Learning At Home

Back in December, 12/31 to be exact, I blogged about getting my first round of the COVID vaccine.  My family and I had for the most part taken the necessary precautions during 2020 to get to that point luckily with no illness (we were lucky).  By spring 2021, 3 out of our 4 were fully vaccinated and just before summer our youngest was the last to be vaccinated once his age bracket was given the go ahead.  To be honest, and as someone responsible for others, I was relieved we were able to reach that stage during such wavering times.  Now, nearly a year and half after all this began (at least for us locally), and having all my family fortunate enough to access vaccinations, I woke up Friday before last minus my sense of smell and taste.  I had been battling what I thought was a seasonal sinus infection earlier in the week but when that Friday came I was pretty much like “damn, after all this I got COVID.”

Sure enough later that day the doctor confirmed what my “lack of senses” had suggested.  I went to an ER clinic so I did not know the doc but we actually had a great 5-minute exchange.  I tried to complain when he broke the news and he was quick to assess the situation – “You’re fortunate to be simply inconvenienced; I’ve had too many patients that were incapacitated.”  And that my friends and family effectively canceled all my pity parties…

So on the title of ‘Learning at Home.’  In any other non-pandemic related year the discussion would be considerably different I suspect.  And what have we learned?  Schedules are important even when they are loosely followed.  Not knowing when to wake up translates to not waking up when most of North America does.  The first day of school was a site worth watching.    

My kids were not ready for Day 1 – and they were actually a bit uneasy by my assessment (but I’m just DAD who may or may not have taken a class or more in psychology).  The evening before school started back my wife and I watched ‘Friday Night Lights’ which I will confess is a DVD we own.  For those seeking similar inspiration, check out this clip.  It was all about the mojo we all needed before going live.

We have made it through the first two days with some bumps but not too much bruising. I suspect that first encounter for students and staff was all kinds of awkward and then schoolhouse normalcy set in. My wife and I both noticed separately how much more verbal (chatty) our boys were now that school is back in session. My many thanks to their teachers!

I will end this entry with observations I made about our new puppy while being on COVID house arrest. I’m sure I let her down because I was home and I think she thought jackpot – time to play! She behaved herself for the most part up until around 4 pm each day. The problem was that proved to be my busiest time supporting districtwide transportation. Learning at home is hard – the levity my Hope (my dog) gave me during our time together was sorely needed. She was an impatient student everyday waiting for instruction – what more could you ask for?!