“How is school different than it used to be?” I asked my daughter after her first day back at in-person school on Monday.

“It’s not that different,” she replied.

The response surprised me! All three of our kids (my son and daughter and our exchange student) transitioned from virtual to in-person school Monday. From what I’ve heard, it’s quite different than “normal” school was last year. Maybe my daughter is adjusting well to the changes simply because she’s so happy to be back.

Here’s what school is like (in our neck of the woods, anyway) in fall 2020. My kids are in middle school and high school.

• Students and staff are required to wear masks all day except while eating at lunch.
• Speaking of lunch, they have more lunchtimes than before so the lunchroom isn’t as crowded, and they’re required to socially distance as they eat.
• Because some students are virtual and some are attending in-person, teaching is done on Zoom. Some teachers ask their in-person students to stay on Zoom so that the whole class shows up on the screen. Most teachers don’t require that. In those classes, the in-person and virtual students don’t have a lot of interaction with each other, but they can all interact with the teacher.
• The schools are on staggered dismissal schedules so that they’re not all streaming out at once. 
• They don’t use lockers (except band-instrument lockers).
• Because some students are virtual, most work is done on computers rather than on paper.
• Drinking fountains are shut off, and students are encouraged to go to the bathroom during class instead of between classes so that the bathrooms don’t get crowded.
• The kids each fill out a digital self-screener survey (with questions about COVID symptoms) before heading to school each day.

Seems pretty different to me, but I’m thrilled that my kids are all excited to be back at school...after six months off campus!

Some things don’t change, pandemic or not. My son and daughter both asked me to buy them books for their English classes: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton for my son and Uglies by Scott Westerfeld for my daughter. Let’s hope reading never stops being a huge part of their curriculum!

Reading is what brought us all together on this newsletter, so let’s move on to this week’s recommended books.

Nearly Free Box Set

Truly Free Books & Stories!

Check out these 12 short stories in a variety of genres. Download the collection free here!

Sci-fi space pirates, anyone? Download this book free!

Time travel + suspense + romance! Download this quick read for free!

This post-apocalyptic dystopian novel is free for a very limited time, so be sure to download it today before the price goes back up!

Over 40 freebies in a variety of genres! Check them out & download some here.

Love magic and/or witches? Check out over 40 enchanted freebies!

This Week’s 20-Second Story

Once a week or so, I like to share a super-short story with you. Hope you enjoy this one! I write these on Twitter daily; you can follow me @CBethAnderson.

Enjoy stories like this? I have an entire book of them! Check out The Curio Cabinet on Amazon and other retailers!

Have a great rest of your week!

-Beth 

You can always check out all my books at this link—including The Seer’s Sister, free to newsletter subscribers!

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