First "Official" Day of At Home Learning

Today we got a late start on the official start of the day. I was up @ 5AM to do my Bible Study & plan the week; however, I let the boys sleep in since Collin has had a sore throat. Given that the reason we are doing all this is because of a virus, I think our first priority is for us all to stay well, and if that means teenagers sleeping in (to a certain extent), we're going to do it!

One of my friends from the gym is doing her own Facebook live classes on Monday morning, so since only Marin was awake I decided to go ahead and participate in the dance class. It was raining outside so we adjusted and did PE first. 

That meant that instead of starting @ 9:30, it was 10:30 before we were all together to watch the Beach Club video. Marin did some floor exercises, and Carson did some pull ups. After breakfast and unloading the dishwasher the first assignment was to check Google Classroom for any assignments from the teachers.

10:30 - Beach Club Video, prayer & pledges

10:40 - Check Google classroom & apps and review assignments, write in planner

      * Carson was being disrespectful so he got sent upstairs to work in the office
     - Collin actually stayed with us for longer than I would have expected
     - Since Collin's teachers posted all of his assignments for the entire week he's feeling a bit overwhelmed.

11:00 - Math. Marin used the prodigy app on his iPad.
            Carson completed some of his assignments from his teachers upstairs.

11:30 - Science - Marin listed to a video on Boats floating and answered a few questions
            
Noon - Time for a break!  It's raining so usually kids would be sent outside, but we just had "recess" indoors and got ready for lunch

12:30 - Carson decides he wants to do band earlier today since Mike will be on conference calls at the scheduled band time. He gets out his saxophone and continues learning "Heart Will Go On". This is actually the most we have ever heard him play sax. He decides he wants to accompany himself on piano for a recording he can submit to his band teacher. He asks for help on what to play for left hand and I remind him about chords and arpeggios. I give him a video to watch about transposing, since piano is in the key of C sax is in E flat. His sax music is in the key of D, so we find piano music in the key of F. He practices until Mike tells him to stop (1:40)

1:45 - WRITING. Kids are given a choice of writing prompts for today:

• "If someone wrote a book about you, what would it be about?"
• "Create your own holiday.  What would you celebrate?  How could you get others to join in the fun?" 

Carson chose the first, and Marin chose the second.

2:00 - ZOOM class - Carson had a Zoom with his classroom
Marin begged to do typing on the computer. We have several good resources (typing.com, typetastic and Nitrotype (Marin loves Race) but my stubborn 8-yr-old doesn't want to start at the beginning because it's "boring" but he wants to do the Middle School and High school games like his brothers (#3rdChildProblems).

2:30- Carson finishes his Zoom class and wants to join Marin typing, so I let him. I'm able to get some emails done and catch up on some other work, such as researching new health insurance options (again!!!)

3:00 - SPANISH - Mike is on a conference call so we go outside to do Spanish since they're noisy. I wonder what the construction workers on the other side of the creek think, as I'm sure they can hear my noisy boys practicing their NEWly learned skill. (this is day 3 of Spanish, by the way). The 1st day we did numbers, 2nd day, days of the week and numbers review. Day 3 I opted for more of a discussion mode. I speak only in Spanish (which annoys them), but I talk slowing and with gestures in hopes that they will pay attention and figure out what I'm saying.  

For Ex: "Como te llamas?"  Me llamo Tracy.  (Carson actually picked a new name - Alfredo LOL! Marin is currently going by his name with a Spanish accent, but he's considering Mario).

Quantos hermanos tiene? Yo tengo un hermano y ningun hermanas. Su padre (pointing) tiene dos hermanAS y cero hermanOS.  I repeat several times, and talk about easy concepts, hoping they'll catch on. Eventually they see I'm not giving up and start guessing.

Quantos anos tiene? Tengo dos anos. Tu tiene ocho anos? Quantos anos tiene su hermano?

3:30 - Dismissal - Since Carson has already practiced his piano and saxophone, and Marin doesn't really have any interest in learning an instrument other than the recorder. I guess we will have to try the stupid recorder.  

I downloaded a new app for checklists, and shared "Things to find in Minecraft" with Carson.

So - today we very loosely followed the schedule. I'm OK with that. I'm OK with our late start. In fact, tomorrow we will likely start late too, as I have Bible Study via Zoom @ 9:30. My goal will be to review the schedule and start a little earlier (with the promise they'll get out earlier), and have them do their own schoolwork while I'm on my Zoom.  We will see how that works!

What if I'm sick?

