Week 9 of Distance Learning Due to COVID-19 (May 25th – 29th, 2020)

We have made it to the end of our distance learning experience my friends. I must say, although it started a little ruff we surely had a wonderful time. The additional time spent with our children is priceless and as parents, we were able to understand and appreciate what teachers have to go through on a daily bases. We got the opportunity to dive deeper into the work our children are assigned and guide them on how to use correct problem-solving skills to complete their work.

I know there will be parents out there weighing the decision if they will send their child back to the classroom once the new school year starts, or if they will keep them home. Having already created and established a routine, it will be tempting for some parents to continue with distance learning or homeschooling. That will be a real possibility for homes where one parent does not work or has a flexible work from home job.

On the other hand, parents that were forced to take time away from their jobs and are eager to get back to work will be looking forward to the new school year. This return to the classroom will allow for some sense of normalcy for all parties involved. The mere fact of school drop-offs in the morning and pickups in the evenings will represent the return of a welcomed responsibility, or dare I call it a chore.

So this week we finished up on all assigned work on Monday and Tuesday fairly early in the morning on those days. This allowed us to be free of the distance learning platform for the remainder of the week. That lasted until Friday when my son’s teacher held a virtual end of school year party for her class. The theme for the class party was a beach picnic, the students dressed in hilarious outfits, enjoyed treats, and played a few rounds of a scavenger hunt.

The party was a nice gesture by the teacher, which allowed the class to have one last fun activity together before the sad goodbyes. For the next school year will bring a new teacher in a new grade. There will be some friends that will relocate and change schools, while some will remain. That said, the new school year will be different, I do not doubt it, but for now, we all should take the time to enjoy our well-deserved summer break.

We recognized this week as the start of that summer break in our home and allowed our kids to unwind a bit. They pulled out the electronics, played video games, and engaged in some minor reading. My wife feels this summer is going to be a long one because we might not be able to travel because of the pandemic. I agreed with her, but I told her it might be longer for me who works from home and will be with the kids most of the day while she is at work. We laughed because no one parent takes credit in our home, we always work as a team.

Truly, Julian R. Johnson (Daddy Sidekick).