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Category Archives: School

Back to School in the Time of Corona

7 / 20 / 207 / 20 / 20

Katie

So I officially registered my kids for our district’s virtual learning program for this school year.

Virginia

Congrats on making a decision! I think one hard part for me was just pulling the trigger.

Katie

Yes! I agonized about it, too! But once I actually made the decision, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders.

Virginia

I’m happy you have peace about it. How’d you decide?

Katie

Lots of factors. I have the flexibility to make home instruction work, so I’d like to minimize my family’s exposure to COVID where possible. We also feel the necessary safety restrictions at school will take away our favorite social aspects of school. And with virtual learning, our kids will still be connected with great teachers.

Virginia

It’s good that you were able to hone in on your priorities. 

We decided to send our kids back to school. H will be in our church preschool and my son, C, will be in public school. It took me a while to get there, though. We all want to make the “right” decision.

Katie

I think there are many benefits to being in the school building, too! I don’t think there is a right or wrong decision about school this year. So many uncertainties and no easy solutions.

Virginia

Yeah, you and I are in the same circumstance in that we are fortunate to have the ability to stay home. But, my daughter (preschooler) needs the attention that she missed when I was hustling to homeschool back in the spring.

Katie

I can totally understand that!

Virginia

And on the flipside, since my schedule will involve driving her to and from her school that may conflict with a potential virtual school schedule for her older brother.

Katie

Each family’s circumstances are different, so it makes sense we sometimes make different choices. Once I made the decision to keep our kids home and stopped worrying about what other people might choose (or how they may feel about my decision), I’ve felt more free to get excited about this coming school year and focus on making the most of it.

Virginia

So I’m starting to imagine some very cute Pinterest-y work stations at your house….:)

Katie

Hahaha … or some humorous Pinterest fail moments to remember at least.?

Virginia

Lol! Please post pics. 

It’s impressive to me that you’re taking your child’s preferences into the equation. It can be easy to dismiss those. I remember you mentioning your two middles don’t want to go back to school.

Katie

Yes – and my oldest only wants to go back once he can play football with 30 of his classmates every day during lunch recess.??

Virginia

Well, I hope he doesn’t have to wait much longer for that.  

What I find funny is we’re both former teachers and I don’t want to homeschool and you do.

Katie

Yes! And that’s totally okay. You know, I never planned to homeschool. I’ve always been a public school advocate and active volunteer at my kids’ schools. So, I had to take a moment to grieve that “loss” as I made the decision to keep our kids home this year.

Virginia

And it’s okay to acknowledge that. God doesn’t expect us to instantly don a smile and prance around a flowery field when we learn that life isn’t meeting our expectations. We’re allowed our feelings.

Katie

Prance around a flowery field.???

Virginia

Remember when Lazarus was really sick and Mary and Martha sent for Jesus? He took his time to return and Lazarus died. Jesus didn’t pop in and say, “Why are you ladies so upset? I’m going to bring him back to life!” He wept with them because his friends were in pain.

Katie

Jesus knows our pain and grieves with us.

Virginia

Yes, and He also shows us another strategy to get through tough times. In Genesis 1, we see him creating, then stopping. Then some more creating, and then stopping. It’s not like He needed a chance to take a nap. He is showing us how to move forward, whether the road is rocky or smooth.

Katie

That is so true! God could have created everything in one instant, but instead He showed us how to take it slow and value the process. 

I’m praying God will give me the strength and patience and wisdom to make the most of this challenging year. And just to be faithful with what He wants me to do one day at a time.

Virginia

Perfectionism will try to get us to question ourselves and our choices if we don’t hit the ground running and have everything smooth sailing by day 2 of this school year….

Katie

Here’s to letting go of perfect and just pouring our hearts into whatever God lays in our paths this year!

Soaking in the Truth

Scripture to encourage you:

  • “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23, NIV)
  • “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5, NIV)
  • “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.” (Isaiah 26:3, NIV).
  • “He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:4, NIV)
  • “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” (Genesis 1:3-5, NIV)
  • “When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother (Lazarus) would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. ‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept.” (John 11:32-35, NIV)

Music to inspire you:

  • “He Knows” by Jeremy Camp
  • “Praise You in the Storm” by Casting Crowns
  • “There Was Jesus” by Zach Williams and Dolly Parton 

Readings and Resources to come alongside of you:

  • “3 Keys to Stress-Free Homeschooling” by Jon Acuff 
  • Peace in Uncertain Times (7-day devotional readings) by Sarah Young (email address required)
  • You Can Live in Peace: God’s Answer to Anxiety by Ray Pritchard
  • What Will School Look Like? 4 Ways to Pray by Family Life
  • For our Educator Readers… Flexible resilience: My manifesto for the coming school year from Angela Watson’s “The Cornerstone for Teachers” 

Related Posts on Texting The Truth:

  • Maternal Mental Health: A Conversation with Jenny Bowden
  • Bearing Much Fruit in Quarantine
  • Where do we go from here? What is saving you right now?  

