Resources for Families During the Coronavirus Pandemic. 3) All members of the team should remember that discomfort leads to growth and work on being ok with being held accountable, with hearing feedback that they dont really want to hear, and with giving honest, constructive feedback to other members of the team when things arent working well. For gratitude, an easy option to start your day would be to talk about three good or positive things. In work environments, especially when working on projects, everyone has clearly defined roles and responsibilities which are laid out on a project plan. (n.d.). (n.d.). For example, one was created by E. Gilliam, and is accessible here: https://www.conferencecallbingo.net/blog with the printable version accessible directly here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xbwyrg21rbg79fj/conferencecallbingo.pdf?dl=0. Coronavirus Closed Schools: 27 Activities to Keep Kids Busy During School Closures. The rule for our girls was that they had to look at all movies, games, and apps up on Common Sense Media and bring them to us prior to asking the question of whether they could play, watch or download something. In my personal opinion, consistency in accountability, especially for online learners, is fundamental to their success, I believe, but it takes everyone involved being on the same page to maintain an appropriate level of accountability. ), 2) Do you (and your student) want the ability or option to participate in after school activities? Yes, movies sometimes work, but how about something possibly more fun (for you and for them)? The standard subjects tend to include math, language arts, science, history or social studies, art, technology, health, physical education, and music. If you decide you are not comfortable sending your child to their current school in the fall, what options do you have? Well, the best approach comes down to whether this is a temporary or long-term/permanent option for you and your family. On top of a foundation of trust is constructive conflict. If you are homeschooling on your own, you and your children might be the only members of the team, but for others remotely schooling via distance learning options provided through their school or district, there are many other members of the team, as well. The ability to have an open and honest discussion with their teacher, administrator, or even boss, is a skill that will only help them in their future. The state regulations say that families MAY submit a Notice of Intent to homeschool and participate in portfolio reviews. At those times, my kids were at the ages where they needed more hands-on help and their school workload was higher, so it worked well for us. (n.d.). (2020). Enjoy! While you are on a conference call today, have your kids stand next to your whiteboard or sit next to you coloring or doing some additional activity, and work with them to complete a bingo card based on what is said or done on your conference call. (2020). Note that this option and how it is implemented differs greatly per state. These options are completed at a time and location of your convenience and have assigned teachers for all classes, as well as providing official transcripts and grades, just like on-ground/in-person school options. (This is a big deciding factor that can save or cost you a lot of time and stress. (Note that this is an unpopular opinion and not promoted or frequently supported in the traditional, long-term homeschooling community, though, so questions about this option in these traditional groups or distribution lists may not be met with the most positive reactions.) The pause for them is a huge change and requires adjustment, but provides an opportunity for us, as parents, to teach them how to slow down and be ok with being bored or finding their own activities. https://medium.com/taskworld-blog/lencionis-5-dysfunctions-of-a-team-330d58b2cd81. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/, Common Sense Media. As homeschoolers, they worked at their own pace in different subjects, which was great for their education and learning, but made the transition to an age-based grade-level determination a challenging one. The public school administrators where we are were extremely helpful in working with us to determine the best placement. How School Closures Can Strengthen Your Family. Without clearly defined roles and goals, it is difficult to hold team members accountable for their contributions to the team and to the teams success. Remember the CDC guidelines and be innovative in your organization and space planning. There are so many different aspects and layers of trust, as well. Greater Good Magazine. (n.d.). The last thing we need is to waste time searching for books, pencils, paper and other supplies while we are trying to work and homeschool. Administrators have never run schools, districts or boards of education during a global pandemic. One is that everyone (or nearly everyone) you work with is in the same boat right now, so they understand the need to balance, and you shouldnt be shy about sharing what you are trying to accomplish. Its important that parents, educators and administrators clearly define what the goals are and monitor progress toward those goals. (2020). While I worked and homeschooled, I had a variety of types of jobs, all technical/knowledge-working jobs, some with more flexibility than others. Stay home and stay safe. They are asking because they truly care about your children and your input. The key is not to be happy or unhappy about the approaches, but to be informed. Decorating Amazon boxes and used soup cans make great arts and craft projects