Teaching Tuesday / Quarantined Schooling

Well, a lot of you are at least two weeks into this and now they say public schools are closed the rest of the year! And no joke this picture is a lot of kids and parents response! An understandably so! Our world as we know it seems to be spiraling out of control.

I just wanted to try to shed some positive light on these circumstances that truly seem overwhelming by sharing a few practical ideas that might help you bring some peace and order to the craziness of life as we know it in regards to this Covid 19 pandemic.

First off, I wanted to let you know that regular homeschool moms know that what you are being forced to do is NOT real homeschooling. So don't believe the lies of the enemy trying to belittle you through sometimes well-meaning but foolish comments that people make.

One of the beauties of home schooling is the ability to work at your child's own pace. But after talking to so many of you, some of the amounts of work that is being required of these children would fry our brains and our child's even under normal circumstances. So, cut yourself some slack! You are not stupid regardless of what others may imply. You may be ignorant , but that has nothing to do with your IQ level. Ignorant simply means I don't know! I myself am a fairly intelligent person, but I am soooo ignorant in how to program a computer, how to do Calculus, or even this new "Common Core" math in grammar school. Not stupid just ignorant - I just don't know.

Secondly, there's just one of you. DELEGATE, DELEGATE, DELEGATE! What I mean is pass jobs to others that others can do - husbands, teens, older siblings, grandparents in the home. I know we are social distancing or I'd take it even further than that. You could let your grammar school kids call a grandparent or elderly person in the nursing home and read to them. That would free up 15 or 20 minutes of your time, plus be teaching your child to be a blessing to others. If you don't know an elderly person, ask your local church whom do they suggest might be interested. You may be the instigator of am much needed ministry for our elderly during this time.

Just some practical tips that might keep things running better, smoother, or more peaceful during the panic in the pandemic:

1) Stay on a routine as much as possible. Keep bedtimes and getting up times as normal as possible. (Footnote: This doesn't mean if your child normally gets up at 6:00 a.m. to get on the bus on time, so that they can take the long ride to school that you should still make them get up at 6:00.) Be flexible, but structured is the point that I'm trying to make. Dress, do your morning chores, and daily preparation things as normal as possible. Continual vaca mode makes us lazy and sluggish.

2) Take frequent breaks. If you are a 'work til it's done' kind of person like me, this can be very difficult. But you will have a much more stress free day. Little brains need breaks to recharge - big brains do too for that matter.

3) EXERCISE! I realize some of you don't have the luxury of a huge yard for the kids to run and play in, but you need to at least make an effort to get the kids moving each day. Sitting at home, unable to go anywhere, missing their friends and teachers is depressing, and a lot of your children are probably grieving! They have suffered some loses! It will so benefit the entire mental stability of your family if you add an exercise regiment to your daily to do activities. Even shut up inside there at lots of creative ways to do this - You Tube exercise videos and dance contests are a great place to start. And if you are blessed to be in the country, GET OUTSIDE! Take family walks, ride your bikes, or go fishing. Yes, you have to do the school work, but lets maintain healthy mental attitude while we do this and exercising everyday is a great place to start.

4) Take off your SuperMom Cape! This goes back to delegating, and SELF CARE. Which honestly most of us moms aren't good at under normal circumstances, and there is absolutely nothing normal about any of this! Remember you DO NOT have to do everything perfect. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are fine for lunch while you are teahing. You and the kids can get in the kitchen and do a more elaborate meal for supper after the schooling is done. And moms, especially my fellow INTROVERT moms, you have got to have some chill-out, quite time. Now, I can't tell each of you how to make that happen (because there are so many varying circumstances in each of your lives), but I have a friend who can . . . His name is Holy Spirit. He will guide you in all truth (John 16:13) and the truth is that you are going to need to make this aspect of your Self-Care a mandatory habit!!! Just ask Him and He will give you the wisdom that you need (James 1:5). He's so adept at making a way where there is no way! I'm sure you've heard . . . He's a WAYMAKER!

5) And last, but certainly not least, BEGIN YOUR SCHOOL DAY WITH PRAYER!!! Take the first 10 -15 minutes and cover everything you and the children will be doing that day in an humble, desperate, "We need You, Lord!" prayer. You may be thinking but you don't understand; I don't have time. As a seasoned homeschool mom of 20+ years, you don't have time NOT to. Stop the devil from stealing any of your time, peace, and joy before he ever tries to step foot in you schooling arena!

I love you all and I'm praying for you! Contact me on my blog site ( im-perfectparenting.com ) if you need to talk or have any questions. And REMEMBER . . . this too shall pass!

#Coronavirus #Covid19 #QuarantineSchooling #ForcedHomschooling