If you told me that I would voluntarily stay home with my three beautiful children, two dogs, and my loving husband for an indefinite amount of time, I would have laughed out loud. Being home is not easy for me. Limited social interaction leads me to visit public places and strike up conversations. I am not joking. But here we are being asked to practice social distancing. The local and federal government has implored us to stay home and limit our interactions with others. Ever the rule follower, we have obliged.

In all honesty, my family’s choice to stay home extends beyond rule-following. It comes down to social obligation. How can I, as a person dedicated to teaching students about global citizenship, not place the needs of others above my own?

In the mess of the last two weeks, we have experienced ear infections, cast removal, and the loss of our beloved, 11 yo bulldog. We have also relished in two birthdays, more family time than ever, cooking together, and hours of connecting with friends and family over video chat. To say that the last two weeks have been riddled with blessings and curses is close to an understatement.

Still, I am choosing to share with you (and my future self) seven lessons that I hope to keep with me when this is all said and done.

Family time doesn’t have to be big to be magical. It can be simple too. I think because I am a working Mom, I tend to place huge amounts of pressure on myself to make things extra special. Friday night movies often included BYO pizza and DIY snack mix. The movie was new and the snacks were on point. Those nights are wonderful and memorable. But so are evenings spent with a bubble machine in the driveway or a racetrack on the sidewalk or coloring Mommy-made coloring sheets. I need to remember that sometimes there is beauty in simplicity. That applies to several areas of my life and family time is one of them.
Hanging out with friends doesn’t have to require a babysitter. The amount of times friends and I have put off hanging out because of logistics is immense. We are all busy people with lives packed full of wonderful and beautiful things. But Covid 19 has helped us all learn that a video chat works for heart-to-hearts, games, and good laughs! When life doesn’t allow you to physically be together, I want to remember that technology allows you to do it virtually.
Grandparents might just like to watch kids play. Our family lives in Michigan. Which means we have about 10 hours keeping us from a quick trip to Grandma’s house. I used to look for reasons to video call James and my parents. But social distancing has shown me that grandparents might just like to watch short glimpses of their grandbabies employing their brilliant, chaos. I want to remember that living life is enough reason to connect. No one expects my house to be cleaned or my kids to perfectly behave. The people who love my kids might just be happy watching them in their everyday habitat.
Take time to learn when you find yourself with the opportunity. Not being at school with my students has been hard for me. I miss them terribly. I know that other teachers feel the same. But that is a reality that I cannot control. What I can control is embracing the extra time as an opportunity to learn. With my extra time, I have gotten to play with different technologies available to my teaching that I would not normally have the time to do. I have learned how to make a Kapp (kinda app) through google slides and virtual break out through play.toys. I have also played with breakout.edu, Craftspace, Boom Cards, etc. Why? Because I figure that this is my chance to grow professionally and I don’t want to miss it.
Sometimes you may have your kids on educational apps or doing at-home learning. Other days they may watch a few too many episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Both are ok. This is important to me. I am a driver. At first, I set up a schedule, learning, recess, crafts, cooking, etc. But last night, my 5-year-old cried because he was so tired. When we asked him why he talked about all he had been learning and begged for a day to just watch some shows. How did I miss that my sweet babies need downtime too? Today, that is what I am giving them and we are all better for it. I want to remember that learning and growing can look a million different ways and not all of them have to be formal.
I need to do less. Yeah. I know. People who love me have told me this forever. Sometimes I treat myself like a machine that can manage to push out a product no matter the strain. But this forced time to slow down, engage with my family has shown me that some things have to go. I do not want to miss kitchen dance parties because I have another email to write. I refused to miss any more Saturday morning cuddles because of another commitment. My family deserves more. I deserve more. So…I need to do less.
Doing less does not mean giving up dreams. The driver in me hates the truth in number 6. It feels like giving up. Still, the last thing that I want to take away from this crazy time is that doing less is not giving up dreams, but rather ensuring the stuff I am choosing to do works to bring those dreams closer. It is about prioritization. In a conversation with friends last night, we were all challenged to think about who we wanted to be at 68. Spouting off my dreams of being an engaged mentor at church, grandmother, and possibly an educational influencer, I realized something simple. Right now, I need to invest in where I want to be in the tomorrows to come. That investment means that sometimes I have to say no.

I hope you are taking a few moments to reflect on this time as well. I know that there is so much still unknown. I know there are still so many things to grieve (loss of freedom, loss of plans, loss of connection, loss of freedom). But I also know that some much-needed lessons are coming out of this adventure and I don’t want to miss that. Stay well, sweet friends. Wash your hands. Social distance, but stay connected!