St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) 
I was pretty terrified of being home full time, stuck with my kids at home, and husband working at home. For one, I'm an extrovert and NOT a homebody. I've struggled with my mental health during Summers before, due to the lack of schedule and having kids at home. Needless to say, I wasn't looking forward to our Social Distancing and all being locked up in the house together; ESPECIALLY given that weather predicted rain for most of the 10 days upon coming home. How will I be able to keep myself together?

Something I never really considered was that I could actually be SICK, or that my kids may be sick during this time. Sure I have become pretty paranoid about germs, and anxious of COVID-19, using hand sanitizer and wipes when touching anything, but when I pictured our time at home never once did I picture me being sick or separated from my family or suffering from Coronavirus mysel!

...Until the drive home from New Mexico when I started coughing a lot and feeling really bad!

Yes, every cough or sneeze from a stranger already had me wondering if they were infected, and now I am coughing a LOT, and more concerning was a shortness of breath I hadn't experienced before. THIS is what had me most scared, actually semi-PARANOID. Forced homeschooling was going to be hard enough, and now what if I'm sick? Impossible! My paranoid brain shifts my thinking to focusing on the primary goal is to keep myself and my kids alive, when I had such high hopes for this time together.

We get back to Dallas about 8PM on St. Patrick's Day. We unpack the car and I break down crying scared...What if I have Coronavirus?

Where can I get tested?
Can I get tested?

I start researching, and I did not meet the CDC Guidelines (which continue to change daily, but at this time required recent travel to an infected country, being a healthcare worker or over 65), none of which I met. I looked into our health insurance (Aetna) and found out that our Teledoc visits were now covered @ 100% so I considered calling, but decided to wait for the morning.

Wednesday, March 18th:
I woke up still feeling very ill. It probably didn't help that I didn't sleep much, due to feeling  badly and being so worried. My insurance company website suggested CVS was doing COVID testing, so I headed up to CVS when they opened @ 9:00. They did not, but suggested the Neighborhood Medical Clinic on Preston & Beltline, not far away. This is where a friend of my husband's co-workers had gone the week before.

I am in line in my car around 9:30 AM behind what I think is at least 10 other cars. I soon realize its more like 20+ cars and realize this could take a while. I'm thinking... "Wow- this is scary. This many people actually think they may be infected! What if someone sees me here? Well, that means they're in line too (unless they're driving by). Will people spread rumors about who may be infected? I don't want anyone to know, until my test comes back negative. If I can even get the test (likely not, since I don't meet CDC criteria). What am I doing here waiting? This is stupid. Maybe I should leave...

So I text my husband. He tells me to stay. I send him a picture "How is this flimsy apron supposed to protect this poor girl?" "Thank her for what she is doing".

At this point the masked girl comes to my car and asks me if I have my own pen. "Yes", I say. I fill out the paperwork and email it along with my health insurance and HSA card to the email address on their instructions. I wait and wait, and this point I'm in tears and scared. Too much time to think and the first time I've been alone with my thoughts. Thankfully there is Facebook to distract me, and lots of new activity due to everyone being home during what is supposed to be Spring Break.

Someone in our neighborhood created a page with a daily Lego Challenge for kids. So I text my husband again, "Today's Prestonwood LEGO challenge: ‘Good Morning Builders! Day 2: ROCKET SHIPS *Bonus: If you could hang out with an alien for the day, what would you do? Or, if the kids want to catch up from yesterday they can build a bridge’l

I'm avoiding calling my mom because I don't want to tell anyone where I am, but they have our cat from when we were gone, so I know a conversation will be inevitable. Mom calls me @ 10:30 and I'm crying while talking to her, very scared. (Up to this point I feel like my parents, like much of the public hadn't taken this pandemic very seriously, and I'd been texting them information to educate and highlight the gravity of the situation and their need to stay home. As a mom myself now, I wonder what it felt like to have your child tell you maybe they could be sick. Perhaps this was a turning point, as they acknowledge the severity now).

I WAIT some more.
Mike texts me @ 11 AM... "Update?
"Calculating from how long I've been here & # of cars it will likely be another hour".


By 11:15 I can see the front of the line. I notice some cars are turning away, while others are getting swabbed and being asked to pull ahead and wait. I wonder which of the two groups I will be in, and text Mike again.

"My bet, no test" he replies. 
"Yeah, me too"  Again I think, WTH am I doing waiting here? When all I want to do is go lay in bed since I'm feeling terrible...

