As I have mentioned time and time again, my granddaughter does her remote schooling at our house. We don’t mind at all even though it does pose some changes to our daily routines at home. However, when your family needs your services, you step up to the cause. It was only fitting that we have her for remote school since we’re retired teachers, and she’s our only grandchild. That’s what family does.

We insist that our granddaughter do her schoolwork on our desktop computer which is located on my kitchen peninsula snuggled in the corner. She comes to our house early in the morning about 6:45 a.m. and goes right to the computer to get everything started. I fix her breakfast while she’s checking into school.

She works diligently until lunchtime. I can hear the teacher and the children in the class communicating with each other. My granddaughter can either speak remotely or type in her answers. Often that’s what she chooses to do. Every other day her classes are all in Spanish because since kindergarten she has been in the Spanish Immersion program. She’s now in fifth grade.

In fifth grade, you should be gathering with your friends socially, passing notes, enjoying the company of your peers, and having sleepovers. Since March of 2020, my granddaughter hasn’t stepped foot in school. She’s missed her friends even though she sees them remotely. And I’m noticing that school is getting less and less enthusiastic for her.

I feel for the teachers, as well. Their entire teaching styles have had to change and be altered. Creativity is out the window. Where once they read novels and made dioramas, now they read short excerpts online and respond to questions or write a few paragraphs. I see so much missing that would be included in the regular classroom.

They get the typical “recess” and lunch breaks. My husband takes Aeron for walks in the neighborhood so that she can get fresh air. We’ll go get Taco Bell or Chick Fil A as a treat for lunch. We give her time to play on the computer or dress her American Girl dolls. However…. I catch her gazing out the window between classes. I see a loneliness that shouldn’t be there at age eleven.

To jump start a day, I’ll have her make her own breakfast. Sometimes, we’ll bake after class. Just yesterday I came up with the idea that she could pretend to be a journalist and interview my husband and me about not only our lives but our parents and grandparents, as well. My thought was she could learn a lot about her families at the same time.

So, yesterday we started the journalist activity. She asked us several questions from a sheet I had made up for her. After the first couple of questions, she really got into it. For example, the first question was simply what was our full name and why were we given that name. Then it moved to our parents and grandparents. She burst out laughing when she learned that my mother’s middle name was Agnes. So, we were having fun and learning about the family, as well.

When we have gotten through these 99 questions, my next goal is to go through a chest of pictures and collections that belonged to my dad. It’s filled with old pictures from the early 1900’s. There are old newspapers, medals, and other pieces of my dad’s life that I want her to see. My plan is to have her know who her family was and understand how important family is to each of us. Just in our conversation yesterday, she made an acute observation about careers, college, and time. Maybe we’ll make a timeline! Oh, the possibilities!

My hopes are to build on our relationship, have her learn about our family history, and develop a cognitive understanding between life and history. She said to me, “You were alive during the Vietnam War?” I just laughed. We’ll talk about it. So, are you tuned into what’s going on with kids and school this year? What’s your take on the whole thing? Are you finding you have to supplement somehow? What activities are you doing? Until then…. have a whimsical Wednesday, be safe, and I love you.