Friday

 We heard back from Isaac's teacher.  She's one of a pair of teachers that Isaac will have, which makes me feel much better.

Thursday: school of all sorts

Today was the second day of classes.  Students did a better job of keeping masks over their noses, but there were still two (4%) that had a hard time.  While I'd like to think it's getting better, there's also been some ...deserved drama... amongst the faculty about students congregating without masks.  I'd like to be optimistic that we'll be able to finish out the semester, but I realized I don't have a feel for anything other than the few hours I'm there.  Also, the second class was slow again.  I'm going to need a new plan for them.

Isaac and Joshua got their teacher assignments!  It came with a list of supplies to get, which I've been waiting for.  Isaac's class has 29 virtual learners and 10 in-person learners.  What what???  I could understand a *slightly* larger virtual class, but why does a 3rd grade class have 39 students?  I'm concerned but guessing there is a reason, even if I don't like the reason.  We weren't given info like that for Joshua's class.  The good news is that both teachers are at the boys' school.  We were only promised that the teachers would be within the school association, so that was good news.  It would be nice to have a date for picking up supplies from the school since school starts in just over a week, but I suppose one thing at a time.

Wednesday

 It was a nice day today, although pretty normal.

We got a bit more of our classroom set up.  Joshua is pretty excited about his desk, although I'm going to add something soft to one of benches yet.  They also got their mice, so those went on the tables right away.  Now it's just too bad that we don't actually know many details about school.  We get several emails that information is coming, but few emails that actually contain information.  I know they're busy and have many more details to consider than I need to worry about, but it's a bit annoying too.

This is Joshua showing me his acid monster pose.

Tuesday: first day of school

 I started work today.

It went better than I was expecting.  All the students were wearing masks, but about 10% of them had a hard time keeping them over their noses.  Of these 10% it ranged from not seeming to care to having the mask bother them and they'd fiddle with it and a few minutes later remember it should be over their nose.

The second class was surprisingly behind though.  The first class ended with about 15 minutes to practice on their own.  In the second class I skipped several things and there was only about five minutes to practice.  I know there were a few more questions in the second class, but I'm usually not that far off between classes.  It was somewhat flustering.

Sunday: guest room

 Not much new over here this weekend.  Yesterday we went blueberry picking.  It was near the end of the season and you could tell.  The berries were plentiful, but really small.  We stopped early and I bought a box in addition to the small amount that we picked.  The boys were allowed to play on the playground, so they were happy about that.

Today I starting working on converting the guest room into a school room.  It involved quite a bit of clean up first, as for some reason boxes were getting stacked on top of each other instead of really being put away.  Then I took the bed apart.  The mattress and box spring are just standing against the wall, but it still adds a few feet to the room.  Now to keep it clean until I get the tables in...

Isaac's having a sad time again, but is handling it better this go around.

Wednesday: time

 Time flies when your kids aren't around.

In other news, we've gotten two applicants for babysitting while I teach.  One has a slight time conflict so probably wouldn't work quite as well, but the other has no conflict.  While no one has been hired yet, having some applicants has been a huge relief!  There are back-up plans, but they are not as ideal.

Tuesday: school saga, life

 Well, Ben and I were on the same page regarding schooling, so the boys will still be in virtual school for at least the first trimester.  I think we both have different "main" reasons, but the end result is still the same.

I cleaned a gutter today.  It was completely blocked.  It's one of those things that if a child had been doing it I would have taken their picture for the blog.  But the kids don't think that way, so there's no picture.

My calf is sore.  It's rather surprising.  We walked several steps up and down yesterday, but I didn't think so many that my muscle would be this sore.  Maybe it's from something else?

Isaac and Joshua are leaving for two days tomorrow.  They're so excited.  Here is Joshua's packing list.  The things with the checks are packed, the others are warnings because they're not packed yet.