As many parents have been warming up to the idea of educating their children at home, some of us have been dealing with heat from another source: FEVER! Many will agree that adjusting to so many new ways of living has been “interesting,” but managing a new lifestyle with a sick kid – or better yet, a sick kid while you are also battling a bug – is daunting to say the least. So, what does one do when temps in the house start rising during an unprecedented health crisis? The answer is simple: the best you can!

Lesson plans, Google docs, YouTube videos … make them stop!
It is how I’ve felt the past few weeks. As my youngest daughter and I fought to keep our temperatures down and other symptoms under control, the work kept mounting. It didn’t take me long to decide our health was more important than the school district’s deadlines. I came up with a plan, took immediate action, then took a nap!

Tip:
Create comfortable, quiet, and soothing spaces where your child can alternate between work and rest.
Here a few steps to make E-Learning life manageable while you're on the mend:
1. E-mail teacher(s). I crafted a short and quick note explaining that my daughter and I were SICK – fevers and all! My daughter would send in assignments as she felt up to doing them and as I felt up to helping her. I wasn’t asking permission; I was politely telling them what we were able to do.
2. I’ll admit it. My first inclination was to glance at everything so that I would have a general idea of what she needed to do for school. I quickly realized this approach would only cause me stress because I would be thinking about it while I was lying down. SAVE YOURSELF!! Our bodies needed REST! The best thing for us was walking away from the work and attending to our bodies and health!!
3. When the temps came down a little, and when my daughter started showing interest in play, it was time to peek at the assignments. At that point we pulled out the materials and devised a plan of attack. I divided the work into manageable chunks, and she started chipping away at it a little at a time.
4. Find a comfortable space to work and just “exist.” With both of us sick, I knew I didn’t feel like going up and down the stairs to check on my daughter. I invested in this cool tent-style bed called a Privacy Pop and set it up in the corner, right behind the sofa. My daughter was able to do her work in her Privacy Pop, and she could easily rest when she needed to.
5. Schedule – I’m a stickler for a schedule, but when you’re sick, I believe you do only what you can handle. My daughter, on the other hand, likes her schedule. So, we compromised. We looked to the schedule only as a tool for guidance – to keep us in range. Some days we completed the items on the schedule, but most days we did not. And guess what? It was OKAY!!
6. There were some days where school just didn’t happen. As we recovered (and are still recovering!), some days my daughter just didn’t feel well. On those days, the computer was turned off, and the books were closed. Remember that schedule? Well, the next day we looked at the schedule and determined ways to double up and make up missed work, and it all has been working out.
7. Embrace the flexibility: I’ve said it once; I’ll say it again; and I will continue saying it. E-learning creates opportunities to explore new levels of flexibility and balance. Even with our sickness, we have been able to efficiently manage educational responsibilities.
The major takeaway from this experience has been a refusal to allow stress to consume our family or me. If we can manage to keep it all in perspective – take care of our health, our families, and others – and allow the other things to fall in place until we can do better, most of us will be better for it. As my sweet father says in tribute to the quote’s author A.L. Williams, “All you can do is all you can do; and all you can do is enough.”
Live well. Learn what you can. Love your kids and families with your whole heart!
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