The first days of school. Yes. Days. There was more than one first day. It's 2020 after all.
It actually ended up being a rather quiet, sunshiney week after all because neither of those tracks held true. But there was so much uncertainty that schools had no choice but to close. It's been a crazy hurricane season this year. I lost count, but I think we've missed seven days of school for hurricanes. Yes. Seven. Since August 17. But because the district implemented the virtual learning platform over the summer to accommodate 2020, it wasn't necessarily like missing all seven days. So Mason's first day was August 17, but it felt like he had another first day on August 31 since he missed the week in between. It was like starting all over again.
We are homeschooling with Liberty University Online Academy this year. It's quite a change, but the girls have managed it beautifully. Virtual schooling in the spring definitely made this transition easier, I think.
I can't even believe she is in 7th grade! But here we are. This girl manages all of her schoolwork on her own. She's very independent and organized with her time. She likes to get up, get it done and get ahead.
She gets it honest. I think (well, I'm pretty sure) she was disappointed that she's not at school with Mason this year so that hurt my heart a bit. But she also has dance classes three nights each week this year so the new school schedule really is working out well.
And this one! Again, I didn't plan on this, but I am so grateful for the opportunity to homeschool her again, just the two of us. Liberty provides the curriculum and does all of the grading, but I actually teach her and help her manage her assignments. She is to the point now where she can manage her assignments on her own. She is constantly checking her grades and her messages. She is always looking ahead on her calendar so she'll know what she has coming up. I really do enjoy this time with her, and she is the model student. She's quite studious and takes her school work very seriously (most of the time). Some of her work is online, but a lot of it is also written, hands-on and/or project based. She really is enjoying it this year.
We've finally settled in to our new school routine and a new way of doing things, and I think everyone is in a really good place right now. Everyone is thriving in the places of their learning and education. We knew this year would be different and would mark a turning point for us, but it ended up being different from the original different we thought it was going to be! Looking back on where we were in July, it has gone even better than I imagined it would.
We knew long before this school year began that it would be a different one for us, and it would have nothing to do with 2020. In November 2018 the Lord closed a door for us. Not long after that door closed, He began stirring in my heart, and I knew change was coming yet again. I knew He was moving us out of homeschooling, but I wasn't sure when or how. I thought perhaps 2019, but that wasn't it. It would be 2020. So even before the the calendar flipped to January 2020, we knew August 2020 would look a lot different for our family. And then, of course, the reality of 2020 was that it was even MORE different that what we'd anticipated or thought. So we were already prepared for quite a change.
There is A LOT more to this story, but I'm not going to share it here. I might in a separate post, as I really want to remember all the details. I want to remember what God did and how He did it. And maybe our testimony will encourage another family. It's quite a story. But, for now, first days.
Mason returned to a public magnet school for the 2020 school year. Yes. I know. What a year to return, right?! His first day was originally scheduled for August 6, but it was moved to August 10. And then three days before the first day, it was postponed until August 17. So Mason walked back into the classroom for the first time since March 13. The first time, really, since May 2015. And, even though it was a big change and really could've been scary, he walked in with his head held high and hasn't looked back!
Mason began the year on a hybrid schedule. He went for face-to-face instruction on Mondays and Tuesdays and completed virtual assignments from home the rest of the week. At that point, we were just so grateful to be back in school! It wasn't bad being the new kid. Everyone was wearing masks, classes were limited to about ten students and social distancing was in full force so groups couldn't really gather together. When I picked him up the first day, I asked him how it was. He said, "I didn't think it would be bad, but it was actually better than I thought it would be." He very quickly and easily settled in to his new classes, teachers and routine.
I just can't say enough about the teachers, staff and administration at Mason's school. At every single school, really. To do what they've done this year has not been easy. I've been so impressed how they've handled this situation. I have no doubt they've done the absolute best they could with the situation they were given. And it's just been so well done. I'm not sure that we'll ever get used to the masks and daily temperature checks before even getting out of the truck. But I understand. And I'm grateful.
But. Not so fast. No sooner had we started school than we had an entire week off. Mason missed all of the week of August 24 because of this.
Last week (October 12) was Mason's first full week of face-to-face learning. High school students were finally allowed to transition back to a "normal" school schedule. We didn't know at the beginning of the school year if this would ever be an option for 2020 so Mason was really excited when the announcement came that they were transitioning back to campus full-time. He was completely wiped out by the end of the week, and this week is more of the same, but he'll get used to it. Again, we're just so grateful to be back (masks and all!).
This is part of the story the Lord wrote for us that I won't yet share, but the girls are homeschooled this year. This wasn't originally our plan, as we hoped all three children would go to the same school together. And I (very honestly) did not plan on homeschooling this year. But, again, we knew the 2020 plan would be different; we just didn't know HOW different. The girls' first day of school was August 24 (yes, the week of the hurricanes).
And I am grateful.
God is good.