If 12 months ago anyone had asked if I could have guessed what the first half of 2020 would have looked like, I wouldn't have even been able to come close to reality. I would have predicted a journey (both learning journey and roadschool adventures). But 2020 has been like no other.
The first couple of months of 2020 still allowed for contact with friends:
Classes like science lessons.....
Programming lessons.....
And special events like a free flight for kids.
Volunteering weekly at the Humane Society
But then.....
The world "pandemic" of COVID19/Corona Virus rocked the world in ways that nobody could have predicted. It impacted EVERYONE even if they did not have medical symptoms. It impacted every aspect of life from employment, finances, health, education, and more for so many people and I truly hope you have been able to stay safe and healthy. I also hope you have been able to create a new normal for you and your family that includes an enhanced view of the significance of connections and education.
For me, the last 6 months have been a fascinating journey of perseverance. I had a major medical issue to deal with and had over 100 appointments. It is still ongoing but I can see the end in sight - hopefully by the end of 2020. The reason I mention this here is because, faced with medical challenges, I had to make decisions about how to handle homeschool during this time. Going to appointments takes time away from learning activities, being tired or in pain takes time away. I could have decided to take time off from "school." As a year-round schooler, we could do that. I could have opted to consider alternative school options (public or private) - some people choose this valid option for temporary schooling. Here's what I decided:
Kept things fairly similar to what we were already doing. It was hugely important to me to maintain a sense of normalcy for the kids. Keep in mind, "normal" for us could be doing school dressed as a cat (or dragon, or....)
or sitting in a box...
I put the day into "chunks" - a morning chunk, an afternoon chunk, and an evening chunk. This way I could skip a chunk to go to an appointment but still know that we got some learning done in the other chunk of time that day.
We have done some super cool herpetology studies. This one involved dissecting a synthetic frog - way nicer than a "real" one.
- Simplified the expectations. A chunk meant we did "some" learning. It doesn't mean a certain number of minutes or a certain number of pages. It means that we did the best we could to learn what we had time for. Sometimes that may have meant 20 minutes of writing in a morning chunk. On another day it could be 90 minutes of writing in the chunk. It all balances out. Em has emerged as a reader of dragon books and has amassed quite a collection since the libraries have been closed for 4 months.
We focused on 3 subjects (and fit in other learning when it worked out) - Language Arts, Writing, and Math for the blossoming reader; Novel writing, Math, and Herpetology for the middle/high schooler. Special projects like this dragon egg project (thanks to our fellow homeschool friend and curriculum designer extraordinaire, Sam, for this Harry Potter themed dragon egg project).
I kept updating the learning chart I am keeping on the wall this year. This is what I will use for the state-mandated "assessment." Some call it planning from behind, but it is a good way to keep track of what we have done in terms of learning.
Put a focus on staying connected with the kids - more eye contact, more effort to spend one-on-one time every day.
Implemented a daily 2 hour "free time" at a set time each day. Time for the kids to call or connect online with their friends. Time for me to spend recovering, recharging, chores, and doing school planning (something I love to do).
While it didn't change much about our academics, the stay-at-home orders have actually helped us by spending less time running around and more time to slow down our lessons. Poetry Tea Time always helps.
Despite "crisis schooling," we have managed to develop a routine that is working nicely, improve academic skills, explore areas of interest, dive deep into online friendships for the kids, take time out to resolve physical health issues for me, and rediscover the goal of homeschool - to connect and learn.
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