and excellent organizers! The answer to this question can provide further guidance for what choice might be best for you and your family, on top of the obvious comfort level with sending them to a physical school building in August or September. It is important to remain aware (and equally appreciative for any help they provide) that the schools and school districts are not required to assist homeschooling families, and that submitting an intent to withdraw (and/or an intent to homeschool) does have a direct impact on their budget, as they are funded on a per-student basis. It will make your planning much easier and less stressful if you acknowledge right now that you are one person and cannot be an effective fulltime teacher for 8 hours and full time worker for 8 hours, nor do you need to be. (n.d.). Here are a few suggestions of where we might start: 1) Develop (and ensure everyone knows and understands) clearly defined goals. Awake and Mindful has collected five yoga videos for kids that might be one option for a calm activity to start off the day. So, what options are there? For states who are planning in-person school options, many are still providing distance learning as an option, and homeschooling is always an additional option. Our girls were homeschooled since Kindergarten, and I chose materials for each individual subject for each girl, and planned the curriculum and lesson plans myself throughout this entire time. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources-for-families-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic, Earthcam. (n.d.). (2019). You will need to determine, based on the number and ages of children, your work schedule, and any other constraints, what subjects you want to teach and can manage to do so with minimal stress. The second consideration is the subjects you wish to teach. This includes finding appropriate websites, movies, games, and applications, teaching your children about online safety and digital citizenship, and knowing how to distinguish between free, safe content and free, unsafe content. In my previous post, I noted that some schools and some districts are providing work for their students, which is great! (Many states do not allow homeschoolers to participate in activities at the public school, but some states do. 3) Identify the delivery mode you want to use for each subject and each child. How might this impact your childs motivation to do their schoolwork? They already do for other meetings and for lunch, right? More details about the rating systems used for the Common Sense Media ratings can be found here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-mission/about-our-ratings. (Note that this is not a comprehensive list.) We homeschooled in many different locations, including a multifamily house where we had a full room dedicated to homeschooling, my parents house where we had an area in the basement, our family members kitchen counters, and even an RV, when we traveled around the US. To step back and take a look at what this truly means, it is helpful to have a lens through which to view this team and the relationships and responsibilities of the members of the team. The best resource we have found for determining age-appropriateness of movies, games, applications and some websites is Common Sense Media, accessible here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://montessori-nw.org/what-is-montessori-education, Roblox. If you would like to explore this option, a great start is to review your state on both the CRHE and HSLDA websites, start searching for local and regional homeschool associations (the HSLDA has a great resource for this, as well), and begin searching for curriculum options (which can come in fully pre-packaged curriculum options to fully customized curriculum that you pick and choose from resources on publishers sites and Amazon.com book sales, for example) (HSLDA, n.d.2). Others split them into pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, grades 1-2, grades 3-5 and grades 6+. (2020). One combined list of these is accessible on EarthCam.com, here: https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/. (n.d.). All movies, for example, have ratings from Common Sense Media, as well as a kids rating and a parents rating, but even more helpful are the details provided by Common Sense Media behind their specific rating. (These are usually set at the state-level and enforced at the district or school-level. If this was or is you, trust me, you are not alone. For those that had more meetings than others, I allocated the time for the meetings first, and then figured out what schoolwork I could fit in. As parents, educators, and administrators, (and our children) we are all part of a team with a common goal of ensuring that our children are safe, cared for, and that their learning is promoted and supported in all ways possible. Why not act like the dedicated school time is just another meeting? Are you comfortable sending your children to school in the fall if they are physically opened for attendance? In sports psychology, life coaching and other venues recently, youve likely heard the term locus of control or phrases like control the controllables. Situations like the pandemic we are currently experiencing bring to light the true meaning of these phrases, as there is so much that is truly out of our control. AnimalCams. You can use an existing bingo card, plenty of which are posted for free online. (n.d.). What can your student do to promote these team functions also? 3) Clear out, setup and organize your dedicated storage area for your schoolwork and related supplies. The third consideration is the mode you wish to use to teach the subjects you have selected. Many parents are waiting for the school or school district to provide the details of the lessons your children will be assigned while they are out of school. Or, are you not comfortable sending your children to school at all until there is a vaccine, for example? I present to you the conference call activity challenge for today (03/17/2020): Conference Call Bingo (with your kiddos)! (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html, STEAMsational. SheKnows.com. