Raise your hand if you had the rug pulled out from under you last March? Raise your hand if home-learning proved to be a challenge in getting your kid to complete their assignments and attend their Zoom meetings. No? I am truly happy for you.  

* caution: minor swear words and a political rant ahead * 

I dreamt about home-learning working for us and we gave it everything we had. I was scared to send the kids back into the world. Then little by little we ventured out and saw that if we took precautions, we could be ok. Wear a mask and wash your damned hands! Why in the hell is a mask a political tool? If my 4-year-old can wear a mask and wash his hands with no problem, what is an adult’s excuse? Freedom? Personal Rights? GTFO yourself. This conspiracy nonsense has gone too far. Also, if you were having surgery or a dental procedure, how about your doctors and nurses not wear a mask or PPE because it's too uncomfortable? Anyway, I digress. It's  frustrating to see this pandemic drawn out because of people who refuse to believe in science because they saw "masks bad" on facebook. 

Off my soapbox and back to the story no one is reading, or who clicked away the minute I praised masks and science. 

The program our son is in was to begin in early August, and if you decided not to attend, you lost your spot. We worked hard to make sure he had a spot in the program, so it was worth the risk to try out this new form of learning. He has been going to school since August. Within the first day he was a different child. Gone were the outbursts and daily meltdowns, and there was my little man. He returned, and he was learning at lightning speed. My fear seeped away and I was so thankful for the teachers and their willingness to come back. Can we get these educators a raise? Some respect? Goodness, teaching is difficult! 

At the end of September, our daughter’s grade was able to resume in-person learning. Though we were thankful for the access to virtual school, I have to admit, at-home learning is not the right fit for us. When the kids were babies I used to imagine having a free, fun-loving homeschool life with the two of them… If there’s a silver lining to the pandemic, it’s helped me realize home school is not a good path for our family. Our little ones are social butterflies and would rather be among their peers than mean old mom and dad. 

M was nervous about starting back up again, but we went to the store together and picked out a few character masks for her collection. After the first week, I could see she was in a better mood, much more cooperative, and there were less fights between her and her brother. She was back to learning and much happier with in-person instruction. 

THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE TEACHERS, AIDES, ADMINISTRATORS, JANITORS, CAFETERIA WORKERS, BUS DRIVERS, GROUNDSKEEPERS! Thank you isn’t enough. Please give the schools more funding. It shouldn’t be a red or blue issue. These people are putting their lives on the line. And while I've become political on this post, please vote YES on 208! It's the least you can do for these wonderful educators and school employees who put their lives on the line so our kids can have a bright future.