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.