Self-Isolation Day #7

Friday, Self-Isolation Day #7

It is hard to go back and determine when "this all began," but I have tried and, of course, this will vary all over the country as this virus reached different geographic areas in its own time. For us, the scene was becoming very tense during the week of March 16. By Saturday March 21 is when the announcements of closings and cancellations via news, social media, and personal emails began bombarding us nearly hourly. For my city and family, I'm going to call March 21 "Day #1."

After that first emotional week, I think I am starting to manage my stress intentionally for the first time: maybe other readers are too?

I Am So Grateful that I Homeschool

School continues for us as per usual, for which I am so, so grateful. Yes, I cry, yes, I get grumpy, but I am so grateful that I homeschool. I pray for parents at home trying to educate their children for the first time. I am comfortable with my curriculum because I own it (as in, own the decision). I chose it purposefully for what fits for my family. Some of my curriculum choices I teach in group settings for efficiency (like science on Friday!). Parents home for the first time are being given curriculum assignments, they did not choose them, they have no familiarity with them, and they cannot teach with efficiency because each teacher of each grade is sending home assignments or guidance.

Simultaneously, the children are being asked to do serious work in the location that for them has been the place of rest and relaxation. I have found it takes dedication and consistency for months and years to teach children that "we do school upon waking in the mornings and we do it diligently until we are done." It will take students newly home--who are already being told they probably won't go back to school until the darned autumn--intentionality and consistency to form new habits of working from home.

I pray mothers at home trying to navigate this do not think the negative aspects of their experience are what homeschooling is--because it's not!

Yes, some small children were still in PJs during science.

Spring is blooming everywhere and I'm so grateful that within my confines, I can see such beauty because many of those living in apartments or buildings are without beautiful views. I hope they will seek out beauty in good books, good images online, or in excellent, visually sweeping movies.

Homeschooled kids get along one minute and "hate each other" the next, just like other siblings. A homeschooling mother is constantly managing the pairings, putting these ones together, separating these ones, assigning this fighting pair something fun to do, knowing it will help them grow in fondness. It takes a tremendous amount of work, so mothers trying to navigate siblings being at home together and getting tired of each other fast should take the long view, not the short one.

Our neighborhood is so friendly and intentional! I have not volunteered for this, but I see on social media that our neighborhood alone provided a week's worth of groceries to hundreds of families and daily brown bag lunches to hundreds of local students who normally depend on schools to feed them.

Our family has reached out to "adopt" several families we know of with serious health problems who are completely self-quarantining. We are offering to do their grocery shopping and such. Are there families you are reaching out to help? From a purely selfish point of view, I find that it takes me out of my own worries to try to think of others in more difficult situations who need more help than I do.

The neighborhood kids were asked by our neighborhood to write encouraging chalk messages on our driveways to inspire those walking past, so we did that. Next, people are going to start putting up Christmas lights for cheer. And one of my ideas I've implemented is having the girls do their daily violin practice on the front porch for the passers-by to enjoy!

I had not left the house for a week, increasingly living in fear, until it dawned on me that people are leaving their homes while maintaining social distancing. So, on Friday I packed up the children and we took a walk on the Greenway (ten minutes' drive) in exquisite weather without coming close to anyone at all.

My spirits were a little bit buoyed! Also, we are reading aloud Roald Dahl's biography, "Boy," for hilarity and Chris and I spent two evenings (as if we could ever watch a movie in one night) watching the new Mr. Rogers movie. The oldest three kids have been playing board games nightly after the others are asleep.