The Simple Life at Home: Thank Goodness THAT is Over!!

11:29 PM | Posted by Lori ~ The Simple Life at Home | | Edit Post

Well, we survived our week of virtual school. Just barely.

(In case you are behind the times, the government of Qatar closed ALL schools in the country last week due to H1N1.)

The first day or two was crazy. Teachers and students were both trying to figure it out - how to communicate solely through websites and email, how much work is too much, how to make it work when you have more kids than computers. It was nuts. But as the week went on, everybody learned and adapted. Now, with regards to my kids specifically, Emily definitely handled it better than Daniel. She got her work done every day and even managed to have the most active week ever socially. She was out every night except Sunday!

But then there's Daniel. He struggled with understanding exactly what was expected of him. So did I, truth be told. One of my main complaints is that each teacher did things a different way. You had to look everywhere to make sure you weren't missing things. I've just sat down and made a list of all he's got to do by the time school resumes on Sunday (yes, Sunday - don't forget in Arab countries school goes Sunday-Thursday) and it's quite a bit. He'll be a busy boy tomorrow!

But in talking with a friend of mine about how the week went the other day, she pointed out that, while the kids may not have gotten as much done academically as they would have normally, they learned other valuable skills. They learned to be more self-reliant. They learned to be bold enough to speak up when you don't understand and seek out the teacher's help. They learned to help each other out (without cheating and giving each other the answers!!). They learned flexibility and self-discipline.

It wasn't a week I'd want to repeat again and I still don't feel it was necessary. I think the government completely over-reacted, as if swine flu would disappear within a week. But it's good to know that in the event of an actual emergency, their education would be continued with minimal disruption.

3 comments:

Nancy M. said...: I'm glad y'all survived! I hope they don't close them again like that!; October 3, 2009 at 1:52 AM
Leeann said...: I may just be fooling myself, but I think there is so much over reaction going on with the swine flu! It has not been a bigger deal than any other strain of flu and in many cases, has been more mild. Apparently some people don't even realize they have it at all or assume they just have a cold.

I don't know... it just seems like all of the sudden the chicken pox was a big thing, and then the flu was a big thing, and then the avian flu and then the swine flu.. Seems a seasonal news grabber. Maybe I am just jaded..; October 3, 2009 at 3:12 AM
Amy said...: I hope you guys get back to school again. I'm also praying you find a new home.

Miss you!; October 4, 2009 at 4:18 AM