I really wish I could say that we’ve figured out this whole church/school/everything-at-home business now that it’s been over a month, but that would be a lie. The last week of distance learning was absolutely brutal. My 1st grader really struggles with reading and writing.

He isn’t necessarily delayed in school but his learning style is very different than his siblings so I am trying to figure out what motivates him. I tried nagging and threatening (which I know isn’t effective, I’m just acknowledging my flesh here). Lots of tears and power struggles ensued.

On Tuesday my 3rd grader was having trouble following directions when I realized she was ahead in some areas but behind in others. The rest of the week we worked to catch up, but never managed to finish the week’s worth of assignments.

I felt so helpless and behind. I emailed the teacher and left comments on a survey to the school. The teacher was extremely generous in her response and told me that we were both doing a great job. Then I read this post that my librarian friend posted on Facebook

Then I also saw this in an email from the school district.

“A good friend and mentor of mine stated that these times feel like trying to patch a swimming pool with duct tape. I’m sure we are all feeling like that at times. I want all of you to know that you are doing amazing! We need to continue to come together as parents, and as a school community.  There will be times that things will not get done at home or times where we have to revise the way we are doing things as educators. Just this past week I received an email from my 4th grade son’s teacher. She said (very nicely and caringly) that he had not turned in one Science assignment since remote learning started. We simply overlooked it on Schoology. And that is okay. We know now and we will begin the process of working on the assignments. Camden started to get upset and I simply wouldn’t allow it. I share with the intent of easing your mind throughout this remote virtual learning process. I am in education and we missed it. We will be flexible and we are here to help.”

 

You can imagine how much her candid confession made me feel. I knew at that moment, I am not behind and I am not alone.

Between the Coronavirus pandemic, the schools being shut down, helping get the church services and ministries exclusively virtual, and then the storms and power outage, *deep breath* I have been completely tapped out! Oh yeah, and you know the stimulus checks that are easing the pain for some families right now? Well, we had a little hiccup with the IRS in 2018 (no fault of ours) and we were audited. We still do not have tax returns from the past two years. The process has been lengthy and grueling and because that isn’t sorted out yet, although it supposedly should be by now, no stimulus check for the Busch family. Also, in our defense, we pay a professional to do our taxes for us.

Cry me a river right? We are actually doing fine! We are grateful that all of our needs are met. Glory to God. Hallelujah! My husband still has a job. We eat really well because I have been blessed in the grocery stores and crushing it in the kitchen (humble brag). We are all healthy- not even a little sniffle, cough, or tummy ache. 100% clean bill of health for all six of us. On the other hand, if my vulnerability and openness about our struggles help you feel a little less behind or alone then I will pull the curtain back my friend!

This photo is from when we tried to participate in the “Bear Hunt Challenge” where you put a stuffed bear in your window so that during this time of quarantine families can go for walks and spot bears in windows. We don’t really have much of a window sill though. So we tried to tie the bear up to the curtain rods and it ended up looking more morbid than sweet. So yeah, that sums up social distancing for me right now.

On that note, I have identified the need for a little break so that I can do some spiritual maintenance. I can’t go on vacation and I can’t quit doing homeschool or helping the church completely. I did delegate some of my responsibilities though and I am signing off of social media for the week. Just a week, but I think if I  am really intentional it will be a time of refreshing. Prayers appreciated.