Tag Archive pandemic

Last Friday wrapped up the fourth week of pandemic homeschooling. Just when we thought we had a routine going, the schools came up with new systems based on the state’s new requirements for “continuous learning.” Since previous assignments were optional, most of the new schoolwork was covering old ground for the kids who kept up on academics all along. But it still gave us a taste for the potential workload. So week four was a lot about figuring out the new school system, but we had a few projects worth updating, too. Here’s how our first month of pandemic homeschooling wrapped up.

What a different two weeks makes. On a normal Thursday morning, I would go to yoga before work; the kids would both be in school; and their dad would be at a meeting downtown. Thursday March 12 was the first day my kids were home from school. Exactly two weeks later, Thursday morning found me doing yoga in the living room, following my teacher’s instructions on Zoom and choking on bunny fur. My oldest was at the kitchen table solving geometry proofs, and my youngest dragged her laptop to my office so she could listen to her math video without the distraction of overlapping audio. My husband took his meeting online from his office in the basement.

So far the second week has been marked by increased online activities from the kids’ teachers, and decreased direct involvement from myself. This has meant more independent work from the girls, with perhaps a bit of slacking thrown in. But I had four articles due this week (three down, one to go!) so the shift had to be made. Here’s how we did it.