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!