My teachers are real. (week 7)
This was a big week because on Friday, May 1st our shelter-in-place was lifted in the state of Georgia. Outside of the days with the Tornado, some of the boys hadn't left the home in weeks!
The elementary school faculty and staff had a "Car parade" (it's been all the rage during the pandemic) and went through the entire bus route for the kids. Those who aren't in the zone went to the high school to wait and see the parade.
We got to see some friends and families that we've missed. We all kept our hugging and touching to a minimum but it was like a breath of fresh air. It took a while for the caravan to come through but when they did, I admit, I teared up. Seeing all the teachers and workers we know. They waved, honked their horns, decorated their cars, and seemed so excited to see all their students. You truly felt their love. It was a tender moment. When we got into the car to go home Marshall was so happy and said how nice it was to see his teachers in real life. He said it was so much better than seeing them on a glitchy computer screen, he almost forgot they were real. I realized then how hard it has been for these younger kiddos to do all their schooling online. Real life teachers make a difference. Someone who can hug them, give them a high five, smile at them and be right there. It really is important. I also thought, "I hope he remembers this when he's a teen and all they want to do is be on electronics instead of being with real life friends."
The boys have learned and grown a great deal. They can make their own meals. I always knew they had it in them, I just had to stop buying the easy stuff. They are the master at sandwiches. Liam makes a Nutella-PB sandwich or two, every day for work. Hyrum has this chicken, bacon, and ranch sandwich he tries to imitate from Subway. He always adds jalapenos. He's my one that doesn't mind making what he wants, most of the time. He'll take the time to cut cheese for a grilled cheese sandwich or make his own eggs, even an omelette. He'll bake chicken tenders or make mini homemade pizzas. While he's at it, he will go ahead and make it for his brothers too if they want. Tipton loves to make some kind Subway sandwich as well, with pepperoni, banana peppers and lots of other stuff. It's been fun to see them create and try new things, and see that instant/quick food isn't always the best.
A major accomplishment for Marshall--he can wind up an extension cord now. Considering some of the fits he's thrown over this, now he thinks it's easier than winding up the vacuum cord! On top of that, he's even adventured in the cookie to handle his sweet tooth. He's become the master of Brownie in a Mug.
How can I keep this independent, self sufficiency going? I'm loving it!
Bret and Marshall are done when it comes to school. They finally hit their breaking point, and therefore, so did I. Marshall when frustrated quickly shuts down. Learning and processing any simple learning just stops. He's very similar to Tipton at this age...times 10. I haven't always handled it well and feel bad that his fits make me angry. It's been a learning process that I wish I didn't have to learn. I've had to pray often to find the best ways to handle his anxiety and frustrations with school work. One of those things that came to me was TYPING. It had never dawned on me that typing was so hard for him and took him so long. It made his work seem even longer when doing Language Arts. One day, I finally agreed to just type it for him. He wrote the answers and I copied it. There has been a lot of compromising this week.
Bret just can't stayed focused. He is bored with doing the same things all the time. He wants to play. We took so many breaks between each lesson that digital learning may have been longer than actual school.
I feel Summer fever kicking in around here.
The elementary school faculty and staff had a "Car parade" (it's been all the rage during the pandemic) and went through the entire bus route for the kids. Those who aren't in the zone went to the high school to wait and see the parade.
We got to see some friends and families that we've missed. We all kept our hugging and touching to a minimum but it was like a breath of fresh air. It took a while for the caravan to come through but when they did, I admit, I teared up. Seeing all the teachers and workers we know. They waved, honked their horns, decorated their cars, and seemed so excited to see all their students. You truly felt their love. It was a tender moment. When we got into the car to go home Marshall was so happy and said how nice it was to see his teachers in real life. He said it was so much better than seeing them on a glitchy computer screen, he almost forgot they were real. I realized then how hard it has been for these younger kiddos to do all their schooling online. Real life teachers make a difference. Someone who can hug them, give them a high five, smile at them and be right there. It really is important. I also thought, "I hope he remembers this when he's a teen and all they want to do is be on electronics instead of being with real life friends."
The boys have learned and grown a great deal. They can make their own meals. I always knew they had it in them, I just had to stop buying the easy stuff. They are the master at sandwiches. Liam makes a Nutella-PB sandwich or two, every day for work. Hyrum has this chicken, bacon, and ranch sandwich he tries to imitate from Subway. He always adds jalapenos. He's my one that doesn't mind making what he wants, most of the time. He'll take the time to cut cheese for a grilled cheese sandwich or make his own eggs, even an omelette. He'll bake chicken tenders or make mini homemade pizzas. While he's at it, he will go ahead and make it for his brothers too if they want. Tipton loves to make some kind Subway sandwich as well, with pepperoni, banana peppers and lots of other stuff. It's been fun to see them create and try new things, and see that instant/quick food isn't always the best.
A major accomplishment for Marshall--he can wind up an extension cord now. Considering some of the fits he's thrown over this, now he thinks it's easier than winding up the vacuum cord! On top of that, he's even adventured in the cookie to handle his sweet tooth. He's become the master of Brownie in a Mug.
How can I keep this independent, self sufficiency going? I'm loving it!
Bret and Marshall are done when it comes to school. They finally hit their breaking point, and therefore, so did I. Marshall when frustrated quickly shuts down. Learning and processing any simple learning just stops. He's very similar to Tipton at this age...times 10. I haven't always handled it well and feel bad that his fits make me angry. It's been a learning process that I wish I didn't have to learn. I've had to pray often to find the best ways to handle his anxiety and frustrations with school work. One of those things that came to me was TYPING. It had never dawned on me that typing was so hard for him and took him so long. It made his work seem even longer when doing Language Arts. One day, I finally agreed to just type it for him. He wrote the answers and I copied it. There has been a lot of compromising this week.
Bret just can't stayed focused. He is bored with doing the same things all the time. He wants to play. We took so many breaks between each lesson that digital learning may have been longer than actual school.
I feel Summer fever kicking in around here.
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