Taking our regular first day of school photos outside the house just didn't feel right, since they weren't actually leaving the house. We will save those for their first real day of actually going back to school. Instead, we wanted to remember what their first day of school actually looked like and where they were set up for this first 3 weeks of at home "virtual learning." I am super proud of these 3 incredible kiddos! They were super excited and confident on this very strange Monday morning.
At 8AM, Delaney was ready to log into her first of 6 live Zoom meetings for the day. Her day ends each day around 2:40PM.
Everyone has been super positive during all this. I recall some family and friends asking them, "Aren't you so sad not going back to school right away?," and I will never forget Addison's scrunched up nose in a confused manner and her saying, "No, we're are good...." It made me so proud and yet again reinforced to me that young kid's attitudes and responses are truly created by the modeling of the adults around them. There are so many silver linings in them being at home for the first 3 weeks but hopefully it is for only 15 days. In the first week, it has given the kids so much more time to sleep, not waking up until 7:00AM vs 6 AM and they are able to finish up all their school work and so much more by 2PM, giving them from 2-5 to actually play with friends, before soccer.
To say that I was a skeptic about NEISD's virtual learning upgrade this Fall, would be an understatement. But at the end of day 3, I am absolutely elated with the constant level of teaching, learning, engagement, Spanish speaking, reading and lessons that are going with with Delaney and her 2nd grade class filled with 15 of her friends who are all planning to return to on-campus school, at first chance. The schedule is intense and consistent with at least 5 live lessons a day and 4 assignments but it is all worth it when I see and hear the unbelievable things going on via those Zoom video meetings.
I have largely left Carter and Addison completely alone, only quickly walking by and asking if they were good. They are always focused and I hear the teachers teaching, a gallery board filled with students and Carter and Addie responding to questions. I really couldn't ask for more. I have seen any of their work and have decided to let them take the lead on it after giving them the tools of organization and reminding them that I am here if they need anything. 2 weeks in, Addison has excelled and Carter has had a couple of missing assignments, which baffles me. But we are working through it and I am still largely leaving them uninterrupted each day.
How are Blake and I doing working and with 3 kids on virtual meetings 8 non-stop hours a day:
The verdict is still out. Day 1 when I was off was really good, although incredibly busy, just helping Delaney and preparing meals and snacks. The real world started Tuesday and proved much harder, as could be expected. By Wednesday, with Blake out of the house working in the field, I missed one of Delaney's log in to her classes, due to work. I have set up all kinds of tools to help us get through the countless log in times, break time, assignment times, lunch and recess times. A funny story on Wednesday of this first week was when Delaney came and got me after her math lesson needing help to do her assignment. I must have looked so stressed and the Zoom camera had been left on, that Mrs. Hernandez saw me and force unmuted me, since I couldn't figure out how to navigate back to the Zoom window on the Chrome book that we are borrowing from the school. She said, "Mrs Brown, are you okay, how can I help you?" This was just funny to me since the teachers have proactively made so many comments for parents not to ask questions while the kids are on Zoom calls. I must have looked desperate. Man, am I so lucky to have her help me though all this. There were several times this first week that I thought about taking a month leave from work, until they go back, or take 3 personal hours every morning from 8:30-11:30AM to get Delaney through the bulk of her lessons. Both of those are still on the table, as I am currently ended each day, completely emotionally and physically spent. I even spoke to my Director today sharing the real struggles of this specific time during COVID, being by far the hardest of the past 5 months. Why? Simply because both the requirements of at home virtual learning has increased so greatly as the same rate as the requirements of working virtually in my job. As always, I know not to make any big decisions under stress and will wait another week or two to see how we all continue to adjust. I did learn from the Spring, how quickly we all adjust to the technology requirements and schedules so I know it will get better and better each and every day. We have about 25 Alexas reminders set up for Delaney and have narrowed down the exact times, that either Blake or I can go sit with in ear shot of Delaney's class to understand what the assignment will be and how to access it. These 3-4 minutes have proven key to less stress and more efficiency. However, by the end of Week 2, the stress of needing to be there for the dozen times each day that Delaney needed to ask me a question, needed up with transitioning into her activity, or logging into Music or taking a photo and uploading her 6 assignments was too much. On top of having 2 meals and 2 snacks ready during school and work hours. So I tool a leave from work using a parental COVID Lilly benefit that they set up for the 3rd week after feeling so overwhelmed at work. I figured this would be the last week at home, at least for a while. Well, I guess I should have thought again....
Phase 1 Return to School Set For September 8, After Labor Day
On Friday September 28, 2020, we got a call and email stating that our Lopez kid(s) got into Phase 1. It didn't say a student's name so we are assuming both. I can't imagine they would let one child in and not another if it is on the same campus. Then, on Monday August 31, 2020, just 6 days prior to going back, we received an email stating that Delaney did not make it into Phase 1 at Roan Forest. I was shocked, super upset and so stressed when that news came in, after lunch. All we heard of was NEISD employees making it in. For the life of me, I can't understand how she didn't make it in Phase 1 when only 38% of the school wanted to go back and she was counted as Special Education due to her dual language and the fact that Blake and I both work. By the evening, I had settled down and moved on to hunkering down and figuring out how to make it work for 2.5 more weeks.
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