Remote schooling isn’t working for us. I’m sure it’s not working for a lot of you. The schedules change, we’re not sure which zoom sessions our kids are supposed to show up for and which are optional, and sometimes the teachers are asking our kids to do things they can’t even do because it doesn’t work on a chromebook. Neither of the remote-schoolers are handling the time spent staring at a screen well at all. Not to mention, it’s incredibly stressful (when it’s even possible) to manage two different remote-learning schedules while also trying to homeschool my teenagers and keep up with my graduate school program.
We’ve decided we’d rather just homeschool all of them. But it’s not that easy. The two younger kids are enrolled in a charter school, and Miss, who is starting 5th grade this year, just got an IEP worked out. She is Autistic. She’s also gifted in areas related to language. We’re only just starting to officially delineate her needs with this school, and if we officially pull her out for the duration of the pandemic, we might lose all of that because she might not get back in when it’s over.
We’re trying to contact various people at the charter school to determine if we can homeschool without completely disassociating with them. It’s not that we don’t like their school… okay, this is going to sound a lot like a break-up stereotype, but…
Charter school, I just want you to know: It’s not you, it’s me.
How do you even achieve Montessori education via zoom? I get it. It’s basically impossible. I sent my kids to school there so they could have a more hands-on, active, whole-child education. COVID kinda wrecked it. It’s nobody’s fault. I just don’t think these zoom meetings and weird schedules and confusing/impossible instructions (plus me frantically trying to piece everything together for everyone) are good for my kids.
So, instead, I’m taking over. Last week, we did a basic exercise in hypothesis forming and taking an analyzing samples using a giant bag of starbursts. Monday, we did handwriting worksheets in the waiting room of their therapist’s office and went to the library to pick books on a topic of interest (Greek mythology, Roman mythology, dragon history and folklore, and hurricanes). Tuesday, we did an activity centered on writing and following instructions which involved one kid building a simple Lego structure and then explaining how to build it to another kid. Yesterday, we went for a little hike and observed and photographed insects, pressed plants, and took notes on what we saw. Today, I did my own homework while my kids did various assignments at the same table. Fridays are for Pathfinder: mild math, cooperation, problem-solving, writing, reading, using a reference book, and FUN!
They’re weaving, knitting, crocheting, painting, drawing, playing violin and piano, reading for fun and for edification, helping each other, writing elaborate backstories for their pathfinder characters, and playing Don’t worry. We’re getting plenty of math done, too. I love math just enough to annoy the kids a little bit. It just doesn’t make for good pictures or stories.
I’m loving this. It works so much better than any remote-school option I’ve heard of. The only thing I worry about is the seclusion. I know that’s a contentious point for homeschoolers (don’t shoot me!). I’ve homeschooled pre-pandemic, too. Seclusion was never a problem before. The kids were in swim lessons, dance lessons, summer camps, gymnastics, on soccer teams. They were “socialized”. But the pandemic really limits what’s possible in that area, and choosing to homeschool removes even the shoddy semblance of socialization that comes with zoom meetings.
We’re trying to patch that with a tiny homeschool coop which includes just our family (with four kids) and one other family (with two kids). We will be meeting at least once a week for academics, and playing Pathfinder together on Fridays. But the other family’s kids are in the age range of my younger to, so the twins are still feeling pretty lonely. I’m still not really sure how to solve that.
And, due to a mix of homeschool and home remodeling, my house is an enormous mess and in spite of my many efforts to manage it. Phyllis Diller once said, “Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.” She probably knew. She had five kids. I’m just struggling to emotionally accept what my logical mind already knows: A clean house is not as important as all of my other goals right now.
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