40 Days of Homeschool
Last night, I printed the final daily schedule for Princess Milkface’s quarantine homeschool, and I had to chuckle. Her school has been painstakingly numbering each day of the distance learning curriculum (just in case we lose track of how experienced we’re all becoming at this “new normal,” I guess).
That’s right.
Day 40.
40 days of homeschooling. 40…where have I heard that before???
Oh right.
God flooded the earth by making it rain for 40 days and 40 nights.
Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai.
The Israelite spies investigated the promised land for 40 days before ultimately deciding not to trust God’s promise that it was already theirs. Which resulted in…you guessed it…the Israelites spending 40 years wandering in the wilderness before they could enter the promised land.
Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness while Satan was trying to tempt him.
As I reflected on these examples in the Bible, I realized that God has used 40 days of testing and trials in many ways to refine, strengthen, and discipline his people.
Of course it was 40 days of homeschool.
These 40 days have been some of the most challenging I’ve had as a parent, but also the most rewarding.
Princess Milkface spilled hot chocolate all over her homeschool laptop, but she also amazed me with her level of focus, determination, and independence at 7 years old. She photobombed my work video conference calls more times than I can count and passed me a note during a presentation asking if I could do a dance party when I was done. I also treasured the opportunity to do Phys. Ed. and science experiments with her on my lunch breaks.
The quarantine gave Lady M the opportunity to choose her path after struggling with distraction and temptation at school. She could have gone off the rails in frustration and boredom, cheating her way through the remainder of the school year. Instead, she took advantage of the isolation to reflect and choose a healthier path, emerging as a more focused, Christ-centered young woman who also happens to enjoy glamping in our backyard with her younger sister.
Captain Starburst was disrupted from his sophomore year of college to return to living at home and trying to divide time between two familes. We’re all learning to balance the need for enforcing the non-negotiables to keep families safe during the unknowns of a pandemic with supporting his need to make his own decisions as a young man. None of us have gotten it right all the time, but we’re all growing and learning.
Honyay and I have struggled with insufficient patience with ourselves, each other, and everyone else, feeling pulled in every possible direction. We no longer have the opportunity to compartmentalize between home and work, and the margins of free space to reflect and plan have been non-existent. I’ve pivoted from leading a video meeting for work… to disproportionately blowing up at one of my kids… to answering the phone in a fake friendly voice to talk to a coworker more days than I can count.
Also Honyay and I: We decided early in quarantine that it would be the PERFECT time to add a puppy to our family since “we have the time now while everyone is home.” Proud to say that after enforcing phone alarm reminders, a gas-station-bathroom style accountability chart, and 2 months, Boogers (yes, that’s his real name) is mostly potty trained.
I’ve heard many people say they’ve struggled with feeling like they’re barely a C+ in any area of their lives during the past few months, and I can empathize. Oh… can I empathize.
But then I feel so blessed by an opportunity to intentionally pour into an employee or one of my kids because, as crazy as life as been, it’s also been slower. I notice those little moments when they present themselves because long-term planning has been completely derailed.
I notice those little moments when they present themselves because long-term planning has been completely derailed.”
Sharapu
I’ve loved the opportunity to shift from a daily commute to family bike rides through our neighborhood after dinner. I’ve also bitterly mourned the missed expectations for some of life’s milestones that have impacted our family and so many others.
I’m grateful to have been more impacted by the quarantine than by the virus itself, but we all recognize that the impact of this quarantine is real. I’ve never looked forward to trips to the grocery store so much….either for date-time with Honyay, or for a rare moment to myself. I’ve also cried during many of those alone times in the car…out of fear, frustration, and just being overwhelmed with All The Things.
This morning, I had the opportunity to watch the Last Day of School chapel service live-streamed on the school’s Facebook parent community page. Tears filled my eyes as I held Princess Milkface and we sang along with the school’s administration team singing, “We Believe” by Newsboys.
In this time of desperation
When all we know is doubt and fear
There is only one foundation
We believe, we believe
In this broken generation
When all is dark, You help us see
There is only one salvation
We believe, we believe…Let the lost be found and the dead be raised
In the here and now, let love invade
Let the church live love our God will see
We believe, we believe
And the gates of hell will not prevail
For the power of God, has torn the veil
Now we know Your love will never fail
We believe, we believe…We believe in God the Father
Newsboys
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He’s given us new life
We believe in the crucifixion
We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the resurrection
And He’s comin’ back again”
If we keep listening to him, God will use these 40 days of homeschool to refine us into a better “new normal”…to recognize what is truly important, to prioritize the needs of others over our own superficial wants, and to continue slowing down enough to catch those little moments.
Those little moments just might linger as the most memorable ones, if we let them.
Grace and Peace,
Sharapu
