This was every parent as we set out to take on the role of homeschooling or rather "Pandemic Schooling". How hard could it be. Thats what I thought. Well - if I thought being a mother of three, working full day, and running a home was overwhelming this was on another level!!!
We've all seen the Zoom jokes "Can you hear me". "Mary are you with us? Turn on your camera" "Can everybody please mute until its your turn" But before this part happened there was the panic running around trying to locate the zoom settings making sure you were in the correct class with the right teacher oh and that it was the right child you were signing in. Once I got this part right I thought my job was done - now I can get on with my work. Nope! not today, in fact not while the kids are online. The next part was all about making sure they were managing. I have two kids in a remedial school, the younger two, my oldest child attends a regular school and we had just moved him to a new school.
Needless to say there were lots of challenges, my youngest kept making excuses. "Are we done yet Teacher?" "My hand is too tired I can't write anymore" (after being logged in for literally 5mins) The oldest one kept creating small windows of the teacher while he played online games in the background - and my daughter, the only girl, my middle child, thank goodness she is a diligent child and just got on with it. As for my boys, I ended up setting up a desk situation where I was in the middle with one either side so I could help the little one (online school was very hard for him) and make sure the big one was staying present in the lesson. This happened EVERYDAY! I don't think I was a very nice person during that time, my poor husband would see my face as he walked in each night from work and offer to make me a cup of tea before assisting with dinner. Im very lucky to have a husband that shares equal responsibilities with me.
I made friends with all my kids teachers, I thought I could help them in this rather strange times we were going through, offer to support them. I like to think that I did a little but the kindness, calm and advice given to me over those months by these same exhausted overworked teachers was something else. Special people indeed.
So after doing this for months which actually felt more like a lifetime I was beyond thrilled when they reopened schools and the kids could go back. Wow what a new found appreciation for teachers I had. I mean don't get me wrong, Ive always marvelled at the sheer patience of teachers to have 20 plus kids in a class and manage to remain calm and teach them all, but now they featured on another level.
At the start of 2021, still in a pandemic but kids would return to school after a short bit of online learning I felt I needed to do something for these superhero's we call teachers. I decided to make a simple "Back to school Teacher Survival kit" of essentials. Whats essential you ask? Give me energy with COFFEE, Keep me sane with CHOCOLATE and very importantly stay healthy with SANITISER. They were simple but very much appreciated. Please feel free to download the cute "Survival Pack Note". I wish you all a successful school year. Until next time.