This was not how the school year was supposed to end. The kids were supposed to finish school in their classrooms with their friends. Briggs was supposed to have his field trip and his spring program. Adelie was supposed to do the 'Children Around the World' presentation and enjoy field day. Staley was supposed to perform the 'We Love America Program' and participate in the 3rd and 4th grade track meet. There were supposed to be fun end of the year activities. The kids were supposed to hug their teachers, say good-bye to their friends, and anticipate summer with all it's activities and freedom. Instead the school year ended with a thud as the kids wrapped up 2 months of e-learning activities with an anti-climatic social distancing return to school to drop off their chromebooks and pick up their classroom supplies. A quick good-bye to their teachers and my kids are officially heading into Kindergarten, 2nd grade, and 4th grade.
Briggs worked hard with his e-learning activities. He's flourished with all the extra practice at home while his sisters did their school work. He now knows all his letters and numbers, and is working hard on his reading skills. I picked up his Kindergarten readiness packet at the school today and he is so excited to start on his summer "kindergarten work."
The highlight of Briggs's e-learning activities were his weekly Zoom meetings with his teacher and his class. He also loved when Ms. Stork would send videos of herself reading stories to the class or introducing a new letter of the day or doing a science experiment.
Briggs had Ms. Stork as his pre-school teacher these past 2 years. He has grown and learned so much, both socially and academically. My little guy is ready for Kindergarten! I wish he could have ended his pre-school career with a little more fanfare, but it was a wonderful journey nonetheless.
For my social little gal who is motivated by being surrounded by others, the e-learning journey was a little tougher for Adelie. She loved Flipgrid, a daily question that she could answer via video and, in turn, could watch the videos of her classmates. Watching her teacher do read aloud stories and writing in her writing journal were other daily favorites. Completing her worksheets was a little more of a struggle, and her excitement about her summer packet of work from the school does not match her brother's.
Ms. Malcom was such a great fit as Adelie's teacher this year. She was young and fun and sweet and energetic. Adelie loved her!
Just like school in general, Staley didn't struggle with e-learning. She required very little help and was responsible about getting all her work done. Her highlights of e-learning were when she'd get to play the math game, Prodigy, and when she would "chat" with her friends on Google hangouts after she had finished her work for the day.
Staley has liked all her teachers, but she told me that Mrs. Hitchins was the nicest teacher that she has had.
The walk home from the school today was bittersweet. I experienced that small taste of normalcy watching my girls in their backpacks make their way home from school for the last time this school year while knowing that what we've experienced this year is anything but normal.
This was not how the school year was supposed to end. It all feels incomplete. But no matter how it feels, school is over and summer is here. And just as we attempted to embrace the end of the school year the best we could, we will enter our summer with the same goal in mind.
