all odds, Seattle Dance Collective is back for a second season with five new works. The first of these, Home by Penny Saunders, premiered on July 2. It was as artistically engaging as its backstory is bizarre. And in contrast to the challenges that had to be overcome to create it, there has never been a ballet with lower barriers for its audience. Home is free to view online.

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ByGD

Back from Break – Pandemic Homeschool Diaries

{Well, this is annoying. While working on the blog last weekend, I noticed this post, which I wrote at the end of April. It was scheduled to publish May 1, but for due to some mysterious technical glitch, it didn’t. Well, I hate to waste a blog post after taking the time to write it. So here it is now. Sorry about that.}

Coming back from a remarkably slothful spring break, in the sixth week since the school buildings closed, we entered our fifth week of pandemic homeschool instruction. Nobody was particularly excited to get back to work, and for the most part we skated by on the minimum effort. But it wasn’t all drudgery. We did some interesting things.

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ByGD

Pandemic Parties and Academic Neglect

When we first found out the schools wouldn’t reopen this year, I remember wondering if we would just keep homeschooling through the summer to make up for the inefficiency of distance learning. The state eventually decided to offer summer school as a remedial option. But by that time, I couldn’t wait for summer break. With only two weeks in the school year, we were seriously running out of homeschool steam, and instead of academics, my biggest concern was throwing a socially distant sweet sixteen birthday party.

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