Remote learning isn't remotely stressful, right?

Image by 192635 from Pixabay

After a lovely 52 days of in-person school, the school district decided to move to remote learning on Monday due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Colorado. I took a week off work to make sure my kindergartener and second-grader got set up for a smooth transition. I carefully set up both their laptops on the dining room table and gathered their passwords in a neat pile.

• Monday: First 30 minutes pass quietly. This is going to be no problem, right?
  My son gets mad because my daughter has a break and he doesn't.
  His teacher calls me ater school to see why he was crying.
  
• Tuesday: The laptop is mysteriously showing the ceiling on the webcam. I have no idea how to fix it.
  We switch laptops, which causes my daughter to be 30 minutes late logging onto Zoom.
  
• Wednesday: The children start throwing their snacks at each other during break.
  My son decides to wear his Chewbacca hat on camera.
  
• Thursday: I can't find the correct worksheet in the bin filled with reams of paper.
  I finally make a fake worksheet that looks the same.
  
• Friday: The children are obnoxiously eating their breakfast during class.
  They get into a wrestling match and are separated into different rooms.

Made it through one week! Only 123 days more to go, not that I'm counting every minute. No, I'm not remotely stressed. Why do you ask?

Nina Snyder is the author of ABCS OF BALLS and the designer of the HOT PINK ORCHARD JOURNAL. Follow her on Twitter @nsnyder_writer.

Is that a feeling of hope?

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

When I heard Joe Biden had won the presidency this morning, I sat down and cried tears of relief. I don't think this country could survive another four years under President Trump, who has systematically tried to dismantle democracy. 

I went about my day with a feeling of lightness. I ran errands. I went to the post office. I went to grab a cup of coffee. I could barely even recognize the feeling bubbling under the surface. Was it hope?

I'm registered as an Independent, so I don't even follow politics that closely, but I also have read the Constitution at least once. My hope is that President Trump has exposed all the loopholes we need to fix. Any norm that relies on common decency is clearly not enough. We need to make it a law for presidents to release their taxes or divest their businesses.

To be sure, there will still be challenges ahead. My children's school is moving to remote learning on Nov. 16 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Cases are surging in Colorado, and Denver is moving to a 10 p.m. curfew this weekend. 

A long winter appears on the horizon, but at least I can picture a spring at some point in the future. A spring with President Joe Biden who respects the rule of law, who believes in science and who will try to stop Americans from dying from COVID-19. 

I don't even care about Biden's political agenda. I just care that there is a sane adult in the White House. 

Nina Snyder is the author of ABCS OF BALLS and the designer of the HOT PINK ORCHARD JOURNAL. Follow her on Twitter @nsnyder_writer.