Online School Starts Next Week and I'm Filled With Dread

Online school starts in 4 days and while I am excited for my kids to finally have real structure around their day and start using their brains for more than building Minecraft houses, I am also filled with a sense of dread. 

Last spring was hellish. My son and I fought over schoolwork every day and by the end of the year, I was beaten down and emotionally exhausted. His constant refusal to do what I asked frustrated me to the point of near insanity. 

Just minutes before my descent into madness, my husband suggested a new strategy; stop trying to control when and how my son did each assignment and instead put the responsibility on him to get everything done by the end of the day. 

It was not a perfect solution, but at least it put a stop to the never-ending battles and I could finally unclench. The one bright spot of Spring was the promise that least come fall, they would be back to school, or so I thought.  

But, I do have hope.

I am encouraged by the online structure which requires them to be "at school", aka "their computers" from 8:00am to 2:30pm. Back in March I was disappointed that my son got daily assignments but there was no check in with the teacher and rest of the class. There was little to make him feel like he was still part of a cohort of other students. Just once a week, he met with the teacher and a small group of kids for 15 minutes on google meet. That was not nearly enough time to create a sense accountability. 

I am not thrilled that my kids will be staring at a computer screen for 6 1/2 hours a day but school administrators insist that kids will take plenty of breaks. They have 15 minute breaks built into the day and they will also have time to eat lunch and get some exercise. I dunno. I guess we'll see how it all works out. 

I am grateful that the district provides computers for each student and happy that both my son's have their own rooms now. With private space they should be less distracted during school time - in theory, anyway. 

We are systematically waking the kids up earlier each morning so it won't come as such a shock when they have to get up at 7:00am on Monday. I have fully conceded that it will be a struggle anyway but at least I know I did what I could to make the transition smoother. 

I have hope for this year even though, let's face it, it's going to be really bizarre. I prefer it to the health risk of starting school 100% in person. I need to remember that we are in pandemic and lives are at stake. When I put my worries in that context they seem less significant. I don't know what this new venture will hold, but I am ready to find out. Online learning? Bring it ON!