Virtual Learning from ABC’s to 123’s

We all know that during this pandemic it has not been easy for many families, especially since most of America’s dining room tables have been turned into virtual learning hubs from Pre-K through 12th grade. This is not just a simple lesson plan. When I was tasked with the “opportunity” to share in the load of having my three-year-old grand-daughter to engage with her teacher and peers virtually, I just knew immediately this was not going to work. Her attention span was not there. She was either tired, wanted to drink her juice, or simply just did not want to do it. I was also mindful of my own telework obligations that needed to be handled, after all, I was still on the clock. Fast forwarding 6 months later, it still has its challenges, but when I allowed myself to get use to the adjustments and fall into a routine for 4 days a week, it seemed to get a little easier. This was totally out of my comfort zone and most definitely out of my lane. But I knew my daughter could not do it because her job required her to be at work at 7:30am. Moving forward, I have learned a lot of lessons in this for myself. Life is not going to be comfortable and there will be a lot of things that we do not want to do.

During this pandemic, I am sure that a lot of people can attest to the fact that they are all doing something “NEW”. I felt in a lot of ways that I was just being stretched in areas that was no longer a concern for me since I now have adult children. I have already been down that road of dealing with school activities and teachers.

When I look at my grand-daughter now, I see that she has learned so much. She has learned how to sit still for 30 minutes with a computer screen in front of her face and many other smiling faces glaring back at her. Her interaction and engagement have been surprisingly refreshing. The part that I love the most is that she is so excited to show her mom at the end of a busy day the things that she has accomplished during school; such as gluing a nose on a reindeer, or learning to cut on the dotted line, and last but not least, how to actually write her name and any adult can read exactly what it says. Now that is progress that makes it all worthwhile.