Living Out the Truth 

Ideas to try:

  • Focus on the priorities of your family and move forward without guilt. Remember to take your own personality and desire into consideration as well. We’re not all cut out to be teachers and that’s okay too. Don’t try to keep up with anyone else. 
  • Please also remember that we may doubt our decisions from time to time and this is normal. Make sure you talk out loud to your trusted friends and family about these thoughts. Bottling the emotions up will not be helpful. 
  • Pray: Ask God for wisdom. Be honest with Him; He already knows what you’re feeling.
  • Ask Him to multiply your talents to give your children the best year possible. If He can feed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fishes, He can surely help you in any situation.
  • Whether learning at home or school, stay engaged with what your kids are learning. The partnership between home and school really makes kids feel important, and teachers love to know you are involved and willing to help. 
  • If your children are going to school, consider giving them a binder clip to attach their mask on their shirt during lunchtime so it does not sit on the desk or fall on the floor. 
  • If you send goodies to school, make sure they are pre packaged.  Also, include the front office, bus driver, custodians, and administration. 
  • If schooling at home this year, here are some trusted sources and ideas from the Spring: Generic “Just for Fun” Educational Ideas.

Treasured Products we love: 

  • For school at home, it might be helpful to have younger kids get a handwriting book.
  • Especially if they are riding a bus to school, students may benefit from K-N95 masks.
  • Students might like to have hand sanitizer they can attach to their backpacks. 
  • In place of using school water fountains, stock up on personal water bottles that close over the mouthpiece, like this one. 
  • You can spoil teachers even if they are virtual. The Teacher Care Crate is an easy monthly subscription for elementary age students who have one primary teacher. 

{These suggestions are ideas from novice moms. Sometimes our life situations need more.  In that case, seeking out professional help is the right call.}

Before you leave us for the day, please take a moment to complete our reader survey. We are planning for our new writing cycles and want to put forth the best content possible. Thanks for giving us some feedback here: https://bit.ly/textingthetruth2020

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Encouraging Our Kids in Quarantine

5 / 25 / 205 / 25 / 20

My family and I witnessed an amazing sight on our front porch recently. A mama duck had been sitting for 30 days in our planter on her eggs. We checked on her multiple times a day, watching her and her eggs.  And then a couple of weeks ago the eggs finally hatched! We saw the cute ducklings climbing around the planter and chirping. It was the sweetest image and my girls (okay, and me!) loved it.

Then early the next morning the mama duck must have decided it was time to bring her ducklings to the water behind our house. We stood at the front door window watching the duck commotion. 

First, the mama jumped down from the nest and started quacking at the ducklings. The ducklings would stand on the edge of the planter and chirp back. We decided it was duck language for, “Mama, I cannot jump that far; we’re up too high!”

She would fly back into the planter and quack some more and then jump down again and repeat the process. I almost teared up as I watched the mama duck encourage the ducklings to be brave. You could tell the ducklings were scared and she kept quacking to encourage them to jump. Sure enough, after a little more convincing from the mama duck, seven of the ducklings jumped down from the planter. They landed on their backs and rolled over to find their feet and then to find their mama.

It got me thinking about my own role in mothering my girls. The past few months as the crisis-learning teacher, sibling negotiator, snack distributor, and everything else in between hasn’t been easy. But as I stood there watching the ducks, the fog lightly lifted enough to be reminded of one of my most important roles as a mom: encouraging my kids. 

I know that sounds obvious. Yes, of course, we’re moms; we are supposed to encourage them, right? But I’ve found when I’m stressed or frustrated or just plain tired, encouraging the sweet souls in my house isn’t always my first reaction.

I was talking about this with Anna and Laura on our blog team recently.  Laura said something that struck me. She said she envisioned herself putting on a cheerleader hat each day of crisis-learning. She felt her job was to help her kids feel they could tackle the obstacles in front of them.

I’ll be honest that I haven’t always had pep in my step like a cheerleader as we’ve been tackling school assignments the last couple of months. After I’ve asked one of my daughters to focus for the 15th time, my voice doesn’t sound much like Mary Poppins. Or when my other daughter throws herself on the floor saying she can’t do the project, empathizing and encouraging her isn’t my first response. 

But here is what I keep thinking about: what if instead of being my girls’ taskmaster or micromanager, I am first their encourager? What if instead of harping on them to stay on task, I empathetically say things like, “That looks hard; I know you can do it.” Or “Keep going; you’re almost there.” Or “How can I help you finish this task today?”

