We are beginning to see some new memes and anecdotal stories pop up on our social media feeds.
They are concerning the ups and downs of continuing education at home after children all across the nation are forced to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic.
One mom who is attempting to create a sense of normalcy in the home with schooling finds she is not nailing it like she had hoped after her son reveals a hilarious truth.
Educating at home during a quarantine is not exactly homeschooling.
Homeschooling is where a curriculum is decided on before the start of the year, and the kids go out to play-dates, library groups, and co-ops.
The education arena parents were thrust into after schools were abruptly shut down for the rest of the school year is something much different.
Moms have to learn the content their child is studying, and try to build on that at home.
There can be no field trips, no meeting up with friends to go over the material, and no one to tell you if it is all being done wrong.
Recently, 8-year-old Ben wrote the unfiltered view of his mom’s attempts at quarantine school in a journal entry, and social media can’t get enough of it.
Ben’s mom, Candice Hunter Kennedy, posted to Facebook her son’s candid reveal:
“It is not going good. My mom’s getting stressed out. My mom is really getting confused. We took a break so my mom could figure this stuff out. And I tell you it is not going good.”
Moms everywhere are relating to the hilarious response, causing the viral entry to reach over 300,000 shares!
The new division seems like rocket science, nobody remembers all the presidents in order, and there may be a few science facts you have to google in the bathroom while your child patiently waits at the table; and that’s okay.
Especially for mothers who work, had never homeschooled before, or have smaller children at home, trying to change the routine overnight is near impossible.
Be patient with yourself, allow some fun days where you slack off, and remember this is all new for your kids as well so no one is going to be perfectly in sync.
Ben and his mom Candice are definitely struggling with some of the same trials many families are facing, and it was said so well.
Parents reminds us:
“kids are resilient, learning happens everywhere, and you don’t have to be perfect. Our kids are going to be fine. Really, they will be.”
Learning happens all around us in many different ways. When the kids are splitting candy, counting their dolls, knocking over cups with a nerf gun, or playing make believe- they are learning!
Mommy Underground, as previously reported, has some great tips to make the homeschooling experience less painful, and maybe even a little fun.
Plus, a great home routine to add some order to a situation where much is out of your control.
If you are like Ben’s mom you are not alone. Rest assured it will get easier as each child falls into a groove, and your confidence as a home educator is strengthened with experience.