Homeschooling

Long time, no blog. COVID has thrown us all for a loop. I started substituting at my daughter's school & after maybe a month of doing it, our county closed the schools due to the virus. We did online learning & the kids finished up school in May. We have been home for most of the summer, staying local & not taking any trips. Our county released their back to school plan & immediately it was under scrutiny. They had proposed a hybrid plan with one group going to school Monday & Tuesday, then distance learning the rest of the week. The other group would distance learn Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday, & attend school on Thursday & Friday. There was also an option of 100% virtual learning, if the parent wanted to go that route. Lots of emails were sent to the school board from teachers & parents, some happy with the plan & some not. A board member made the suggestion of 100% virtual learning the first 9 weeks & at that point, reevaluating to see if the hybrid plan was feasible or if virtual learning should continue. This was the choice the board decided to go with. 

So what does this all mean for my kids? Caden is in high school & understands need for masks & social distancing. Masks would be required for all students & staff if in person learning takes place after the first 9 weeks. London does not understand this. As soon as she sees a friend, she takes off running to give them a huge hug. She can't wear a mask for 5 minutes without ripping it off. Elementary school, where so much emphasis is placed on play & group learning, is going to look different. After some very hard days & conversations, we made the decision to homeschool London. I know people wonder why I would homeschool one child & not the other. Honestly, Caden knows what to do. And he is taking such a demanding schedule(AP classes, Dual Enrollment classes) that I wouldn't know where to being with that. He wants to go to school, whereas London does not. She knows things will be different & says that if everything can't be how it was, then she doesn't want to go back. So for now, this is our plan. She is entering 4th grade & I told her I would be open to homeschooling 5th as well, if she likes it. I will be updating on this new adventure. Slightly nervous, but very excited!

-Ashley