I was a little bit shocked to see that not only are my new daffodils fine and blooming after the freeze, but several of the ones that had already been in bloom made it through. Looks like most of my flowers didn’t take too big of a hit even though we stayed below freezing for most of a day. I’m so glad they all held on!
Even though we’ve not felt as though much is different for us hermits with having to stay at home, there are a few things that have cropped up lately that have been… interesting.
For the kids, they are getting all of their school work done as soon as a teacher posts an assignment, which is almost always first thing in the morning. It is rare that either one of them are still working on actual school work after 9 or 10 am and even that is only if most of their classes actually assigned something (which isn’t happening much outside of the advanced/AP/dual credit classes). It has now become something of an expectation for BG and she gets frustrated when one of her teachers doesn’t post until later in the day. I’m not feeling the sympathy and often have to remind her that she isn’t having to sit in class after she finishes (like she normally would).
Also for BG, it has been trying to keep to her dance schedule. For her, I think that has been the hardest, not getting to go to class. She especially misses the kids she was assisting. Apparently, the owner of the studio is also really struggling with missing all of her kids. While she no longer teaches a specific class, she is always at the studio and will often come in and interact or participate with classes. She is such a social and active person, this has been exceptionally hard for her. Just because she can still do all the moves, including a full kick line with the girls, doesn’t mean that she isn’t in her upper 70’s. That makes it so critical for her to maintain distance and everyone is doing their best to help her stay healthy by staying away. Because of that, a few parents have created a group to work on things the dancers and parents can do for her. They have coordinated a drive by parade for her so that all her girls can at least wave to her. It may not be much, but at least she will get a moment or two.
One thing that has been the most up in the air for us is how the school is going to be dealing with their big events. For us it is graduation. The school hasn’t communicated any plans or cancellations about it, just that they are monitoring things, which is frustrating, but also understandable. They don’t want to have to cancel if they can figure out a way to give the kids their moment. That lack of direction made it exceptionally interesting when I got an email letting us know they are doing a drive through pick up for caps and gowns even though there aren’t any plans about an actual ceremony. The whole thing is just so surreal.
While there are oddities and a few bumps, we are still just moving forward and doing our things. I’m grateful that my kids aren’t overly stressed about the changes.
TJ Fox: Sharing the Experience 
Hi! I FINALLY made it over here from my blog. I am so happy to read that your daffodils survived so far. Hopefully, they will continue to grow and bring you a lot of joy as they bloom. The home schooling thing has been really different for us, too. I’ve noticed that my daughter also finishes her work faster, for the most part. The struggle for her is with band, which is not a class that easily translates to e-learning. And with staying active for PE. They are able to keep a log, but she is not a kid who exercises without the in-class encouragement. Hope you are all staying safe!
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I cannot even begin to imagine trying to do band virtually. Yikes! If my son doesn’t start moving a little more, I may have to intervene. At least while he was in school, he had to get up and walk between classes. My daughter is better because she has dance, which she loves, so one out of two isn’t too bad.
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My daughter is a writer, so she (like me) spends a lot of her free time in front of her computer or with a pen in hand, scribbling in a notebook. It doesn’t lend itself readily to exercise, and she hasn’t found any particular physical activity that she loves to do on her own. I make her go walk with us (her dad and me) most days, so at least she is getting sunshine and fresh air and a little exercise. It can be really frustrating.
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My son is the ultimate computer geek (go figure, he wants to be a programmer and is going to get a degree in computer science when he goes to college), so if he isn’t doing his school work, he is playing a game (alone or with his girl online). Trying to pry him from his computer is an experience.
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Glad to see your flowers came through. The one in the photo is such a pretty colour. 🙂
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It’s one of my favorites. Apparently I like the color combo because one of my other ones is similar.
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My daughter is handling things well, so far. If they don’t go back in August, that’s another story….
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I had just seen something about how seniors would miss out on the last half of their HS year and potentially the first semester of college. That transition is already incredibly difficult, so I have no idea how some students are going to handle it.
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My daughters school has postponed housing lottery…so yeah….it’s sad and scary and unfair
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The school MC is going to already has an extensive online presence, so I have a feeling they will be able to easily slip into that way of operating if needed. We also live about 15 minutes away, so if there are concerns about living on campus, it won’t be an issue for him. It is a requirement for his first year as part of his scholarship, so I have no idea what they will do about that part.
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The grading poses challenges. And while my daughter is ok so far, many of her friends find online learning very challenging
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The only HS classes that are actually taking grades are those AP/dual credit classes. They’ve taken the stance that grades won’t go down from where they were before the shut down, but kids can bring them up by completing or redoing outstanding assignments. The only thing the new work counts towards is whether or not the kids participated. If they don’t, they won’t get the credit for the class. All regular classes have been instructed to not teach any new material. I have no clue how this is going to impact those classes that build on each level every year. It is going to be a nightmare for many students.
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The whole thing is going to be a mess….
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