Have you ever noticed that kids are different at home with their families than they are at school?

You know that parent who comes in and no matter what you tell them, they’ll say, “Well, that’s not how she acts at home!”

Now, parents are in the unenviable position of working with their kids day after day!

My kids are of the “fighters at home/angels at school“ variety.

Others are angels at home and hellions at school. And there’s everything in between.

My own kids do great in school.

Some kids struggle mightily at school, but are great at home.

Regardless of where kids lie on that spectrum, they’re home now, and doing schoolwork that someone else is assigning, and parents are trying their best to manage.

While trying to help my 2nd grader with a 13 page (26+questions) Google Form quiz, I experienced the frustration that can come from these challenges.

In case you’re wondering, yes, that ended in tears (and an incomplete test).

I won’t say whose tears they were to protect the innocent.

What exactly is the purpose of school right now?

Is it structure? Is a teacher providing structure in a family’s home really a good idea right?

Is it “moving forward on standards”? Is moving forward on standards really worth it right now?

Is it “giving kids time to explore their passions”?

Honestly, I don’t have a solution to this, but I hope that I am doing a good enough job as a school leader to not add additional stressors to the families I serve that are forced to stay around each other 24/7 for who knows how long!