Resuming Face-to-Face School

After 3 weeks of virtual learning to kick off the new school year, the kids were really excited when their campuses opened back up to allow face-to-face learning. I was traveling for work and sad to miss the first "official" back to school day, but Jeff made sure to snap the kids' front porch photos to commemorate the occasion.

The biggest challenge for the kids was probably the fact that they were both at new campuses and didn't know their way around at all. There's only so much that virtual orientations and printed maps can help! They both seemed to manage well, although Connor says to this day that he still loses his way around the high school campus on any given day.

A surprise treat greeted the kids after school one day, courtesy of Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Cheryl. A huge box of snacks, candy, and other goodies was exactly the fun treat the kids needed after their first full week of in-person school. 

Probably the only downside to returning back to school in person is the fact that the kids are required to wear their face masks all day, which definitely can be tough when communicating and connecting with teachers and school friends. The one-way hallways and strict social distancing rules add interesting challenges for starting the new school year, but most of the kids are willing to do whatever it takes to follow the rules in the hope of returning to normal one day. In the meantime, the face mask is becoming quite the fashion accessory on school campuses, and Kaitlynn was more than happy to add a certain zebra-themed face mask to the rest of her similarly themed classroom supplies. The long-established zebra phase lives on!

After a few weeks of face-to-face school, Connor now admits that he much prefers the virtual format of school. He does well with self-pacing and managing his assignments in his comfort zone at home, and he loves the flexibility of working on his own schedule. But he plans to stick to the in-person format because it offers him the ability to actively participate in the athletics program. 

Kaitlynn, on the other hand, has been a completely different student since returning to face-to-face school. In the virtual format, she really struggled to understand lessons and communicate effectively with her teachers. Once she was able to resume school on campus, she had a complete transformation in her confidence as well as on her report card. It has been such a blessing to see her thrive and experience great success now that she's back at school. 

While the new way of working in school continues to feel quite abnormal and strange at times, we are hopeful that the measures we're all taking will get us back to normal sooner rather than later!

Me Lately

I'm usually the sucker behind the camera and not in front of it, and therefore I'm not often writing blog stories about myself. I figured I'd make an exception since I've been quite busy lately and adjusting to many changes along with the rest of the world. 

After years of ongoing dental work and lingering issues with my teeth, I finally bit the bullet this fall and began a year-long process to straighten my teeth with Invisalign. Multiple dentists both here and in Dubai had recommended this treatment option for me in order to prevent future problems from my poor alignment. After getting 2 new crowns (again) in August, I figured the time had come to pursue the longer term solution. I started Invisalign in August and have to wear the trays for 22 hours every day. Each weekly tray is slightly adjusting my teeth little by little. The goal is to have perfect alignment in a year or so, which will hopefully help me avoid major dental work at the rapid rate I've been experiencing the past few years. It's nice that the aligners aren't that obvious to others - especially when wearing masks outside of the home all the time now - but I'm definitely struggling with the new lisp when I talk as well as the constant effort to keep my teeth clean when I eat.

Another big change I've experienced lately is a new project I've started at work. With very little notice, I began traveling out of state to support some urgent project requirements on a new assignment, and I'm now on a schedule that requires traveling most weeks of the month. It was a rough start for me to jump into something totally new with little background, but I'm finally starting to find my place and add value with my project team. My experience with travel amidst the ongoing pandemic has been interesting to say the least. The mask-wearing is quite the beating, but I have been surprised to find the airports and planes quite full these days.

Mask-wearing, social distancing, and temperature-checking are all the new norms in the workplace these days. It continues to be quite the adjustment to work amidst the restrictions imposed from the pandemic. Whether it's making sure to wear a mask even for a quick trip to the hotel lobby or projecting your voice loud enough to make sure others can hear you underneath the mask, it seems you can't escape the constant changes we're subjected to. I have been so thankful to have new project friends to help navigate our "new normal" way of working.

My assignment isn't expected to last longer than 6 months, but it has been tough to adjust to my new schedule. Jeff has stepped up tremendously in the stay-at-home-dad role, managing the chaotic school schedule and shuttling the kids to and from their many daily and nightly activities in my absence. I have been surprised by how hard it is to be away from Jeff and the kids while I'm working, but it's definitely helping me appreciate my time with them so much more when I return home each week.

Fun at the Lake

The kids were beyond excited to be invited to a birthday party for our neighbor, Cash, who turned 11 towards the end of August. With the tough year we've all had in 2020, our neighbors Todd and Kelly wanted to host an extra special birthday party for Cash. They invited all of Cash's friends and neighbors to a private gathering at nearby Lake West on the campus of the Faith West Christian School. We were all so excited to celebrate Cash's birthday, and the lake setting presented the kids with nonstop fun and adventure with swimming, water inflatables, and even a huge zipline. It was so nice to see the kids relax and unwind together after months of feeling so much anxiety and stress from all of the change in our everyday lives. No doubt Cash's birthday was a blessing for all of us!

First Day of 6th and 9th Grade

Unlike years past, the first day of school in Fall 2020 rolled around with a whimper instead of a bang. The fact that Connor was starting HIGH SCHOOL and Kaitlynn was starting JUNIOR HIGH seemed to fall off the radar, because our focus was solely on the new way of managing school amidst the ongoing pandemic. We were entering unprecedented times, and we weren't sure what to expect.

For the first 3 weeks of the school year, the kids would be attending school virtually. This meant that laptops and home classroom setups took precedence over backpacks and notebook paper. We were all feeling unsure about how the schools and teachers would approach the new way of learning, but Connor and Kaitlynn were ready for the challenge. 

The official first day of school photos reflected a true sign of the times: no more front porch photos, but instead a quick snapshot at their desks in their rooms as they prepared to sign on to the multitude of Zoom classroom calls held daily. 

OK, I take that back. Kaitlynn was happy to honor our traditional front porch photo, and she even dressed up for the occasion. A true junior high tween, sniff sniff! 

Despite the uncertainty of how the virtual learning format would work, the perks of going to school at home were noticed fairly quickly into the new school year. The kids really enjoyed the ability to relax a little more while attending class, and being able to use a full service kitchen for their school lunches was also a bonus. Both kids have early lunch periods this year, and Connor enjoyed delaying his lunch a little bit so that he could attend one of his classes from the kitchen while he ate. But probably the biggest perk of all was using Mom and Dad as their personal assistants and tutors during the school day. Connor made a fast habit of texting me to bring his printouts upstairs to him, and Kaitlynn appreciated the custom assignments we designed for her to get some extra practice in Math and English. 

As uncertain as the new school year may have begun, we quickly settled into our daily routine of virtual learning. There were some unsubmitted assignments, missed classes, and many tears of frustration, but the kids both worked so hard to adjust to their new way of learning. As they began to feel more comfortable with the virtual platform, Jeff and I were beyond proud of how they were managing their new classes, teachers, and technology. We were each counting down the days when school could resume face-to-face along with perhaps some sense of normalcy that had been left behind since March.