I don’t think being a cheerleader looks like becoming a peppy Pollyanna to our kids. Some moments it might feel fun and light. And in those easier times, when both mom and kids are in the groove, we sigh a huge sigh of relief and thank the Lord above. 

But most days at my house getting through the school days has felt long and challenging. Being an encourager to my girls in the trying moments has taken intentional effort to ask God to help me respond gently, kindly, and creatively. And it has taken lots of grace to begin again when I’ve raised my voice or lost my cool or plain just wanted to give up. On many days I’ve gone to bed defeated and prayed for fresh energy and wisdom to begin again the next day. 

This whole crisis-learning season has taught me a lot about myself and motherhood. I’ve learned the importance of pausing to brainstorm a creative solution before barking out an order. (Which I admit was how I tackled the first week or so of trying to convince my girls to do their work.?) Instead of saying, “Get your behind on that chair right now!” I started to say, “Go skip down the hall two times and then come sit down and finish listening to your morning message.” I’ve also realized my girls need more emotional connection from me to stay productive. I began scheduling some cuddle breaks (or wrestling matches ☺️) in between our tasks to fill up their love tanks. We didn’t do it every day but when I remembered to do this, the day seemed to be more enjoyable for everyone. 

About a week into our crisis-learning gig, I realized we were definitely over our heads. It occurred to me that it would be wise to begin the day with prayer as a family. I was finding all of us had big emotions that we didn’t always handle super well ?‍♀️ and starting the day by asking God to give us gentleness and kindness for the day ahead was important. (I’ll preface this to say we’ve never quite figured out how to start our day in more than a quick prayer before running out the door to school so this was new for us.) It has been a good opportunity for our girls to tangibly see what it looks like to ask God to help us in our times of need. My husband and I have been looking for more ways for our family to feel on the same team and this little practice has helped set the tone. There were days we got right into learning and didn’t take the time to pray together and I admit, I could feel the difference on those days.

I’ve learned sometimes being a cheerleader for my girls has meant giving them space instead of hovering. Or letting them take a breather when they’re frustrated. Or finding something positive to say when I want to point out the negative. Or taking our work outside when we need a change of scenery. (Although that sometimes derails the learning all together, but ?‍♀️…)

This season of crisis-learning has grown me as a mom maybe more than any other season. (Although the newborn stage was right up there!) I have felt about every emotion one could feel and sometimes many at the same time. I think that’s why I teared up when I watched the mama duck quack at her ducklings. It was on a day when I needed some encouragement as a mom and teacher and the mama duck reminded me of my God-given role. 

She knew the ducklings’ obstacle looked huge to them. She quacked some encouragement and when they still wouldn’t jump, she reminded them with her presence that she was right there. And she stepped into her role as a provider and protector as she waddled toward the waterworks, the ducklings following to begin their next adventure. I pointed out to my girls that the mama was making sure the ducklings stayed close to her because one of her jobs was to protect them, and my youngest daughter said, “just like your job is to protect us.” ? I guess we all were connecting with this mama duck experience more than I realized. 

As our crisis-schooling winds down and summer amps up, I am realizing I will still have lots of opportunities to apply all of these lessons I’ve just learned. Instead of my girls finishing their math assignment, the task in front of us may be putting away laundry or cleaning the playroom or reading each day. 

I pray as mamas we ask God to help us take advantage of these moments to encourage our kids instead of nag or micromanage. And on the days, like yesterday for me, when we forget to put our cheerleader hat on, may we rest in the grace God gives us and remember “His mercies are new every morning.” There’s always more grace to begin again. 

~Michelle

P.S. Because we’re big on not sugar-coating things around here, I have to tell you the whole story about this duck experience. The mama duck ended up leaving six of her ducklings in the nest. ?‍♀️ She tried to get them to jump and they never did and so she left with the seven that followed her. My girls then tried to feed the remaining ducklings some grass and when my girls got close the ducklings got spooked and jumped out of their nest! ?‍♀️ We then spent the next hour trying to collect the ducklings around my front yard and keep them together for the mama duck to return, but to our knowledge, she never came back. And when we came back to check on our ducklings they were gone. ? So my sweet little mama duck analogy only goes so far ?, but we’ll hold onto the learning experience and hey, I’ll take comfort in the fact that at least I’m handling motherhood a little better than the mama duck?! ?‍♀️

 

 

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We don’t claim to have motherhood figured out. Actually quite the opposite. We’re a group of women who first and foremost love the Lord and want to honor Him with our lives and talents. And we decided that what better way for us to sort out this beautiful and messy thing called motherhood but to process it together in text messages? Our prayer is that as we share our real-life stories and honest experiences, every mom who visits our blog will receive tangible truth and experience real grace.

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