Home Schooling

If you are feeling bad for moms all over the world who are tending to their children as they learn the ropes of schooling at home then don't! There are so many pros to being quarantined. Everything has been cut out and what is left are the basic needs.....eating, sleeping, school, work and church. It's actually a huge blessing to not have to worry about setting up play dates, driving to soccer and dance, other extra activities, shopping, socializing, etc.

I'm not going to lie though. When I first found out about school being moved to each home I felt very overwhelmed. First, I don't know the curriculum or how to teach. Second, I don't know how to motivate or make it exciting. Third, I have five kids each with different teachers. Fourth, I work from home for Cotiviti February through May so I also wondered how I would get my work done each day.

It has been a learning curve. At first everyone was all over the house with chromebooks, computer, and ipad. I was frantically running all over to help each one. That went on for the first week. I was exhausted!
Kaden and Sienna are not motivated and fragile when it comes to anything hard. I had an emotional breakdown.
Over the weekend we borrowed a lap top and computer from Lowry Doors and got the art room set up as a classroom. The next week went much more smooth. I can help each of them while I do my own work.We start around 8:00-9:00. Taggart finishes by 10:30. James and Lynnlee finish around lunch time. Kaden and Sienna usually drag it out until 3:00 but I'm still working so it doesn't bother me at all. And with no where to go I don't have to let it stress me out.

Here are some other pros to the quarantine:
NO STRESSING ABOUT: getting kids to the bus on time, making school lunches, volunteering, driving kids to extracurricular activities, getting kids to bed early enough, trying to keep 5 kids reverent in sacrament meeting by myself, arranging play dates, entertaining kids' friends, and running errands. These are all good things and it's not that I don't enjoy them. It just adds pressure and stress to each day.

I was stressed out about the curriculum but I didn't need to stress. Teachers are still teaching. They are still creating lesson plans and posting it on their classroom websites or google classrooms. I just facilitate. Teachers are amazing. I know it was a huge learning curve for Taggart's and Sienna's teachers to figure out the online learning. They have been amazing though! They have videos for each subject and also lots of supplemental websites.

After dinner we have been going on bike rides, roller blading, playing basketball, or soccer four square and it has been so fun! It's nice not having to go anywhere. This is the view from North Lake Park which is a mile south of our house.