Let me start by saying I have no idea if we are making the right choice by choosing virtual school for our kids this year. And I’ll add to that, with emphasis, I’m really scared we’re making the “wrong decision.” Why in quotes? Because I honestly, deeply feel there is no right decision on how to school your kids this year. I’m here, first of all, to tell you that no matter what you chose – face-to-face schooling, virtual school, homeschool, or some combination of these options – you are making the choice that is best for your family and you are doing a good job.
2020 has been brutal, y’all. As a Christian, I know there’s a reason for it all, even if God doesn’t reveal it to us, or it doesn’t make sense, or feels unfair – He is working and He is present and He is in control. But I can still say, without guilt, that 2020 has been brutal. We had a baby in the middle of this pandemic (you can read about that and some other musings on the pandemic here), and the fear of that now feels like a distant memory. So I’m trying to remind myself that we got through that part, we’ll get through this one, too.
Delivering our pandemic baby, Adeline, in April 2020
Do I worry that our kids missing out on school socializing will affect their social skills and their happiness? Yep. Do I worry that my husband and I won’t be great “learning coaches” while taking care of our two younger babies and maintaining our jobs? Absolutely. Do I think there’s a chance we’re overreacting and it would be totally fine to send our kids to school for in-person learning this year? Sure. But given our family circumstances – the fact that one of us is home nearly every day of the week despite both of us having careers, and the fact that we live in Florida, a COVID-19 hotspot – the risk felt too great. So we made the difficult decision to keep our kids home.
Below, our older kiddos’ first day of school last year.
I’m not a teacher. Homeschooling wasn’t the right choice and I knew that. But virtual school, through an online academy, felt like a structured “in-between,” where our kids would still depend on us for guidance and to keep them on track, but they would have actual teachers available to them five days a week. Because I’ll say it again, I’m not a teacher. I’m educated. I’m a doctor. But teaching an elementary student about fractions – like really teaching it and not just helping them solve a problem – is not in my skill set. Thank God for teachers. Seriously.
I also have no idea when or how our kids will re-enter in-person learning someday. When will it feel safe? Will it ever? These are unprecedented times for all of us, and trying to raise small humans into big, functional, healthy, stable, fruitful adults is hard enough without all that this world is throwing at us in 2020. So I’m trying to give myself grace, do what my husband and I feel the best about for our family, and take it one day at a time. I’m writing this post to encourage you to do the same.
I’m also writing this post to share a few great deals (not sponsored or affiliated) that I’ve come across to help us set up for virtual school, and I’ll be back later to share our virtual school set-up (once it’s actually set up).
Virtual School Purchases
#1 Desks: Our kids have always done homework at the dining room table, but we learned quickly at the end of last school year that they cannot focus in our dining room, together, and in the company of a toddler and an infant, for very long. We decided to give them each a brand new work space to keep their school items together and separate them from the business of our main living spaces. I didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on desks and found these reasonably priced Parson’s desks at Walmart for $59 each.
#2 Chairs: Nope, we didn’t have an abundance of extra chairs laying around, and who knew desk chairs were so expensive?! I can think of a million better things to spend $80-100 on. Walmart came through again, and I found these chairs that were pretty basic at $25 each but not offensive by any means for a child’s learning area.
#3 Computers: Virtual school for three kids means computers for three kids. We actually do have three computers (one desktop for the kids, my iMac and my husband’s laptop), but my husband and I both knew that sharing our computers wouldn’t work, because he uses his for work and I would freak out if a kid damaged my iMac (just being honest). So we needed at least two new computers to make this work. And two new computers were not in our budget. I know there are some assistance programs out there for families who need help providing the necessary equipment for their kids to learn at home (check with your school district if you are interested), but we found these HP Stream Laptops at Target for only $179 and they are computers with a Windows operation system, rather than a Chromebook (which we considered) with slightly fewer capabilities.
#4 Headphones with mics: This was requested by our online academy, so I found these at Target, and they come in different colors so each kid knows which one belongs to them.
Honestly, I have no idea what else we will need, but our virtual schooling should be starting this week (enrollment is taking much longer than usual due to the increased volume which they are enrolling kids for virtual school). I will be sharing updates on our “virtual school journey” at a later date, including what our kids’ school set-up ends up looking like, so make sure you check back in. Class dismissed!
