We are 2 months into virtual learning and wanted to give you guys an update on how it’s been going. In my life update in August, I shared that my daughters would be attending cyber school through PA Cyber. This was a choice my husband and I made over the summer because we were unsure of how things would pan out with schools. Most of the public schools in our area are doing virtual learning. The school the girls attended is private and chose to stay open. I was not comfortable sending the girls 5 days a week and having them wear masks 8 hours a day, so I chose to keep them home. My daughters definitely miss their friends and their school, which has really been the only downside. We plan on sending them back to their school come next year.
Our Schedule
Because of the flexibility of PA Cyber, I wanted to make sure my girls had more structure to ensure all of their work is completed. They wake up at 7:30am, eat, and do their chores. By 9am they are signed into their laptops and begin their school day. On Mondays & Tuesdays, my youngest has class for 3 hours a day. On Thursdays, my eldest daughter has class for 3 hours. The live classes are no longer mandatory because their grades are good, but they attend anyway because I like the structure and reinforcement of the materials they are learning. I also like that they get that live interaction from their teachers.
When my daughters do not have live classes, they are usually done with school work by 12pm. They eat lunch and complete any homework or tests they have. After they are done for the day, they have to do 20 minutes of reading and then have free time to do as they please. So far the schedule has been working and they know exactly what the expectation is.
Learning Space
When we first started school, we set up their laptops and everything in our dining room. This got old very quickly as I was tired of having books, pencils and laptops all over my dining room table. I wanted to set up a separate space for them to have their work organized and out of the way. We set up a corner of my youngest daughters’ room up as the school room and the space has been nice to have their school stuff out of their way and privacy for when they have live classes. We bought some cheap desks from Walmart (they were only $59!) and they have worked out perfectly. They were easy to build and have held up to the task. If your Walmart doesn’t have those desks, these ones from Amazon look pretty similar, although a bit more expensive.
Virtual Learning Supplies
Not knowing much about Pa Cyber, I wasn’t sure when they said “we provide everything the kids need” , what that entailed. During the back to school sales, I bought some notebooks and other things I felt they might need for school. It turned out it was not necessary. Right before school started, we began getting shipment after shipment from Fed Ex filled with books, notebooks, pencils, art supplies…you name it, they supplied it. It’s been amazing. We received headphones, laptops, printers, ink, books, workbooks, dictionaries, flashcards, a globe and things to complete science experiments. The amount of stuff they have provided is insane, but I am grateful for all of it. The girls have been loving the hands on supplies to aid with their learning.
With all of that being said, not everything is sunshine and roses. I still work full-time outside of the home, so my husband does a lot of the work with my girls. Although I am super grateful, I wish I could be available more often to help them with their school work. My husband doesn’t mind and has fun helping them with their projects. Everything is a balance, but I do experience mom guilt that I can’t help them as much. We’re a team and I am glad I can count on him.
So that wraps up how virtual schooling is going for us. I know a lot of people are really struggling with this and I empathize completely, it is NOT easy. Every household is different – this is just what has been working for us. If you guys are virtual, let me know in the comments how it’s going for you!
