“Hey mom! There’s someone leaving a garbage bag on our front porch,” shouts my sixth grader from his makeshift home office in the living room. Scooping the lopsided bag off the porch I notice both fourth and sixth grade kiddos are now hovering around me as if I’m Indiana Jones unearthing the Holy Grail. That small things are so gripping during this time never ceases to surprise me.
Both kids watch in anticipation as I open the bag and slowly realize what I’m unpacking. Five composition notebooks, three-quarters used. A bag of highlighters, markers and pencils with plenty of life left. And the kicker: the magnetic locker organizer. My son’s first year in middle school meant his first time having a locker. He was so proud of this small milestone on the path towards independence with the opportunity to organize his own learning in some small way. And so, the waterworks begin.
Read more here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/07/31/covid-19-education-online-learning-tools-classroom-column/5503493002/