It’s that time of the year again when the new academic year starts. New books, new bags and pencil boxes, new uniforms. The kids go back excitedly to meet their old friends again. Some will be there, some will have moved to another city or another country.

But this time it’s different….. with virtual school. The new format of school is exciting for the kids, but don’t know how long it’s going to last. They’re going to have to sit in class…. alone. Do their classwork ….. alone. Do projects…. alone. They miss their friends now. And just seeing them in a computer screen is not as satisfying.

P started grade 5 on Monday. The whole new format of virtual school was exciting coz now she has her own email box, the virtual classroom et al. In addition we had to get her a new study table because she needed a corner for herself where she can sit and do her classes without being disturbed by A and other people in the house. So we ordered a new one online and had it delivered super fast. And she set it up with her paraphernalia…… and of course her Harry Potter book was the first to go up on the shelf!

We had to create some space for it in their room so we had to move out a chest of drawers, move around some more things and in the process we de cluttered more!!! That’s was the best side effect of this 😃. I got rid of some more stuff and was able to give them a whole new chest of drawers to fill in tiny toys and their personal stuff. A was so thrilled to have her own drawer! She wanted to put everything remotely belonging to her in that drawer. I had to explain to her so many times that she has one drawer only and it’s for tiny stuff which was otherwise kept on the open shelf like small boxes and things like that. By just doing this exercise we were able to clear up an entire shelf which looked like the messiest corner of the playroom

De clutter tips on these coming tomorrow!

Anyway…. their first week at school was pretty good I’d say. Although she was a wee bit disappointed that she can’t physically be with her friends. In their first week they had a time table from 9-1 with 3 breaks. They had a class teacher time, a project time, beyond academics (sports or yoga) and in the end a golden time again with their class teacher.

They had to choose between 4 projects and sports or yoga. P chose her project time as Xeriscaping. It’s landscaping with plants which require less water like succulents and cacti. And for the physical one she chose yoga. They even had a presentation today for their projects and invited parents to watch! So each child had made a paper plan and then a small model of their Xeriscaped garden. It was amazing to see what all the kids came up with sitting at home!

I really appreciate the efforts of the school and teachers for this. They were so patient and initially had to explain so much to children regarding the rules of virtual school and then patiently wait while some child has some issues with the connectivity and what not. Each teacher was given a support teacher so that she can help manage the kids. It was lovely to see how the kids adapted to this also so easily.

It’s a new world now with the new virus. The ‘new normal’. But we would honestly hope that things can get better soon. Coz after all the kids have to spend much more time in front of the screen than we would like them to. It’s not the healthiest of the options. Children are going to bored of this because they can’t physically be there. And sitting and listening to teachers in your home is not the same as listening to them in a school environment. Their grasping is going to fall. Their retention might fall too.

Let’s hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. India has just opened up after a 54 day lockdown. Although not completely but public transport is on now and even flights will operate soon. With the migrant workers being sent back to their villages, states were already facing issues of the infection being spread in the villages from the cities. The next one month is going to be very critical. Cases will rise and god knows if we have to go for another total lockdown. We can only pray 🙏🏼