Well, 2021 is finally here; now what? You’re mentally exhausted and pining for a quick-fix solution to distance learning obligations. As you fall back into bed—praying for the pandemic to end—you feel secure beneath the warmth of your down-comforter, indulging in daydreams to escape reality. You mumble under your breath, “Thank you, Lord, for the blessings of this day. But, may I please have some help?”
Not wanting to put one foot in front of the other, you look ahead at the calendar and wonder how many months, weeks, and days are left until summertime, because the thought of schooling from home and helping your kids with homework keeps you up late at night. After a few glorious weeks of winter break—of course, still managing other things like cooking, cleaning, shopping, and working to support your family—you’re back to yearning for more me time and less responsibility. Despite daily accomplishments, you still question whether your parenting skills are up to snuff; and you find yourself listening to the quiet voice inside your head—almost like a recorder on repeat mode—that chides, “Stop complaining. You can do this.”
Nothing seems more important than your children’s well-rounded education, and you feel overwhelmed by not sending them to brick-and-mortal schools. You wonder if somebody else will step in to help your kids, because teaching reading, writing, math, science, and history aren’t your areas of expertise. You don’t want them to become products of an uneducated generation of misfits, although asking for help is out of your comfort zone.
And then there’s the vaccine, which is on everybody’s minds, and the concern about whether or not states will institute mandatory immunizations for public school enrollment. You teeter between the should and should nots, wondering about the injection’s efficacy and long-term results on your offspring. You start second-guessing everything and wonder if living in a vacuum society—distancing yourselves from the rest of the world—is healthy; however, you convince members of your family that this is life, and you just have to follow the system.
Your brain feels stretched under the pressure; yet, somehow you manage to tell your children that everything—including school—will be okay, and you’ll get through this together. You might even encourage them to smile at others—like when shopping for school supplies, hoping passersby will see their optimistic expressions behind Mickey Mouse masks—although you personally revert to avoiding eye contact, almost hopeful you don’t run into old friends, who might overstep the invisible barrier of social distancing. You close your eyes and pray for an easier way…
Then, suddenly, you have a sense of calm (breathe in, breathe out)—knowing you can lean on Global Student Network (GSN) for a well-balanced education and, if necessary, one-on-one tutoring—for your children. You can select individualized courses for each unique learning style, and videos of educative value are easily accessible online. Asking for help with distance learning is essential, so your children will develop wings of independence while you reap the emotional benefits of a happy, healthy home. Best of all, you can hit the snooze button in the morning and sleep in a little bit longer during 2021.
Gina Wileman is a published author (My Twisted Life In Middle School: Best Friends & Bullies) and the owner of EUREKA! Tutoring (EurekaTutoring-SMILES.com), where she offers in-studio and virtual tutoring sessions for students (grades K-12). She homeschooled her son for ten years (2003-2013) and was a networking group facilitator of hikes, field trips, classes, plays, and club events for homeschool families in southern California. Gina loves teaching and mentoring students, writing books and blogs, listening to personal-growth podcasts, furthering her spiritual development, and creating allergy-friendly recipes. Mostly, she cherishes time spent with her husband, son, and two shih-tzu pups.
