Week 4 of Distance Learning Due to COVID-19 (Apr. 20th – 24th, 2020)

So week four started the same as with previous weeks, stick to the routine, follow the script, and everything would be fine. We were able to maintain the trend of completing the daily assigned work in enough time to have free time left over. This week was recognized as National Library Week, so the Librarian along with the school had a few extra virtual educational events planned for the students.

The weather did not co-operate with us most of the week we could not perform any of the outdoor activities that we have gotten used too. We had to endure thunderstorms with heavy winds and lightning. Two days out of the week we were under a tornado watch and then a tornado warning, which seems to be more common nowadays here in Florida than it was in the past. These storms did not last the whole day, but, by the time it was over and outside was dry enough to go out, the sun would be setting. This did not afford us much time to complete our outdoor activities, so we would just postpone that day’s stuff for the next day once the weather permitted.

During these weather events, my kids are usually a little nervous, especially when it is overcast and dark outside. Both are afraid of lightning and the thunder when it is excessively loud. They do their best to keep busy, this helps to take the attention away from the storm, and luckily the bad weather did not last into the night or they would have not been able to fall asleep.

This week my son had an extra video call from one of his teachers, this along with the three regular video calls a week with his class. During this week’s video calls his teacher provided the class with interactive lessons that occupied most of the after lunch free time. The class enjoys the video calls with their teacher and it allows the parents to have a short but much-needed break.

Both of our children are A+ students and we help them to maintain those grades during these challenging times. This fact is born out in their teacher updates and by the test results, they have received since schools were closed. I want to go off-topic for a second, but still on topic; There were a lot of changes that we had experienced earlier in the year that seemed to be a set back for us, but now we realize that those changes have put us in a better position. We can spend welcomed quality time with our children and supervise their work through this distance learning period while earning a living.

The announcement from local Government this week that all schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year came as no surprise to us. We had planned and prepared during spring-break to have additional school work available to last through April and May. Not to mention snacks, drinks, and lunch supplies, which my kids remind me of daily on the hour at the allocated times. We are blessed and give God all the Honor.

Truly, Julian R. Johnson (Daddy Sidekick).