Read more about the article Emmett finally got into his first live lesson
Distance Learning / My thoughts / School

Emmett finally got into his first live lesson

I'm not gonna lie. Distance learning has not been a positive experience thus far, but today is a new day. Elliott and Emmett are back at it and giving it yet another shake. Thus far, Elliott's been met with more frustration and technical issues but Emmett seems to be doing pretty good. He's currently in his first live lesson. They haven't been working but he was able to login today. Fingers crossed. So far so good for Mr. Emmett. Elliott was only able to get some of his work done because the rest wouldn't load. The plan is to try again in a couple of hours. The school sent a message saying that due to all the problems, the next 2 weeks will not count against the kids. We're using…

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August 19, 2020
Read more about the article This school year has me nervous
COVID19 / Distance Learning / My thoughts / Planning / School

This school year has me nervous

The new school year starts tomorrow morning and we're as ready as we're going to be. We spent the day working around the house. I sat down with each of the boys an went through school stuff. I tried my best to mentally prepare everyone for what feels like a monumental undertaking. Elliott and Emmett's schedules are going to be a little different because Elliott is taking more classes. I don't foresee that being a huge problem though. I understand distance learning will be challenging. The first couple of days will be spent going through the motions and getting accustomed to their new schedule. For the most part, the boys can create their own schedules. There are some live classes that are required but the rest of the time is…

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August 17, 2020
Read more about the article Balancing work and kids and school and COVID19
My thoughts

Balancing work and kids and school and COVID19

I'm spending way too much time on the phone today trying to manage several problems at the same time and it's just a lot bit overwhelming. While I'm on what feels like a perpetual hold, waiting for a representative to answer, I'm working on tomorrow's podcast release. The kids are really demanding my attention today and there's simply not enough of me to go around. I feel incredibly flustered right now because I can't seem to accomplish anything today. Trying to find a balance between work and kids is so difficult right now. I imagine it's only going to get more difficult as school re-enters our life. I can't record anything until my replacement Rodecaster Pro arrives today. It's being replaced under warranty and I'm sorta dead in the water…

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August 13, 2020
Read more about the article I haven’t figured out how to approach all of this
COVID19 / My thoughts / Planning / School

I haven’t figured out how to approach all of this

I'm going to be splitting my focus this week between work and getting the kids ready to begin school next week. I have an interview first thing this morning and then a business meeting in the afternoon. After that, I'm working with the boys to help them get organized and prepped for school to begin next Monday. There are a few phone calls I need to make to the school to figure out some of the logistics that I have questions about. I need to look at a new desk for the boys as well. We have one but I'd like for each of the boys to have their own setup. I haven't figured out how to approach all of this just yet. There are a few things that I'll…

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August 11, 2020
Read more about the article Distance learning for the first time is pretty f*cking scary
COVID19 / Distance Learning / My thoughts / Planning / School

Distance learning for the first time is pretty f*cking scary

School is getting closer and closer and I'm getting nervous. We will be distance learning for the first time because there isn't a snowballs chance in hell that I would put my kids in a classroom right now. I know it's the right thing to do but I'm questioning whether I'm the right person for the job. Unfortunately, I'm the only person for the job, so I don't really have a choice. Everyone is stressed out and lockdown is continuing to take its toll. The house setup is not really conducive to distance learning and I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. Using the dining room table is probably the easiest solution but the boys may end up distracting each other if I don't separate them. Ideally, they'd…

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August 5, 2020
Read more about the article Finalizing plans for this school year
My thoughts / School

Finalizing plans for this school year

I just got off the horn with the boys new school and they begin on August 17. We're still waiting on something for Emmett but they're finishing him up now. For the record, I will not be sending the kids to a brick and mortar school this year, as there is no universe in which that would be safe under the current circumstances. Lizze and I are in full agreement on this. The boys will be doing distance learning which means that it will be conducted online, with the entire curriculum provided. They receive laptops and do school for about 5.5 hours a day, 5 days a week. It's going to be an interesting transition but it is what it is. Their safety and wellbeing have to come first. What…

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July 28, 2020
Read more about the article Have I mentioned how much I literally hate homework? Can anyone relate to this story?
Autism Parenting Struggles / Emmett John / Homework / My thoughts / School Related Issues

Have I mentioned how much I literally hate homework? Can anyone relate to this story?

Emmett missed most of last week because he wasn't feeling well. I had work sent home for him to work on so he wasn't so overwhelmed when he hopefully returns on Monday. Emmett is crazy smart and way ahead of everyone else in his class, so homework is something that should come relatively easy for him. Sometimes it is and other times it's a fricking nightmare. One of the things that Autism has contributed to this mess, is a very literal interpretation of everything. Emmett interprets things in a very literal, incredibly ridged way. There's almost no way to help him work through anything, when he's literally interpretating things. An example that we are struggling with this morning is this. The instructions for a math problem he's stuck on went…

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March 18, 2018
Read more about the article I hate feeling powerless
Autism Parenting Struggles / Emmett John / My thoughts

I hate feeling powerless

It's now 1:47 AM and Emmett has just now fallen asleep. We've been trying to help him for hours upon hours. He has a really bad tummy ache and feels like he's going to puke. This is stressful for any kid but it's especially so with a kid like Emmett. To make things even worse for the poor kid, he also seems to be hitting a fever flare because he's getting sores in his mouth again. I don't know what the deal is with these tummy aches but they are consistent, especially when school is approaching. He's not making this up and he's clearly in distress but the cause remains a mystery. My personal opinion is that we're dealing with a side effect of his extreme anxiety. He struggles with…

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March 12, 2018