Homeschooling by Accident, and Other Quarantine Stories

You better come here right now!
No electronics, if you don't come now!
I don't need to be doing this, I graduated high school already!

These and many similar phrases could be heard at any given time in my house. Like many, I am over the quarantine, and especially over homeschooling my 10th grader.

But wait, Traci, I thought you were a homeschool mom.

Well, yes... and no.

Five years ago, when we traveled the country in a travel trailer, we began our first journey with homeschooling. It didn't go so well. My daughter loved it but my son, not so much. So, after 18 months on the road, we found our new home in Galveston and enrolled both kids back in school. And about 18 months after that, we unenrolled our daughter. You know... like you do.

So to meet the needs of our two different differential thinking children, we had two different school plans. Both which have been upset by COVID and Stay Home/Stay Safe.

This is a sponsored post by Top Agency.
All opinions are mine. It is my Universe, after all.

I work from home, both as a part-time employee, and running my own media commitments. Homeschooling one was already a juggling act - now having two and one in high school?!?

I was not ready for that. But none of us were.

Top Agency surveyed 400 parents like me to see how all of this was affecting us.

Now the expected negatives were there. We're worried we might be failing at our job as we introduce homeschooling into our work life. And then on a flip side, we're worried about failing our kids because we're still trying to work or that we are not prepared to meet the need. Did I mention we are dealing with Algebra?

And yes, math is high on the anxiety list. My favorite part, however, is the PEMDAS. I literally had that conversation just a few days ago.

Whew... that's a lot. Breathe in. Breathe out. It's not all that bad. "Quaranteaching" has its upsides, even with a sophomore.

My son is almost a man. I will have fewer and fewer moments like this as he grows. We have been studying German together. I am reading The Giver - great book, btw. He's been sharing his likes and dislikes about everything from YouTube to the government's handling of the pandemic. These are moments that normal life may never have provided me.

And while I have learned that I cannot teach both at the same time, I have watched them spend more time together and heard the mix of their laughs in an unexpected aria.

It's not easy, but it is doable. And remember, it isn't forever. It just feels like it.

How are you holding up with your home/work/school balance?