Day 7 Blog

March 24, 2020

Welcome to Day 7

Musings from the home front...

Today we had a family meeting at the Spiess House. Now that we are under stricter measures, we all need to think about how each of us fits into the bigger picture. My husband and I are both working from home. My daughter, Sydney, had to come home from UMASS Boston and is now working remotely on her classes. My other daughter, Ella, works at the Toyota dealership on Route 114. Her hours have been reduced and may eventually be cut. Luckily, we have plenty of devices (and toiliet paper) at home so that we are not fighting for computer time (or toilet paper). I know other families might not be as well-equipped. That can be an added hardship.

We talked about how we should "interact" with this new situation. There are many "What Ifs." OK, so we wash our hands a hundred times a day but then take mail from the mailman. Or we go grocery shopping, touch the shopping cart, touch the car door, the steering wheel, the front door, and the faucet to wash hands (yet again). You could drive yourself crazy! Where does it end? We talked about doing OUR part to mitigate these "What Ifs." I guess it means putting a lot of trust in your greater community and doing the right thing at home.

The interesting thing about this virus is that it is quite "fair." It has no political party lines, no religious affiliations, is unbiased when it comes to race, and seems to thrive just about anywhere. The only thing it might be "guilty" of is agism. Luckily, young children seem to do the best with this virus. There are a lot of things to worry about and to complain about. We can also focus on some of the positive things happening in our community:

• Family game nights

• More outdoor time with your children

• Jokes, memes, and Facebook posts about toilet paper

• Time for reflection

• A slower pace (for many, not all, especially our health care workers)

Parents all around the country are home, doing their best to juggle teaching, working remotely, keeping house, and trying to keep their sanity at the same time! Make sure you take time to reflect, regroup, and recharge. Teaching children is not an easy task, especially as the parent. We are working hard on our end to make sure you have the things you need on your end to keep your children engaged and learning. I hope that you will reach out in your own communities and circles - at a safe distance, of course - to see if anyone needs support.

A few tips to maximize your Aborn Blog experience:

• Use a computer, not just a phone, for the "full" effect

• Check back often (especially the Message From Your Teacher tab and the Resources tabs)

• Email with any questions, concerns, thoughts...

With gratitude for the work you are doing during this challenging time, #AbornStrong!

Mrs. Spiess