Covid-Schooling: Transition Week!

Well, friends.  Betcha never thought 2020 would turn out this way, did ya?  A pandemic takes over the world, America is experiencing the Great Toilet Paper Shortage of 2020, and now, we’re all homeschooling.  Or, as I like to call it, COVID-SCHOOLING.

Covid-Schooling

What do you get when you cross spring break, the coronavirus, and social distancing?  Disaster!  That’s what you get!

Unfortunately, we moms aren’t really allowed to give in to disaster in times of crisis.  Sure, we may lose our cool and yell sometimes.  Or we hide in the bathroom and cry, or dip into the secret chocolate, or something.  Basically, though, we do what we’ve always done.  We persevere.  We pull up our big girl yoga pants, throw our hair into a messy bun, and get busy.

Now, I don’t know exactly what education situation your family is in.  In our school district, though, we are hanging out in this weird educational limbo.

Last week, our kids were technically on spring break.  The third quarter of the school year had ended on March 12 and the kids were on break the very next day.  So, all last week, in and amongst all of the changing social rules and guidelines, I let them do exactly what they were supposed to do.  I let them take a break.  They had enough to deal with emotionally that I didn’t feel the need to burden them with a whole lot of busy work.

This week, however, is a bit of a different story.  Or, rather, it’s a bit of a spin on the same story.  See, our county has said two things about this week (the week of March 23, if you’re keeping track).  First, they told the kids that this week is an “extended spring break.”  Then, they told us that teachers would be contacting us with instructions for e-learning that is set to begin next week (the week of March 30).

So, like I said…educational limbo.

Transition Week

Now, all of that is fine and good.  I get the confusion and I understand the delay in starting back up.  Our teachers needed their spring break as much as the kids did and the county wants to get this right.  Both of those things, I totally applaud and commend!  But where does that leave the rest of us who are trying to hang onto a shred of sanity and keep our children from turning into complete and total feral screen zombies?

Well, friends, I give you Transition Week.

My Kingdom for a Routine!

If you are anything like me, your brain and your home work much better when there is routine in place.  And frankly, when covid-19 moved in, any and all routine moved out.

But not so any longer!  I put together a schedule for my family for this weird week of transitions.  Now, schedule may be too strong a word.  Maybe it would be more appropriate to say that I formulated a routine.  A routine that will provide a little of the focus we need to make it to next week when all hell will break loose.  See, I know that next week, when I suddenly have 4 kids in 4 different grades all trying to keep up with school work from home all while figuring out new e-learning skills, things will probably be busier and more chaotic than I can imagine.  For now, though, this is how I’m keeping a handle on things.

Download your copy of my family’s schedule here –> Covid-Schooling 1

This is the best I can come up with.  Each morning and afternoon, all the kids will have designated work time, play time, and free time.  They’ll be sure to get outside which, granted, is not a hardship considering we live in Florida.  My heart goes out to all of you who are in the midst of spring rains and even a spring snow here and there!

Feel free to use this as a guideline for your family or, if this won’t work but you like the idea, take a gander at this!

Download your copy of the blank schedule here –> Covid-Schooling 2

Print them out, one for each day of the week, or print one out and put it in a paper sleeve that you can hang on the fridge and use dry erase markers on.  Whatever works for you, friend!  I just hope this helps.

Moms Need Routine, Too

You’ll notice that I included space for Mom, too.  If you need a daily reminder of any specific tasks you need to accomplish (other than, ya know, keeping everybody else on task and emotionally supported), there’s a space for that.  Are you cooking way more than you ever imagined in your life that you would?  Well, there’s space for that, too.

Listen, I get it.  Covid-schooling is crazy.  To paraphrase the wise Gwen Stefani, “This shizz is bananas…b-a-n-a-n-a-s.”

But we can do this!  We can do hard things!  And if a little routine and a printable schedule can help, then wonderful!

Now, since we’re all in this together (yet at a respectable social distance), throw some of your own tips and tricks for sanity in the comments!

Good luck and Godspeed, friends!!