Hey you. Yeah, you. Sitting in front of your computer or smartphone scrolling through the news and “news” that is all over every type of media right now. Just in case you weren’t already aware, America is having a tough time with this Covid-19 thing. Everyone has an opinion about it but no one really has solid answers about what we should do next. The thing is, it’s a novel virus. Novel meaning new and so the doctors and scientists we normally turn to who often have answers are playing catch up. They are doing their best but they don’t have it all figured out just yet. Which means that as the new school year rolls around, it’s up to us as parents to figure out what to do.

Feeling stressed yet?

The thing is, every parent is going to make a different choice and every parent is going to have concerns about whether or not they are making the right choice, the best choice. The only thing we know for certain is that none of the choices are good. All of us are likely to keep losing sleep and keep second guessing because all of us are trying to do the very best we can by our children.

So what can we do? Might I suggest that we try to give a little grace to those who made different choices? Hopefully we can expect some from others. Karma is funny that way. Do unto others and all that.

Best of luck to all of you parents out there making tough choices. Making sacrifices. Making do with what you can and doing the very best for your kids.

Traditional

Traditional. I have a 5 yr old that wants to go and make friends. I’ll make sure she’s as safe and healthy as possible to do so. – Jennifer L.

We chose traditional school for both of our kids because we feel they will learn more and be happier in school. I am a stay-at-home mom and can teach them at home but for their overall well-being I think school is the best place for them. Additionally, our youngest really needs the therapies he receives at school. – Heather P.

My kids are starting traditional school on August 17th. I am a SAHM mom who could support virtual learning, but my husband and I think that school is the best place for them. Because grandparents live far away, we are not in contact with anyone at risk. Thankfully, they go to a small school where lots of precautions are in place for them to learn in a safe environment. – Abigail D.

We are sending our PreK 4 daughter and kindergarten son. I also have a 2 year old and 2 month old (who is awful at sleeping) and have found having 4 at home full time has been difficult. My son needs the structure of school as his behavior is becoming a problem as his boredom at home increases. My daughter does not have the attention span for virtual school. We feel comfortable with the decision as there are only 16 children in the class and the school has put in place lots of things to help keep the children as safe as possible. – Amie L.

We are picking in person option because we feel our child needs to interact with other kids and adults for social and emotional development. Quality of education is also very important to us. – Sasha P.

Virtual

We are able to support them through virtual school because there is always a parent at home. Since we were able to protect them, we made that choice. I had mononucleosis as a teenager and had long lasting health effects and occasional relapses. I would not want my child to have a similar experience.– Deta A.

Virtual, for stability and routine without fear of disruption, and because we could afford a nanny, but also because we love JVE and want to stay in the public system. We’re hoping to be back in traditional in the spring. – Katherine M.

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Ours is staying home and doing virtual. I have a little flexibility with work so I can go in early and come home early to help them with school with. My son’s grades have already improved the last few months of the 2019/2020 year with me being there to go over assignments with him, instead of him playing around at school not actually doing the school work. I don’t want to risk their health or our family’s health too. So many reasons. I wanted to home school before this anyways this just gives us the chance to actually do it. – Aimee M.

Both my adult daughters are nurses exposed to Covid. I have an adopted 9 year old. Combined, we have 5 school age boys. We opted for virtual, teaching them together, with the adults taking turns being the “teacher.” We felt this was the safest approach for everyone.– Kimberly Z.

We both are working from home so we elected for virtual for now. I have a middle schooler with autism and ADHD and educating him reminds me daily why teachers are highly educated professionals that deserve more respect than they get. We will do the best we can for the health or our family and those around us. I simply cannot ask our teachers and staff to put their lives and families on the line if we have doable ways to accomplish what needs to be done. Our kids will do the best they can with the support our schools are giving us. We appreciate every single person trying to wrestle with these questions about educating such a diverse population of students at a time like this. – Jennifer K.

Homeschool

We originally chose traditional because my kids learn best this way. However, when we found out we’d have a virtual start for safety reasons, We chose to homeschool. We will be in the middle of moving and I didn’t want the added stress of completing certain assignments, making sure they logged in everyday without internet set up yet and meeting deadlines for schoolwork, in the middle of unpacking. My kids are still young and need the teaching and not just computer work. So we will wait a couple weeks after moving, giving us time to get settled and start our year out fresh With lots of hands on learning fun curriculums. Even with all the chaos that’s going on, I will make this school year a good one for them! – Christina LM

Read this next…

A Pep Talk for Parents
Want to understand Covid-19? Listen to Dr. Lamb
Entertaining and Educating Kids at Home

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