The Ordinary Moments // The End of Home Learning

For nearly three months, the children have all been home full time and today schools reopened for all pupils marking the end of this period of home learning.  It has been challenging in every sense, it has been full of battles and tears and I am desperately hoping we never have to go through that again.  I think I have focused so much on our failures though, that I neglected to see how well we have done.

During a time when just staying sane seemed an accomplishment, we got on with it.  We logged in every day, the big two worked semi-independently at times and it took Dylan getting a headteachers award on the last day of term for 'unwavering effort over lockdown' to realise that we didn't fail at all.  He may have lacked enthusiasm which I can't blame him for, online learning is not the best for anyone, but he got up each day and did it.  I got up each day and encouraged and motivated them (bribed at times, yes).  We have come out the other side of this strange period and I have confidence that the resilience that helped us all through the past three months will help us as we readjust back to school routines.

I wanted to mark the last day before school with a treat so we went for ice cream and to the park (our options for a special day are still very limited).  I wanted to let the children know that whilst I may not have been the most patient teacher, I am immensely proud of them all.  I am so thankful that I get to just be their Mummy again now and I am looking forward to picking them up from school and asking about their day, because for the first time in a long while, I won't know every aspect of it already!

These photos are from our last day before school, before I laid out their school uniform, dug out the water bottles and set the alarm for a time earlier than I have been awake in months.  I write this in a house quieter than it has been all year surrounded by the mess that seems a natural part of having them all home for three months.  It is going to be strange!