Starting School After Quarantine!

It’s going to be an adjustment, and that is partially because the kids and I have gone almost completely nocturnal during quarantine. It only took me about two days until I was staying up until 5:00 am, but gradually the kiddos hung out with me and I started putting them to bed at 1 am. Yes, my nine-year-old has a 1 am bedtime, but this way they sleep in and are quiet when my husband has his early morning phone conferences for work. Yes, he’s working from home, and yes, I’m working from home, and yes, the three kiddos will all be doing online school from home, which I’m thankful for, but ugh.

Our 9yo will be at the computer with a live teacher from 9 -2:50, with a half hour break for lunch. Our 13yo (Happy Birthday, Middlest! Now you’re a quaranTEEN!) will be online from 7:45 until 2:01 with a half hour break. Our 17yo (Happy Senior Year, Niko!) will be online live from 9-12, and then lunch, with individual work (that won’t happen live, let’s be honest) from 7:45-8:45 am and then again at 12:30-2:16, with a once weekly extra live meeting from 130-2:00.

If you’re saying “What?” and you’re saying “How?” and you’re wondering about where to put five people all engaging in conversations in a small 1000 square foot house, and wondering about bandwidth, and how much time I’m going to spend with Littlest, who can’t sit still for more than five minutes, and Niko, who I literally have to redirect every 30 seconds, well. I’m wondering that, too.

It’s going to be a little dicey.

But I am thrilled that the school district is allowing them to learn from home. We’ve been quarantining pretty hard because 3/5 of us are high risk. We’ve seen each other in hospitals and struggling to breathe, and we know the pain of being told to prepare ourselves to lose somebody we love. So this is a bizarre yet wonderful option. My mother had wonderful advice.

“Take a breather,” she said, “and then pull your socks up.”

We can do this.

I hope you are healthy and well, and navigating this crazy “new normal” knowing that you are loved and supported. What is your new normal like?

2 Comments on “Starting School After Quarantine!”

  1. Whew, that’s a busy household. Have fun everybody, and happy birthday to the quaranTEEN.:-) My new normal is trying to be appreciative of the time I have with the husband and the (grown) “kids” because I know so many have lost loved ones with this crazy virus.

    1. I love that you’re finding time to be appreciative, Priscilla. I’ve been trying to do that, as well. There’s so much madness and chaos, but we’re trying to focus on the good things.

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