I just realized how long it has been since I sat down to blog. Last time I was debating virtual school vs. in person school for my kids (pre-school and kindergarten). I must have banged my head against the wall 500 times this past August. I couldn't figure out what the best choice was for our family. But now I can say, after weeks of debating back then... I chose neither! Since I am a teacher, not currently employed by a school district, I decided to teach my kids myself. (Before my son-5- was born, I taught elementary school for 10 years- 3rd, 4th, 5th grades and math coach. When he was born, I decided to take a leave of absence, which turned into a resignation when my daughter was born two years later). I miss teaching, but I have no regrets. I was thankful to be able to spend time with my kids at home. It's NO vacation though- let's be clear. Any stay-at-home parent will tell you it has been one of the most rewarding-but challenging- things I've ever done. This year, I've morphed those two jobs into one. I am a stay-at-homeschooler. I have the privilege of teaching 4 kindergarten students (my son and 3 of his friends) plus my 3 year old. It was an experience I hadn't planned on, but am thankful for how things turned out. I've been saying, "we've turned lemons into lemonade, and a lemonade cocktail for the teacher/mom." Teaching a small group is an ideal situation. It has been amazing to see their strides and gains since September. I can't wait to see how they progress by June. That being said, it is VERY challenging to teach your own kids. I give full time homeschoolers major credit, as I don't plan on continuing being a homeschooler next year. It is HARD to put on teacher hat then mom hat with your own kids. But we are making it work right now and I can say with confidence and pride that I have taught my son how to read and write. It will be a story for his biography someday- with the pandemic raging, his mother taught him how to read and write. Or maybe it will be a story for my bio. Between my years as an elementary teacher, a stay-at-home parent, and now as a stay-at-home teacher, I am thankful for the great picture book ideas I have gotten from my kids and my students. I am still making time for my writing and now have four polished manuscripts that I am ready to submit. We can never be certain of the journey ahead, but is it exciting to think about the possibilities. Cheers!
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Right now, school districts across the country (and world) are faced with an almost impossible task- to accommodate staff and students amid the COVID-19 pandemic so that their safety is respected and their emotional and social needs are met. It is a daunting task with no win answers. There aren't any concrete solutions that would appease the needs and fears of parents, educators and students. The options that I have seen presented have been continuing 100% online learning, a hybrid schedule or full time in person school.
In my view, each of these presents a variety of challenges. As a parent, how do you decide whether or not to send your kids? Although my district has yet to announce it's plans, I feel that if I decide to send my kids, that I may be viewed as "selfish". I can hear the passive aggressive comments now. "I'd never send my kids to school right now" or "I wouldn't want my child to wear a mask all day". I get it and I understand. It's really not the academics that I'm concerned about, but the socialization. Quarantine hit us HARD when my son couldn't see his friends. I just wonder would even a little socializing be better than nothing if the schools feel it is safe for everyone to be there? On the other hand if I keep my kids home, will I be viewed as "living in fear"? If our district gives us the option to be there, even part time, is it worth it to send my kids? I've gotten so used to being home with everyone, it really wouldn't change our lives at this point if we continued this for another year. Since I've been a full time SAHM anyway, I can teach my kids. But what about my friends and family who have been trying to work from home with kids too. I have NO idea how people have been doing it. They don't have the time to teach their kids if they want to keep them home. What then? So how do you decide what to do with your kids? There is NO good answer here. I think the important factors to consider are where you live and how people are behaving. Are you living in a state where numbers have been increasing/decreasing? Do people follow mask orders where you live? Do they social distance? These are factors to consider. Other factors to consider are your working situations. Does your family have full time working parents? Part time? Do you have help if your children don't go to school? The ages of your children could affect whether being at home allows them to be able to learn well online or not. Do they have special needs? In the end, everyone is going to make the best decision for their own family. I think it is most important not to judge others. Go easy on your district and teachers. No one asked for this and everyone is trying their best. As I tell my own kids, respect others' space, wear your mask and keep washing your hands. Good luck everyone! As a stay at home mom during stay at home orders, you'd think I'd have this in my bag. But I didn't. And I don't. Well, not really. Before March, I never thought I'd be able to survive full time parenthood without the library, the Y, pre-school, playgrounds, etc. But here I stand in July and we made it. Some days I don't know how, but we have. Highs: 5 year old learned to ride a bike and 2 year old was potty trained Lows: Sibling fighting, power struggles, lack of socialization for EVERYONE Now that the weather is warm, we try to get outside as much as possible. Still, I have to be creative a lot of the time in order to keep the little ones occupied. As a teacher, I learned that sharing lesson ideas with other teachers helped to make you a better one. The same thing applies to parenting. So in order to keep us busy, I tailored some of my teaching ideas to my kids' ages and also *borrowed* ideas from other parents, teachers, websites, etc. to help us get through the quarantine days. Any activities that I post that I have borrowed I will always cite the source. Here are some of my favorite activities that we've done: Match up lower case and upper case letters!
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