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews, Focus on the Family. Khan Academy Schedules for School Closures. You dont need to go crazy buying organizing supplies. Think about other ways that you can work to promote trust, constructive conflict, commitment, accountability, and attention to results as part of your students learning team and pick one item to focus on at a time. Are you comfortable sending your children to school in the fall, as long as CDC guidelines for schools are followed (CDC, 2020)? Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://www.steamsational.com/free-printable-homeschool-planners/, The new challenge to keep the kids occupied during conference calls is: FORT MAKING!!! As of now, you at least have an idea of how much time you want to allocate to work and to homeschooling and have identified an area where you can store and organize schoolwork and related supplies. These can be accessed here: https://www.headspace.com/covid-19. Also, be sure that you are fully informed about what activities are offered or not offered for any who opt into remote or distance learning through the school, as this likely differs on a district by district or school by school basis. When trying to decide what is best, there are always multiple considerations. Remote Learning with Khan Academy During School Closures. You will need to research your options in your area if this is a deciding factor for you. There are many misconceptions about homeschooling, in general, but especially with working and homeschooling. One way to focus and be able to sift through all of the options is to decide what modes you wish to use to teach each of the subjects you selected, and limit your searches to the selected mode for each subject. Will you and your children be ok with this or able to handle any repetition or boredom by supplementing with other activities? Accountability is the forth level in the pyramid identified by Lencioni, and aligns closely with constructive conflict and commitment. Common Sense Media includes reviews of some books, as well. If your remote/distance learning/homeschooling is only planned to be temporary, keeping as close to the curriculum their classmates are learning in school will make for the smoothest transition when the time comes for them to go to school and join their classmates again. Patrick Lencioni wrote a book called, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, which gives a simple, straightforward way to think about what is needed for teams to function well and to thrive. 5) Understand and be honest and open about what you (and your student) can and cannot reasonably take on and complete given everything you have going on outside of school responsibilities, and be open to working with your student and their teachers and school administrators. While the kids play, you can plan your day(s). The state, on the other hand, wants to have as much control and oversight as possible, in many cases. As part of a successful, high-performing and well-functioning team, we have to work together as a team toward common goals, just like a sports team or a project team in an organization. Common Sense Media. Another point to consider is that you have every right to make the time spent educating your children as high a priority as any other meeting, so schedule it. Just take a few deep breaths and enjoy the time you have with your kids, because they really do grow up so fast, and this pandemic and chaos will eventually pass. If you have chosen to homeschool instead of opt into distance learning through your school, and the option is temporary, you may wish to file the notice of intent to homeschool and proceed to work closely with the school to ensure the smoothest transition back into the school when the time is right. Homeschool Organizations. It is nice to have a separate table, countertop, or other area that you could leave your work out on all the time, but in most cases, this is not an option. Some organizations group activities in the following age groups, for example, Kindergarten to grade 2, grades 3-5, grades 6-8 and grades 9-12. Others may be planning their own lessons and activities. A lesson I learned the hard way many times is that they cant both be done (effectively) at the same time. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html, Connectiond Academy. In my classroom, I start my classes off by having my students volunteer to Tell me something good. The good things could literally be anything, and they have ranged from I had a good breakfast this morning, to My football team won last night. If you want to add variety or switch things up a bit, the Bestow Team created a list of 30 gratitude games and activities for kids, accessible here: https://hellobestow.com/blog/gratitude-games/. No year, and no day, to be honest, looked the same for us, even when I tried to plan it to be the same, and my kids turned out just fine. Welltrainedmind.com. Scholastic Learn at Home. (n.d.2). However, with everything clearly defined and with trust, constructive conflict and commitment, holding each other accountable for their respective parts becomes much easier, and does not need to involve finger pointing or other negative non-constructive behaviors. You are the parent, and you know what is best for your children. While you are determining how much time you want to dedicate to your work, also consider if there are specific days or times of day that you have regularly scheduled meetings, deadlines for regular work, or other time-specific restrictions. (Remember to make the award something you can make, give or do with them at home, and that they can have or do after your conference call is over.). Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.connectionsacademy.com/, CRHE. Almost three years later, I can tell you that it was the right choice for both of them, without a doubt. It is important to remember this. Carter, Christine. It is important to understand the risks and the comfort level you have with those risks, and, depending on the approach taken, the health risks for your children and for you (and for everyone in your household). Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://www.headspace.com/covid-19, Khan Academy (2020). Your child or children will be perfectly fine with a couple or a few hours of school-related work and other fun, educational activities while you focus on work. The reality is that we need to accept that nothing is going to be perfect in this imperfect situation, so for the perfectionists out there (like myself), if we are surviving and our families are surviving, we are doing the best we can, and that is good enough. (2020). SheKnows.com. Retrieved March 18, 2020, from https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSZhOdEPAWjUQpqDkVAlJrFwxxZ9Sa6zGOq0CNRms6Z7DZNq-tQWS3OhuVCUbh_-P-WmksHAzbsrk9d/pub, Khan Academy. We have never parented (or helped our kids with remote learning) during a global pandemic. Montana requires a notice of intent to homeschool to be submitted to the local Superintendent of Schools, but does not require any other forms or portfolio review, etc. There are many options for finding safe content online for kids. ), 4) If you choose homeschooling instead of distance learning, are you fully informed of any reporting requirements, regulations, etc. The truth is that our kids (or any of us, for that matter) have never learned or gone to school (in person, hybrid or online) during a global pandemic. You can research options for full-time online schooling, which some states offer for free (Digital Learning Collaborative, 2018). If you have decided that you are not yet comfortable physically sending your kids back to a school building, thinking through some of the following questions might be helpful in deciding between distance learning (assuming this option is available/offered through your school) and homeschooling: 1) Do you want to choose your own curriculum, make your own lesson plans, etc., or do you want to assist your children in completing teacher-assigned activities? Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/policy-issues/current-policy/, Digital Learning Collaborative. ), So, with this conflicting guidance and information, what should you do? (Remember: If you dont know where you are going, any road will get you there. If your student is overloaded with work, have them work with their teachers and administrators to request extensions or accommodations where needed. 5) Choose activities to start your day off on a calm and positive note. Calling it schoolwork for the toddler made her feel like she was getting to do something cool that her big sister was doing, while really just doing what she would have been anyway. A few of the things that are currently within our control are: 1) our reactions to the current situation, 2) our attitudes, 3) our schedule and 4) our space. On a sports team, each team member (player, coach, manager) has to understand their role in the teams success to be committed to being the best in that role that they possibly can, thus maximizing their contribution to the team and the teams progress toward that goal. schoolwork has to follow the school day/week schedule, the schoolwork has to only include academic subjects, the kids have to be working on academic work the entire time, socialization is an afterthought when homeschooling, the kids are responsible for schoolwork and parents need to continue all of the housework. State Virtual Schools. If you are teaching more than one child, you will need to decide, based on their ages, maturity levels and possibly reading levels, whether you need to plan separate work for each, or whether you can plan once and have them all working on the same work. Retrieved March 16, 2020 from, Center for Disease Control (CDC). What Are the Non-Core Subjects?. Headspace, a mindfulness and meditation app, is providing a series of their meditations for free in the midst of the current situation. (Parents, dont be jealousyou can make forts, tooand even take your conference call from inside your fort, if you want to.). The most effective approach I found was to create a basket of schoolwork for the toddler and let her choose her schoolwork from the basket. We ended up placing them in lower grades than the work they were working on as homeschoolers, both because of their ages and because we knew the work would be easy for them, allowing them to focus on the major personal and social transition with less stress. For other jobs, like when I administered analytics servers, I had more flexibility to design my work day around the desired school schedule. (2020). In Connecticut, the only thing you are legally required to do is file with your local board of education a letter of Notice of Withdrawal.