It's 11:40 and now I'm next in line. I hear the doc talking to the person in front of me, and can hear his responses, which I'm sure isn't HIPPA-compliant, but I listen anyway and overhear that this guy has been sick for several weeks, he manages international hotel properties, coworkers are in isolation due to their illnesses, etc. I text Mike again...

"This guy in front of me will definitely get tested. If he doesn't get tested, no need for me to even attempt".  "You've waited this long, so don't leave now", he says. They put a mask on the guy in front of me. I'm sure soon masks will be normal to see, but at this point, this is a scary sight as we aren't used to seeing people in masks in the US.

By 11:50 I am in the front of the line and the doctor/PA begins to ask me questions. I explain my symptoms and tell him we recently returned from Colorado. I do my best to not cough, but as soon as I do, he gives me a mask too. While I'm talking to him, the strangest thing happens. A girl runs up very excitedly and says something about a shipment just arriving.

His demeanor changes, and tells me they have to follow CDC Guidelines "unless there is an abundance of tests, which we may now have"

UNBELIEVABLE! 
The opposite that happened at the ski resorts is happening here. Instead of everything closing at the moment we arrive, now an "abundance of tests" arrive when I'm in spot #1 after waiting 2.5 hours! How lucky is that!

11:58-  I get tested for the flu, and I'm asked to pull ahead and wait. 
My flu test is negative, and they instruct me to move my car in another line behind the hotel guy who I see gets a 2nd swab in his nose.

I text my mom and Mike together... "This is actually happening. I'm getting tested for COVID even though there are a shortage of tests."

Part of me feels guilty for taking a test, but I know they're just going to give it to the person behind me and I want to know, so I get swabbed. VERY uncomfortable. Another girl comes up and talks to me.  She asks if I have any other questions? "NO", I say, and I thank them all for what they're doing!!!

I leave and drive home around 12:35, after over 3 hours, and the true waiting begins. And lasts way too long!   

10 DAYS LATER I find out that I am Negative for COVID (finally)! 

1st 1/2 week - 2.5 days was long enough!

Our district's scheduled Spring Break was March 16th-20th, during which many of the restrictions (i.e., restaurants closing, no more than 10 allowed per gathering) occurred in Dallas county. So we were given an extra two days (Mon & Tues, 23-24th) for the teachers and parents to get organized before teachers were to check in with students between Wed & Friday and official "At Home Learning" to begin Monday, March 30th.

Being the Type A personality that I am and wanting to use this time to challenge my kids, I decided to plan and begin our "Home School" on Wednesday (3/25), with a short planning session on Tuesday, also the same day we would begin NO video games, TV, etc during school hours. After more than a week off, and way to much non-educational screen time we were all in for a rude awakening!

On Tuesday, March 24th I gave a writing assignment to all three of my boys, ages 15, 12 & 8:

• New Skills You Would Like to Learn
• Skills You Would Like to Improve
• Subjects You're Interested in, or want to know more about 

My 2nd Grader's first response was quite comical for a New Skill he would like to learn...
"How to give Mrs. Voegtle a Chill Pill"... LOL!

The first assignment did NOT go well! It was a test for my setting of limits, including a bit of yelling to let them know this IS school and I AM SERIOUS. Surprisingly, my 6th grader, who by nature has always been agreeable was pushing back the most. I let my high school student do his own work in his room on his computer. The 2nd & 6th grader were at the kitchen table with me.

Thankfully, despite the pushback, what resulted was a great list of things they wanted to learn. After 10 minutes (that was all they could handle) and a decent list on the 1st prompt, I asked them to share. Then I had Carson (12) & Marin (8) write their initials on their brother's list on the items they would like also, to find the common areas of interest. And I had them each star their top three.  I am hoping to get their buy-in, and be able to tailor their "At Home Learning" to what they want to learn to make this more interesting for us all! 

Here is what we ended up with:

Collin:

Carson:

Marin:

I was pleased to see there were some areas of overlap, such as an interest in Business & Stocks from my two oldest. Since my dad is a former Financial Advisor, and is a great teacher, I asked him to be a guest lecturer for the boys' enrichment class.

I created a schedule on Tuesday to begin on Wednesday. I asked the boys if they wanted to begin @9 & get out at 3, or start @ 9:30 and go until 3:30. Of course, they asked for shorter hours all together (which we may do), but at this point I want them to realize this is SCHOOL and have as much similarity to the school day they're used to. So we picked 9:30-3:30 & I plan to start us all together each morning.

