Homeschooling During a Global Pandemic ...

While much of the nation embarks on a school-from-home journey, some of us have been homeschooling for years. But this stay-at-home order affects us, too.

You see, even though the curriculum and our course of study remains the same, our lives also have been uprooted. For us, specifically, my girls often figure skated twice a day. They were in 4-H. They have volunteer experiences. One girl is an altar server at Mass. Things are so very different.

My husband also is home now. And that changes the dynamics as well. I have been working from home as a writer and photographer since my oldest was a baby. One of the great blessings has been that they have become used to entertaining themselves while I was interviewing people – whether it was through play, schoolwork, or chores. Now that Daddy is home, it is easy for them to run to him while I’m working, and we have to recognize that now Daddy is working, too – even though he is home.

Though homeschooling is definitely a sacrifice – and it is stressful (I’m thankful that my degree is in education and my husband is a college professor and that I have the liberal arts covered and he can handle math and science), I am thankful that we can keep our children’s lives as normal as possible.

For those who are embarking on e-learning – I have family and friends who are teaching this way and having to adapt just like you and your children are.  Just know that, as I’ve read others say, this is not what homeschooling is like. We have support groups and social activities and friends who do group learning and other parents who walk the walk beside us. They help us and guide us, too!

For example … after years of using the same history curriculum, a friend suggested that I try a different one. I was a teacher. I was pretty committed to using a brick-and-mortar school curriculum that was offered to homeschoolers. But I was intrigued. I looked at the curriculum, tried out a lesson or two, and immediately called our advisor. This was what I’d always felt homeschooling should be like.  So, after the advisor evaluated the program, she gave us the go-ahead to use it.

We now study history as a family with The Good and The Beautiful. We all learn the same basic core – our entire family. My youngest does worksheets that accompany the core study that I teach to them. There are group activities and craft projects that we do together. My oldest does the junior high worksheets that might have an activity or a more in-depth study of the topic we studied. There are even games we play as a family! We would play them when my husband came home so we could all be engaged.

This week, we were studying the constitution. The girls were really enjoying it, so we did a couple of lessons – and we spent more time on science and religion the next day. That flexibility is what works for us – and, during times like these – when our family is working together – having one subject that we do together is a blessing.

So, we will all muddle through this – and we will all support each other. Rest assured, even experienced homeschoolers are having to do things differently. We are not used to being so alone. Call your friends, encourage your children to make the best of this, stay connected, and stay home.

Wishing you joy and peace on this journey – whether you are now doing school at home or navigating homeschool under different circumstances.  Be well, stay healthy, and stay safe.

~T

Morning coffee, leftover silly sentences, and the beginning of the U.S. Constitution unit.

Making parchment paper with a little tea and some coffee.

Discussing the branches of government

Articles overview

Wrapped parchment.

Groundhog Day: the return to the tower

One brisk January morning I scaled the ladder-like steps of the Woodstock Opera House bell tower.

Oh, I didn’t do it alone. I was going to photograph Mr. Rick LeFevour in the tower where he once stood nearly three decades ago. And, he brought his son, who, ever-so-kindly, acted as my spotter.

Both Rick and his son, Rick, are stuntmen. Rick owns Midwest Stunts and his son, Rick Jr., works alongside him. I was thankful that Rick had brought his son along … because I’d met him before and interviewed him and he was nice, but mostly because 1.) He took my camera up the perilous climb to ensure its safety. 2.) He stood behind me – counting steps and being ready for anything, as a good stuntman would. 3.) He was a stuntman. So, when I arrived at the top of my ascent, and realized just how high I actually was, he made certain that I didn’t die.

But I digress. Rick was the body double for Bill Murray during the filming of Groundhog Day.  

On the day I took him up to the bell tower, Rick said he hadn’t been up since the fall. He said climbing the glorified ladder steps (my words here … he’s a stuntman, so these were just regular, old steps for him) brought back a flood of memories.

