Virtually Back to School

First day back to school virtually so no backpacks needed today! 📚💻✏️🍎 

This is a big year for us as we now have a middle schooler and a kindergartener!! 😭 Can you believe it? Now I really feel old!

With corona cases still a little high in our area, our school district started everyone on online school for the first 2 1/2 weeks and would return to in person learning until after Labor Day. Even then everyone had the option of choosing if they wanted to go back to in person (Face 2 Face) in September or continue online for at least the entire first grading period. We chose to go back in September. When the numbers came out, 65% of our elementary school chose to remain online and only 35% will go back! I was shocked by the numbers, but it only means that the kids will have smaller classes and the district is really prepared for how to teach online in case we have to go back into quarantine.

So here we are!  Our first day virtual learning!

I'll admit I was a little hesitant to how at home learning would go, since last spring when we first got into quarantine didn't seem like much learning was going on, mostly watching Youtube videos.  Fortunately they (the school district) had the whole summer to prepare and this time around was soooo much better!  Actual learning!  It was interesting watching the boys learn at home and it was actually a fun way to know what was going on.

Here's how our at home school looked like:

Carson had his own private setup upstaris in our loft area.  Since he has 7 classes he needed to be separate from everyone.  He had zoom meetings with all of his teachers everyday and had homework that was due through an app called canvas.  Having to figure out the jr high school setting via online, was a little adjustment.  Mostly with turning in assignments.  I'll admit there were tears, as some of it was technical issues, but as Brad kept telling Carson over and over "the key to success at school is; #1 do your work #2 do it on time"  Overall he's adjusting super well.  He loves having his lunch break with dad (who is also still working from home). 

I really can't believe he's in middle school!

  

Kindergarten zoom is quite interesting, most of the time I was just trying to make sure Logan paid attention, to answer his teacher when she called on him, and to stop making silly faces.  He would have a zoom meeting 2-3 times a day.  One meeting was community circle with his whole class (which by the way he only has 9 kids in his class!!) and then he would have a smaller group with just 2 other kids to do reading and math.  In his smaller group it was him and 2 girls. Anytime one of the girls unmuted herself all you would hear in the background was a mom yelling at her other son.  It was legit fighting.  It was embarrassing seriously almost every single time for the whole 3 weeks.  I think the teacher got to the point where she was scared to even call on the girl to answer a question. Then the other girl in his small group, her mom was also a teacher and trying to teach her class at the same time as our zoom meetings so it was also distracting when she got off mute.  The poor teacher, but she is awesome!  I was so happy with the teacher that Logan got!  She was the one I was hoping he would get and I'm excited for him!  

To fill in the other subjects was watching pre-recorded videos of the kindergarten teachers reading books, practicing our writing, doing math, and social studies.

and Tanner.  What can I say.  He's such an organized kid and so on top of everything I never had to worry about him.  The night before he had everything all laid out in his little corner of the table.  He got 100's on everything and since his zoom meetings a lot of times were at the same time as Logans I didn't get to see much of what was going on.  It was so nice not having to worry him since we were busy with the other two, that at times I felt bad that I hoped he didn't think we were neglecting him.  We gave him lots of positive reinforcement!

Just so I remember, we had to do a drive by pick up there packets before school, similar to what we did in the fall to pick up there school supplies.  We put a piece of paper with the kids name and grade and then drove to the school opened our trunks and the teachers would place the kids needed school work, and in Carson's case his cello!!

Here he is getting sized for his cello.  He is taking after his Grandpa Clark!  This is what he's most excited about in Jr High.  Plus after speaking with his teacher she said there will only be 3 students returning back to school (Face 2 Face) so he'll basically be getting a private lesson! 

 

This wasn’t how I was excepting Carson and Logan's first experience at Jr High and Elementary to go, but the kids are adapting and its nice to have a routine again.  The teachers have been great and very well organized, but are still very much looking forward to going back to school! 

Houston Broadway 2019-2020

 Our second year as season ticket holders to the Houston Broadway, unfortunately (as per 2020) got cut unexpectedly short. Even with the shorter season, Brad and I still got some amazing date nights to see some of our new favorite plays. It was a great season. 

The plays that got canceled due to the Corona Virus were: Fiddler on the Roof, Charlie and the Chocolate (Tanner and I were planning on going to go to this one since Carson and Brad went to Aladdin last year), and the one we were going to take the whole family to see; Hamilton 😭. Fortunately Hamilton with the original cast came out on Disney + so we were able to watch that as a family, but it still doesn’t make up for seeing it live.

So here’s the 2020 season: 

Cats actually would have started off our season, but that was when Brad was out of town for a whole month and I wasn't too excited to see it anyway so we just sold our tickets. 

Dear Evan Hansen was Amazing! I put it up there with Hamilton, it was that good. Plus we were able to see this on our wedding anniversary! Made for a perfect night.

Hello Dolly. A play that just reminds me of something Grandma Mickelson would have loved. Your typical 50’s play, not my favorite, but it wasn’t the worst thing either.

A Band’s Visit was a relatively small and unknown play, but the music was beautiful especially at the end. 

And to wrap up the season, Come From Away a play based on 9/11 and the flights that got grounded in a small Canadian community. It was a touching heartfelt play. I was looking forward to this one as it had played the season before in Utah and a lot of my friends said it was really good. It didn’t disappoint! 

Who knows what our next season will look like. Broadway is still dark and although all our plays got pushed to next year, there’s still no guarantee that they’ll be back. 😢 One can only hope 🙏Please I miss my date nights!