A few notes on the schedule and modifications will be making:

• We need a 3-5 minute break between each of the class periods, to go outside, stretch or something active (pushups or jumping jacks). Will incorporate.
• We do not need Religious Education each day, as we begin with Bible Lesson & prayer. I will rename that period "Enrichment" to allow for a rotation of subjects of interest, and we plan to stick to an official Religious Education once a week (probably on Wed & Sun like they have during the regular school schedule), plus a 30 min @ Home Beach Club on Fridays. 

I guess this means we are ready for the first official week of "At Home Learning"...

I Never Planned to Homeschool

Like most of us stuck attempting to teach our children during this time, I never planned to home school!  Motherhood has been full of second guessing myself from birth, but one thing I've been pretty sure of is that I never would be a "home school mom". Don't get me wrong, I have great respect for moms who home school, I just never thought it was for me. But...in this Pandemic of 2020 EVERYTHING has changed and schools are closed, so what choice do we have?

I remember being shocked when Italy went on lock down less than a month ago and schools closed. I considered the idea of that happening to us and had a after-school playground discussion about it with other moms (oh, those were the days!), but I don't think we, or many Americans actually thought it would happen to us. 

But as school events and sports leagues, ski resorts and beaches closed approaching our Spring Break, it became clear that it would be an almost certain reality after our "Spring Break" was "over". Thursday, March 12th was scheduled to be our 2nd Grade Musical that my youngest son and his classmates had been working so hard preparing for and were so excited to perform for us. The evening before the performance we got a call saying it was cancelled (which my 2nd grader and I are still upset about). Thursday they announced they would be sending iPads home with the kids on their last day, Friday, March 13th (yes, Friday the 13th) "in the event that kids did not return to school on Monday, March 23rd (my birthday)."  "In the event"?? HA HA!  At this point I knew there was no way we would be going back, for what I figured was at least two weeks and maybe not at all this school year. 

Unfortunately I didn't even get to say goodbye to teachers or friends at pickup, because I went to the grocery store to pick up some additional food for families at our school who rely on free meals at the school to feed their children. I thought an hour would be plenty of time for a "quick" trip to the store to pick up a few items; however, the event took over an hour and a half because of long lines and panic at the grocery store. (I have yet to visit a regular grocery store since this Friday, the 13th).

At this point I was also preparing for our ski trip, as we were leaving the next morning for Colorado, and hoping there would be food in the small town of Salida, CO where we planned to stay while we skied Monarch Mountain. Yet, like many things in this Pandemic, little did we know that was just the beginning of the concerns, and we wouldn't get to ski due to the mandated closing of all ski resorts.

Driving thru to Colorado	1 quick overnight in Salida, CO

Long story short, we did not get to ski despite trying to get ahead of the closings by driving all the way to Salida on Saturday, then driving back to NM Sunday morning and landing in Santa Fe. We enjoyed two nice days with our good friends there hiking and letting the kids sled, and our "last supper" at a restaurant on March 16th, as we learned that all restaurants in Dallas would be closed.

Hiking with the family in Santa Fe	And good friend Tara
"The Last Supper" @ an Italian restaurant with BFFs	Pilgrimage to El Chimayo on 1st Sun w/o mass

We stayed in Santa Fe until Tuesday, March 17th (St. Patrick's Day) and drove back to Dallas. In the car ride I researched school schedules, online resources for "home schooling" and joined several Facebook groups that were sharing good ideas. I will have to admit this was all pretty overwhelming to me, and this was supposed to still be Spring Break where I was supposed to be participating in my favorite activity in the world - Skiing with my family in great snow! So I read articles and thought about what I wanted our at home learning to look like, but in truth I really feared going back home and being quarantined and stuck at my house! 

I'm a goal-oriented extrovert who thrives in busyness of juggling multiple schedules, almost to a fault. I have Attention Deficit Disorder, I am NOT a home body and I have struggled during times of no structure (such as summer) or even just anticipating summer when kids would be off. To the idea of being stuck at home with my children and husband for an "indefinite period of time", with no activities, practices, games, or even sports to watch on TV was actually terrifying. 

I knew it was imperative that I create a schedule for my sanity, and for the betterment of my children. I know home-schooling doesn't need to take as long as a school day, but without other activities or being able to see friends I knew my kids would want to spend whatever time they're allowed on video games. And 4PM-9PM is plenty of free time, so the schedule we adopted is close to a full school day, much to my children's' chagrin.

Thankfully, I've been energized by the challenge of teaching them during this time, and committed to making the best of our situation! In fact, I got so into researching all of the resources and have been having a hard time keeping them all straight, so I decided to start this blog... WELCOME! :-)

Chalk Writings at our Elementary School