Time flies, even when you stay home.
Easter Sunday (April 12, 2020) marked one month since my children last sat in a classroom, enjoyed lunch with friends in the school cafeteria and rode the bus home. We marveled at the milestone as we relaxed and watched TV before bedtime that evening.
What a bittersweet observation. We spent a whole month together in the house or the backyard, leaving perhaps a handful of times together to grab a bite to eat at a favorite drive-thru and to pick up a small grocery order. I still work, but when I’m home we strive to keep busy getting the house more organized and less cluttered.
Today (April 20, 2020) marks the first full week of the final marking period of the school year. It’s one full week of mandatory assignments distributed through cyber classrooms, meeting apps and more emails and texts for teacher interaction completed.
Looking back on it, I can honestly say that the kiddos fared well. My son seems a little more enthusiastic about completing his assignments and doing additional challenges offered through Google Classroom. My daughter has hunkered down and tended to her work, which also includes Zoom meetings twice a week for algebra and once a week for Spanish. This past week’s workload also included her having to videotape a presentation about a paper she completed for Honors English. All done!
Seeing their progress, I asked them if they prefer learning by computer. Both said they do not mind, but they prefer the classroom atmosphere with a teacher present. They like seeing their friends on a daily basis, which is one thing that just isn’t happening at the moment. Thank goodness for social media, as they keep in touch with friends through apps and phone calls.
So the social distancing and cyber schooling continues as we wait for the curve to flatten and for life to return to some sense of normalcy. Hang in there, everyone!
The mom of a dancing teen and a tween who enjoys scouting and hockey, Katie Campomizzi-Clews is a copy editor at The Republican-Herald. She began her career at The RH as a staff writer following graduation from Lycoming College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication with a minor in psychology. She shares her experiences of balancing work and parenting and takes a look at issues, events and trends concerning parents and children.
