I have seen a lot of people summing up 2020 in the last few days. And it definitely was a year unlike any other! 2020 brought some struggles, and lots of changes in plans, but it also brought some great moments.
Our year started off great. Jonathan finished his Eagle at the end of 2019, and his project got installed over the holidays.
Jonathan built shelves for the choir and orchestra room and a science closet. It ended up being a lot more work than anticipated, but he persevered and got it done!
In February, Abigail was chosen as the Noble Knight for her class. Only one Noble Knight is chosen each semester, so it's a big deal to be picked. Her teacher said she is always a good helper and kind to others. We got to attend a special breakfast in honor of her win.
March started with Robotics craziness and the first meet of the year for Emily. Her team did really well at their first meet; they finished prelims in the top 8.
We all left school for spring break knowing that there was a virus spreading through Asia and Europe. We didn't realize, however, that we wouldn't be going back to school. On Thursday during break, Emily was supposed to be leaving for her second robotics tournament of the year. That morning, the virus was declared a pandemic, and Emily's tournament was canceled. By the end of the week, church was canceled, we knew we had an extra week of spring break, and it was recommended that people stay home as much as possible.
After our extra week off, school started again online, which was bizarre for all of us. Emily and Jonathan enjoyed the freedom of asynchronous learning, but Abby and Ben were not fans of computer-based education. We muddled through the rest of the spring semester, and we were all really happy when school finished for the year. Being home did mean that everyone was more relaxed. It was nice in a way to have a break from the usual hustle of activities and driving all over.
Summer continued the same routine of being at home and together all the time. Emily and Jonathan both did online summer school classes, so they were busy studying and completing assignments for most of the day every day. We did a massive garage clean out. And we did our usual summer activities like Christmas in July, P Day, and lots of other crafts and baking.
As summer started to wane, we were all anxiously waiting to hear what the plan would be for school in the fall. Cases of the virus continued to climb. The district finally decided to keep everyone online for the first three weeks, then families were given the option to do virtual learning or return in person after Labor Day. Teachers went back to school as usual. So I started teaching my 150 students online, then transitioned to about 40 in person with the rest still online. Emily is taking an auto tech class, so she goes in person in the mornings, then comes home to finish her classes online in the afternoon. Jonathan does everything online. We decided that the online through the district just wasn't going to work for Abby and Ben, so we transferred them to the charter school that Emily and Jonathan attended when we lived in Ohio.
I will admit that school has been rough this year. As a teacher, I feel like it is 8 times as much work to prepare classes for two platforms. It's hard to connect with online students, and a lot of those kids are really struggling with keeping up with everything. For our older two kids, the learning is very uneven. Some teachers have really gone above and beyond; others very rarely have lessons and expect the kids to teach themselves. Abby and Ben had a rough transition, mostly due to our overestimating their abilities to figure things out. They now are going to my parents' house every day to get their work done, and are doing much better.
Negatives for 2020--lots of things were canceled. Emily missed out on Robotics last year, and she's not really getting to participate this year. She and I were planning to look at colleges, but that all got canceled. Jonathan hasn't really been able to be involved in school clubs or activities as he started high school this year. Abby and Ben really miss their friends.
But there are also so many positives--we have had so much fun together as a family. We've watched movies, played games, baked, cooked, and just enjoyed life together. I keep thinking about the fact that Emily is leaving in another year and a half; this time has been such a blessing. We have definitely grown closer as a family.
So although 2020 wasn't the most exciting year ever, I won't be writing it off completely. We have made many happy memories. And now we look forward to whatever 2021 brings our way!
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