Corona Diary

March 17, 2020

We were told on March 13 (Friday the 13th!) that all district schools will be shut down effective March 16 until April 6 due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Yesterday was Day 1 of the shutdown.  A number of my friends started posting on Facebook how difficult it was to homeschool their kids and how teachers are heroes deserving of a billion dollar salary.  I don't disagree that teachers deserve to be paid more, but... it wasn't that hard for us.

I mean, KNOCK WOOD, but it was Day 1.  I told the kids that our loose schedule was going to be an hour in the morning of schoolwork, a half hour of household chores, some physical exercise, an hour of academic work in the afternoon, and a half hour of reading.  The afternoon hour of schoolwork could be something academic of their choosing, since there are a lot of educational companies providing free online access during the school shutdown.

Violet's teachers gave her a bunch of work, and she did it for an hour.  Jack has been a bigger challenge, because his teachers gave him hardly anything.  But he did it, and it was fine.  They walked the dog, and then we watched a movie.  They had done chores at their dad's.  That was Day 1.

Day 2 - they cleaned their rooms at their dad's.  Violet went on a walk; Jack played basketball.  They did the first hour of schoolwork at my place.  This time there was some grumbling.  We watched a movie.  Then I told them I really didn't want to hear any complaining about schoolwork anymore.  The two hours a day I have them do is way less than they would have to do at school.  And they literally have nothing else to do.  If they run out of things their teachers give them, anything else I could come up with will be a lot less fun.  So just do it, and quit complaining.  This chastened them.  Jack did all his math homework - it was really not that much! - and Violet did all her Chinese homework for the week.  Violet in particular went above and beyond what we had agreed upon, but it wasn't that hard after we aligned our expectations.

I'm not going to pretend that it's not going to get harder as the shutdown goes on, especially if it lasts the rest of the year.  But I do hope that the teachers will eventually be a little more organized about providing coursework for the kids.  I personally think I could probably homeschool my children pretty effectively, but I need to know what the standards are and what they need to know.

Actually, for me, the hardest thing about the shutdown so far has been having to tell my kids no.  There is so much (mis)information out there.  It's hard to know what is reasonable and what is hysteria.  Jack and I hung out a friend's house with about 8 others on Saturday night.  I was already feeling a little bit skittish about that.  But then we got an invitation to a birthday party at a bowling alley the next day, and I had to draw the line.  I think it is literally the first time I've told Jack he couldn't go to something like this, but the idea of all those people sharing bowling balls and wearing rented shoes in an enclosed area was more than I felt was reasonable.  He was so disappointed, and I had to have a very frank conversation with him about how we are all doing our best in an uncertain situation. He said he understood, but it was a bummer nonetheless.

March 19

I think we are more or less settling into a routine.  I'm still annoyed at how little work Jack's teachers have given him.  I found something that the school district posted on a "learning opportunities" web site, but it still feels more like a way to kill time than anything they would have been doing if they were in school.

Conversely (and perversely), I'm annoyed at how much work Violet's teachers are uploading.  I wish that it were reversed - that the older child is the one given more work.  It's actually not the amount of work that annoys me, though, but the pace of it.  I just wish they would upload it all at once, so she can do it whenever she has the time and inclination.  When Violet gets in a groove, she'll get a bunch of work done all at once.  But the constant starting and stopping is more difficult to manage.

March 20

Day 5.  Honestly, it's really been fine.  The kids are a little bored, but we are killing time doing schoolwork, chores, playing board games, reading.  Jack has been playing basketball in the hoop that he bought and installed outside my house.  Violet has been practicing tae kwon do and even submitted a video of her going through the testing routine for her next belt.  She passed!  Jack has gone to the beach with a friend the last couple of days, but the supervising adult has been very conscientious in about making sure they stay six feet apart.  We've struggled with this, but we are trying to find the balance between staying safe and staying sane.

All in all, we are so lucky.  We live in a beautiful place with access to the beach and a lot of outdoor spaces.  We live in a house with a yard.  Tom works in an essential industry but not as essential personnel, which means he can work from home and not worry about losing his job during this time.

Most of all, though, I'm so lucky that I have such amazing children.  There is no one in the world I'd rather be stuck in the house with than them.