Let's get your kids writing during the Coronavirus Quarantine

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By Matt Halvorson

I’m writing to you live from Seattle, the North American epicenter of the virus apocalypse, where I’m hunkered down with my partner and four kids. We are all healthy, symptom-free, and have been voluntarily self-isolating for a week now. But only for a week.

A week ago, kids in Seattle were still in school. On Monday night last week, in fact, we still warily held a Little League baseball practice at a batting cage.
The next day, our local middle school was the first school in the district to close after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.


A day later, Seattle Public Schools announced a two-week closure, which has since been extended to April 24, and it was announced that we’re no longer free to fly to or from Europe. Today, we’re even discouraged from going into Canada, though not explicitly banned.


I have so many thoughts to share amid all of this, and I will be posting as often as I can find the time to write amidst the many quarantined kids in my house.

For today, with schools closed in so many states, let’s talk about the fact that so many of us parents are suddenly homeschooling our kids.

Last week, I jotted down a few writing prompts for Julian, my 11-year-old, and he wrote a brief response (below). Now that we’re going to be out of school for the foreseeable future, I’d like to open this up to students and parents everywhere. Below are a few writing prompts based on our current situation and mood, but really, your kids can write about any angle they find interesting. You can also record them talking about it with your phone, or you can take a video, or they can draw or paint or write a song or do whatever it is they might like to do.

And then send it to me, and we’ll share it out there on the Rise Up for Students blog — the current student experience, directly from the source.

What do you say? Let’s talk and let’s write. Send anything to matt.a.halvorson@gmail.com.

Writing prompts:

  • What is happening in your community right now related to coronavirus?

  • What is it like to be a student whose school has closed down due to coronavirus? Do you think it was a good idea to close schools?

  • What will you miss most about school? What are you happy to get away from?

  • What makes you feel worried? What makes you feel hopeful? What are you thankful for right now?

  • What if you never go back to your current school? What would have to happen for that to be true? How would you feel?

  • How would life be different right now if coronavirus was affecting kids and younger adults the way it is impacting older folks?

  • Besides school, what cancellation or closure has been the hardest for you so far?

    Here, by the way, is what Julian wrote:

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3/11/20
Coronavirus/Covid19

Hello! Today I will be talking about the coronavirus. It is kinda weird. It has taken everybody by surprise. And now that my best friend and middle school have been exposed, I’m stuck. I’m worried that i have the coronavirus. Luckily, I have good doctors and my family always sticks by my side. I think they should close schools, because if one kid has it, it will spread to others. Then people will give it to other people. I think that they will close schools, work and sporting events until early summer or late spring. But I know that we will get out of this and continue our lives.


Along the same lines, it’s important to not only keep our kids busy and productive, but to keep ourselves sane, too — and there are lots of ways to support ourselves that also support our many friends whose income has been impacted by the virus and the related shutdowns.

Erin Jones, a regular Rise Up for Students contributor and all-around super-human, has had every speaking engagement canceled for the next two months, which means her income — and her opportunities to share her brilliance — have been suspended for the moment as well. So, Erin is going live on her Facebook page every weekday during the shutdown with content related to culturally responsive teaching and racial equity. She’s a genius, she’s offering something for everyone, and hearing her talk will change your life:

Reese McGillie, a dear friend and neighbor and another Rise Up for Students contributor, will be live-streaming her 6 am (PST) yoga classes online during the shutdown, and I encourage you to support her (and your own wellbeing) as well. Think how much better the world would become if we all spent the next couple months meditating and practicing yoga, learning with our kids, and taking our focus away from spending, consuming and being in offices. Anyway, more info on Reese’s not-to-be-missed yoga classes here: http://lotusyoga.biz

Matt Halvorson is a musician, writer, activist and father living in Seattle with his partner, Lindsay, and their four kids. He is the founder of Rise Up for Students, a blog advocating for equity in education in Seattle and beyond, and he releases music as Cousin Wolf.