Many of those recollections were of the time spent with cast and crew, playing baseball games with locals, and enjoying time both at work and at leisure. But he also reminisced about the way in which the now iconic jump came to be. He recalled walking around the Square with the late director, Harold Ramis, looking for, “ways to kill Bill,” referring to Bill Murray’s character Phil Connors.

Rick told me that Ramis liked him – and was a little worried about him taking a fall from 70 feet, but the stuntman was confident that he would be able to do it.

He also said that it is a lot higher when you are actually up there – which I’m inclined to agree with. It was terrifying – I mean breathtaking – to see the city from atop the tower.

But as he stood with his arm out just as he had in the same location just under three decades ago, he recalled the freefall – something he said was a little different because most jumps involve explosions and flailing arms. The freefall was different.

He explained the type of bag he used and the way he was required to hold his head up so he could remain in freefall for as long as possible. I was trying to picture it as I listened to him describe it, but …

I guess I must be honest here. I had only seen the movie once. It was a long time ago -- likely just after my parents snapped an image of my brother and I with Bill Murray when he was filming the movie. So, it had been awhile. Though I write about and photograph the Groundhog Days festivities on the Square every year, I had never watched it as an adult, and, for some reason, I had never really forced the issue.

Last year, Stephen Tobolowsky spoke at the Woodstock Opera House, and I had the opportunity to interview him. What I found was that he was unexpectedly and incredibly inspirational – and he gave me the push I needed to re-watch the film. However, it took me until after I went with both Ricks up to the bell tower to actually do so. And I’m glad I did.

First off, it was super fun to watch (and re-watch) the bell tower scene and know what I now know. But it was also a powerful lesson in humanity.

Besides seeing all of our local haunts, I found that the movie was about a man who perhaps needed a wake-up call (figuratively and literally, of course), and discovered that, despite what he allowed himself to believe about his personality, he ultimately was a person who cared about people, who learned from every experience that he lived and relived (some surmise for perhaps 30 years), and further determined to live that day to the best of his ability – caring about each and every person he encountered. I watched as his compassion grew and his courage swelled. Though, perhaps initially, his efforts were spurred by his desire to get the girl, he genuinely ends up liking this new, kinder version of himself – and, as a result, inspires an entire town along the way. 

What a difference a day – or a life – can make.

It’s beautiful if you really think about. So, do the things that make life beautiful. Be the person who inspires. Live your life so that others’ lives are better. Mostly, dare to dream – like Bill, er, Rick, who does the unthinkable and defies gravity every day behind the scenes, so that others shine. So shine. Be the light – and always believe in yourself. And don't forget to bring others with you.

You can read more about Rick and our journey up the bell tower here.

Looking over a city, reminiscing.

Why not try this one more time?

It was a piece of cake.

Sooooo high!

Rick and his son -- er, my spotter -- Rick Jr. ^^ Thank you! I wouldn't have made it without you!

Beginning Anew

I haven’t written in a while … things have been hectic.

We had illness. We had more illness. We had surgery. We had more surgeries with friends. We had dental incidents. I felt that my job was being in the midst of the chaos more than writing.

Of course there was work, but I made family a priority. My babies needed me. Friends needed care. Our Christmas and New Year was different this year, but it was good.

Since we were homebound so much, we took the opportunity to do much-needed work in our home.  We decluttered. We donated. We baked cookies. We baked bread. We had sleepovers in our family room under the Christmas tree. We enjoyed the light in our own home. We put people first.

Because there were still a few difficult things to overcome early in 2020, I decided that I wouldn’t really think about a fresh start until after my birthday. So, when we had one of those beautiful snows that threw down a blanket of perfect grace, and our little one – who was newly recovered from surgery – wanted to walk into the snow…. I let her.

And as I watched her walk on the freshly fallen snow, leaving tiny footprints behind that beautiful, clean path ahead … I saw dreams and I felt grace.

Looking forward to connecting again soon,

~Just Writing Through