Today is day three of “education chez McCafferty.” To homeschooling moms and dads, it’s just Wednesday.
I’ve waited a few days to write just because I wanted to see how things played out. Virtual learning will start tomorrow with Justin, and Zach has been faithfully spending about three hours a day doing his work remotely. I admit on Monday morning I was worried about how this would go, but when I inquired I got “the hand” and an exasperated “Mom, I got this” and moved on.
Having a teenager has taught me to walk away (and fast).
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I want to take this time to thank the teachers and administration at Veterans Memorial Middle School, who at least for my child have put together seamless instruction in about five minutes that has blissfully kept him occupied for hours. Speaking as a former veteran educator myself, I know this has not been easy. Like many of us, teachers now working remotely have children of their own at home who need access to computers and homeschooling. Many have small children who they need to keep alive while answering emails. Some may not have the strongest technological skills, and remote learning may be a challenge.
I’m certain many are validating something they already knew- that being a teacher is in no way a bonus when teaching your own progeny.
As I scroll Facebook for something to do I’ve seen numerous posts bemoaning the situation we’re all in. They range from hoping to expel their current students, to throwing schedules out the window, to my personal favorite, “now you know the teachers were right about your kid.”
So it is my great hope that something good will come out of this, namely that parents who are not educators will have a greater understanding of the complexities and sometimes arduous nature of this job. I’ve had two friends ask me “how did you do this for twelve years?” These are friends who are struggling just to get their kids out of their beds, not to mention monitoring them to see if they’re actually doing their work (yes, there IS a PE curriculum!).
I want to personally thank Mrs. Wnuk for her incredibly encouraging comments to all “her kids,” (I’ve shared them all with Zach and even got the hint of a smile, both sides of his mouth!). They mean a lot and I’m sure many teachers in the Brick Public Schools are doing the same. I know this because this town cares about its kids, its teachers work incredibly hard, and we are lucky to have them.
So to all my friends and parents out there thrown into something it takes years to perfect while trying to forage for food and keep your day jobs, hang in there. I am confident many bumpy roads will smooth out soon, and if not, there’s always Netflix. I wish you all the best, and thank you again to Veterans Memorial!
For more on my family visit my blog at autismmommytherapist.wordpress.com
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