Back to School Virtual Style

Although so many things were different, the first day of school came around like it does every year. This time, however, it is possible the girls were excited to get back to it because they would have some more structure to their days. None of us knew what virtual school would really be like, we just hoped it was going to be better than the last couple of months of the prior year. We had to do first day of school signs, but it seemed fitting to have those signs be on their computer screens because this is where they would spend most of their days.

We had to figure out the new routine as well as work spaces for everyone since the only person not at home full-time was John. Sarah had taken over the spare room as her office, and Callie chose the desk in her bedroom as her base of operations. John created a makeshift desk and workspace in the master bedroom for the days he wasn't on campus. This meant that Reese was going to have a more open concept classroom.

Once she had it set up, Reese grew to love her virtual classroom. She had her beanbag, a lot of area to roam, and quick access to food. She also enjoyed that throughout the day everyone else would drop in for a visit as they needed fuel for their own activities.

The girls had good attitudes and fortunately learned quickly to work independently and not interrupt their parents. We like to say that we cultivated their growing independence by parenting through neglect. It appears to have worked well.