A problem with homeschooling

Currently our second and third daughters are doing a lot of their education via online classes. Today we had a problem. Our DSL line stopped working!

For over three hours I was on the phone, multiple times, with our Internet Service Provider trying to get the problem resolved. At first they thought the problem was due to a flaky DSL modem, so I went down to Frys to buy a new one. The clerk asked who my ISP was and I told her. Then the guy standing next to me said he had the same ISP and was suffering a similar problem. I selected a DSL modem and headed home.

 But before unwrapping the modem I called my ISP and asked if there were any other types of problems which would appear to be similar to a broken modem. They said it was possible and they would check. A few minutes later my neighbor called to say her DSL line was also down, so it appears there is a much wider problem than my DSL modem.

All of this meant my daughters were missing their classes. As a parent when we take ownership of the education of our children we sometimes have to deal with these kinds of problems. Luckily we the girls were able to keep busy doing useful things.

I was surprised by how used to having instance access to the internet we have become. I wanted to check my email. When the support person said I needed a DSL modem my first thought was to check out various reviews, but then I realized I couldn’t. I couldn’t check Instapundit or Facebook.

Finally I went off to work, where I now have access to the internet (and can post to my blog). Hopefully the whole problem with be resolved by the time I get home.