During the first week of the school shutdown, I tweeted about my teen son not getting out of bed until 3 p.m. and my plan to enrol him in “night school.”

The responses were hilarious. “Preach, sister,” replied Marit Stiles, the NDP’s education critic (who was also having trouble getting her younger daughter into a routine). My son’s former elementary school principal weighed in: “Oh no! Put him on the phone, I’ll talk to him.” A Peel Region mom admitted her first day was also “a bust” — and she’s a teacher. But, she added, her two boys “are fed and happy so I say it’s a win! Always tomorrow!”

What I thought was a parenting fail was actually just reality for many families — and how reassuring it was to know that even teachers were struggling.

I’ve covered education for more than 15 years and had hoped some of what I’ve learned in that time might help. But teens are tough, and juggling daily deadlines while trying to motivate all three of mine — even just waking them up — proved to be a challenge, especially right after March Break.

Having actual work to do now has given them a bit more structure. My eldest daughter received a daily inspirational message during the shutdown from one teacher who also posted a “song of the day” for students to listen to. Another Grade 12 teacher reassured students by posting videos addressing students’ anxieties.

My youngest daughter, who is 15, has enjoyed the online learning, particularly in math. Her teacher shoots videos from her living room, explaining concepts and formulas using a white board, explaining non-linear relations using COVID-19 numbers from China. (That teacher even gave her adorable young son a cameo appearance for a lesson on parabolas.)

My daughter spent about four hours last week on math and three on a science assignment creating 24 pages of slides about optics.

She’s an active kid and at this time of year would be in the midst of rigorous daily training for track and field season, which she misses. Mostly, however, she wants to see her friends. A bunch of them scheduled a group FaceTime session last week that was rowdy and fun — they even talked about how they wished certain teachers could join their call.

My older daughter, who’s in Grade 12, is the best organized of the three. She gets up around 11 every day and keeps to a schedule for herself, focusing on school work for a couple of hours (she’s taking English, calculus and chemistry), then working out and then back to her assignments. We try to walk every day, too.

She has additional worries, though, and they seem to weigh the heaviest on her mind. What happens next? Will her first semester at university be online, at home? Will she see her friends and her boyfriend before the summer? Even so, that doesn’t leave them a lot of time together. Will high school graduations and proms go ahead?

At this point, no one knows. But the Toronto District School Board says if those important Grade 12 milestones can’t be held before the end of this school year, they could be rescheduled for the summer or even the fall.

TDSB director of education John Malloy said gatherings like grad and proms can’t be held under the rules now in effect, but if the mass shutdown continues, “we’ll do everything we can (to) postpone them so this wonderful and important experience” is something they won’t miss out on.

Typically, convocations aren’t held until late June, he added, “so we don’t feel that pressure right now.” But he said there has been talk that proms could be held in August “or something else could be considered — but what I will say is we are very willing to be creative with our students and schools.”

As for my son, he continues to attend “night school,” but is on top of his work in the Grade 11 natural-disasters course and working on a resume in careers and civics. That said, he also still sometimes falls asleep around dinnertime when he sits down to read for English class (and yes, that nap happens only a few hours after he’s rolled out of bed).

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But he is doing school work. In his “free time,” he goes for runs and works out daily. Then, it’s off to the basement to play video games with friends (virtually) until the wee hours.

As long as the work is done, I’m OK with that. He has no complaints. And why would he? As one person tweeted at me: “Everyone knows night school is a lot easier.”