The two most commonly tested subjects in standardized testing tend to be math and language arts, so when we homeschooled, we put the most emphasis on these two subjects, integrating the others as appropriate and as possible. (2020). But, there is also so much that is fully within our control. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://welltrainedmind.com/a/what-are-the-non-core-subjects/?v=7516fd43adaa, Common Sense Media (n.d.). You will need to research your options in your area if this is a deciding factor for you. ), So, with this conflicting guidance and information, what should you do? For those who are not experienced or knowledgeable about publishers used for K-12 education, the National University Library System has a list on their website, accessible here: https://nu.libguides.com/CommonCore/ccss_publishers. Connections Academy. 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. An example of this is a new kindergartener starting homeschool in the first year of school eligibility. An alternative is to make your own bingo card that might be more age-appropriate, like one with silly words or um and uh, for example, that might be easy for little ones to pick up on during the call. Retrieved March 16, 2020 from, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html, https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/policy-issues/current-policy/, https://www.digitallearningcollab.com/state-virtual-schools, Common Misconceptions about Working and Homeschooling, https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/2218929/how-many-hours-homeschooling-per-day/, https://welltrainedmind.com/a/what-are-the-non-core-subjects/?v=7516fd43adaa, https://montessori-nw.org/what-is-montessori-education, https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/slideshow/2173553/coronavirus-school-closings-keep-kids-busy/1/, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews, https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/age-appropriate-chores/, https://grownandflown.com/soft-skills-for-teens/, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-mission/about-our-ratings, https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-passport, https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/kid-safe-browsers-and-search-sites, https://nu.libguides.com/CommonCore/ccss_publishers, https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources-for-families-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic, https://www.steamsational.com/free-printable-homeschool-planners/, https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/611770255064350720/remote-learning-with-khan-academy-during-school, https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSZhOdEPAWjUQpqDkVAlJrFwxxZ9Sa6zGOq0CNRms6Z7DZNq-tQWS3OhuVCUbh_-P-WmksHAzbsrk9d/pub, https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html, https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/, https://hellobestow.com/blog/gratitude-games/, https://www.dropbox.com/s/xbwyrg21rbg79fj/conferencecallbingo.pdf?dl=0, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html, https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_school_closures_can_strengthen_your_family, https://hbr.org/2018/12/how-timeboxing-works-and-why-it-will-make-you-more-productive. choices For other jobs, like when I administered analytics servers, I had more flexibility to design my work day around the desired school schedule.

The second consideration is the subjects you wish to teach. (The first is required if choosing homeschooling and not purchasing a pre-packaged curriculum or enrolling your children in a full-time online school. (Note that this is not a comprehensive list.) 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. Literally blocking it off on your calendar and communicating your schedule with your bosses and colleagues will make sure you are all on the same page and that everyone will respect that time. 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. So, how do we, as a team of parents, educators, and administrators, work together as a high performing team and not fall into the 5 dysfunctions of a team identified by Lencioni? When you get stressed or overwhelmed, just remember that surviving is all you and your family need to do right now, and the rest will all work out eventually. (n.d.). This is a great time to have the conversation with your manager about the priorities of the work currently assigned to you, the hours they expect, or require, you to be available, and where flexibility does (and does not) exist in your schedule, workload and work-related responsibilities. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://hellobestow.com/blog/gratitude-games/, Headspace. 2) Identify the subjects you would like to teach each of the children. Or, are you not comfortable sending your children to school at all until there is a vaccine, for example? You will need to determine what is best for you and your children. (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.). (Many states do not allow homeschoolers to participate in activities at the public school, but some states do. In the middle of the fall, we collectively decided that it was time for the girls to attend public school. 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. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/2218929/how-many-hours-homeschooling-per-day/. Although Im not fully convinced that this is the best approach to managing your time, the concept of Timeboxing is similar to the approach Ive recommended above. Others split them into pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, grades 1-2, grades 3-5 and grades 6+. Before you start, identify an award they will earn if you get a bingo and/or if they black out the entire card by meeting the criteria of each bingo square on the entire bingo card. 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. Commitment is built on a foundation of trust and constructive conflict. Are you comfortable sending your children to school in the fall, as long as CDC guidelines for schools are followed (CDC, 2020)? (This is in no way intended to imply that they wont help you, since we have always experienced the exact opposite, especially when in direct contact with teachers, administrators, etc. 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. 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. 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. While I worked and homeschooled, I had a variety of types of jobs, all technical/knowledge-working jobs, some with more flexibility than others. 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.

Carter, Christine. 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. Trust that everyone is doing their best (whatever their best looks like on a given day) and trust that everyone has the childrens best interest at heart are a couple of others. With the quick pivot to distance learning in the spring, and the large disparities with technology access and related issues, the schools and districts are still working to get some students caught up on their work from the spring. Always be appreciative.). Here are a few suggestions of where we might start: 1) Develop (and ensure everyone knows and understands) clearly defined goals.

Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.k12.com/. We have never parented (or helped our kids with remote learning) during a global pandemic. If you decide you are not comfortable sending your child to their current school in the fall, what options do you have? There are also many online tours of national parks, zoos, and aquariums. Its challenging to ensure everyone is on the same page during a normal school year, but even more challenging during a global pandemic. Ultimately, only you can decide what is best for you and your children. Digital Compass. The state regulations say that families MAY submit a Notice of Intent to homeschool and participate in portfolio reviews. (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.) At this point, state and local boards of education are doing the best they can with the little information they have to plan for something none of us have ever had to deal with before. Small wins go a long way. Retrieved March 16, 2020, from, Zao-Sanders, Marc. (n.d.). It is important to remember this. 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. Welltrainedmind.com. Many of our kids had packed schedules of school, sports, and other activities, with barely enough time to grab a sandwich in the car for supper. Below, I will provide a few options and considerations for finding content for your children that is age-appropriate and safe for them, as well as being safe for you and your computer. (2019). A great list of them compiled by STEAMsational is accessible here: https://www.steamsational.com/free-printable-homeschool-planners/. Kid-Safe Browsers and Search Sites. (2020). 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. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.connectionsacademy.com/, CRHE. The second is what is being referred to as remote or distance learning, or, in our district, cooperative distance learning, which I think describes this option very well. Retrieved March 16, 2020 from, Center for Disease Control (CDC). Khan Academy has provided help and getting started pages for their content here: https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/611770255064350720/remote-learning-with-khan-academy-during-school, and the lessons themselves are accessible here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSZhOdEPAWjUQpqDkVAlJrFwxxZ9Sa6zGOq0CNRms6Z7DZNq-tQWS3OhuVCUbh_-P-WmksHAzbsrk9d/pub, Scholastic has provided schedules and lessons here: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html. Homeschool Laws By State. What Ill provide below is a brief overview of some of the options for planning the work, starting with four considerations for doing so. One combined list of these is accessible on EarthCam.com, here: https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/. Science and art took the most preparation because we conducted experiments and made a variety of art and craft projects, so we split these days, so that they were not back-to-to back, allowing for some planning and preparation time in between. The one thing that all of those spaces had in common was a dedicated space to store all of our supplies and work. 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. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html, Connectiond Academy. Coronavirus (COVID-19). Note that this option and how it is implemented differs greatly per state.

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. infant viewpoints sfs ), Have your parent/guardian take a picture of your fort, with the list of equipment used and post it to Twitter using the hashtag #fortchallenge and tag @HomeschoolWork. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://hslda.org/legal, HSLDA. 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. See below for our experience transitioning our kids from homeschooling to public school and considerations/lessons-learned that you might find helpful. Common Sense Media, for example, provides a list of Kid-Safe Browsers and Search Sides, accessible here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/kid-safe-browsers-and-search-sites. What is Montessori Education? (n.d.). If you want more information prior to pursuing this option, your best bet is likely to reach out to the school or district directly for more information about what the portfolio review might look like, what kind of support and guidance you can expect from them, etc. The first consideration is the age levels you are teaching. 5) Choose activities to start your day off on a calm and positive note. Considerations for Schools. 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. 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. 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. (2020). Schedules created and posted in a common location provide clarity to everyone involved and help the parents avoid questions like what are we doing today? and what subjects are we working on today? There are many free printable planners and schedules available online. 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. Our toddler also participated, at an age-appropriate level, in virtual field trips, science experiments, and other educational activities with her sister. This can be important if you are deciding between temporarily homeschooling your children and opting into distance learning (especially in middle school or high school grades). Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.digitallearningcollab.com/state-virtual-schools, HSLDA. You can use an existing bingo card, plenty of which are posted for free online.

Focusonthefamily.com.

Making it clear that it was a big kid privilege to sit at the table with us to work on schoolwork was also helpful in motivating (relatively) quiet focus. (n.d.). Having a dedicated space will allow you to put everything away in a neat and orderly fashion after every day, so that it is available and easy to access the following day. You can then try to save each others sanity by intermittently saying or doing the things you know are on the card, so that everyone has a chance to keep their kids engaged, but quiet (because shhhwe have to hear what is going on, so we dont miss out on a bingo square!). If you are teaching one child, you can skip this section. 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/. 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. Free Printable Homeschool Planners. In these times, I found educational videos that could fill the spaces, where my children could still be learning, but I was able to focus on the meetings and my work. How might this impact your childs motivation to do their schoolwork? (n.d.). 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.

(n.d.). 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. Bauer, S. W. (2016). Making sure others respect your time is actually easier than it might seem at first. A template for this can be found on many of the CT homeschooling group websites or Facebook pages. Our children need to be able to disagree and question things when concepts or instructions arent clear to them. ), 3) Do you think you might want to send your students back to school in person either some time this year or in future years? Headspace, a mindfulness and meditation app, is providing a series of their meditations for free in the midst of the current situation. KEY POINT: You do not have to replicate your full workday and the full school day, so give yourself a break and get rid of that expectation right away. The second option is for grades 6-8, called Digital Compass, which is accessible here: https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass. 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. Coronavirus Closed Schools: 27 Activities to Keep Kids Busy During School Closures. Decorating Amazon boxes and used soup cans make great arts and craft projects and excellent organizers!

Either way, some people are going to be happy and some unhappy, regardless of the plan or approach that is taken. For example, if you choose to homeschool or opt for distance learning to start with in the fall, will you want to send your children back to school (this year or in the future)? Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass, Common Sense Media. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://hslda.org/content/orgs/, K12.com.

Administrators need to be able to raise concerns when they see inactivity and absences, to agree or disagree with reasons behind them, and then for everyone to be able to constructively discuss options for solutions, and even test out different solutions (and yes, sometimes fail and try something else). Enjoy! The third consideration is the mode you wish to use to teach the subjects you have selected. I was in the same situation as many of you, having to figure out what to do to keep the toddler busy while working with the preschooler. Here are a few options, as examples: CDC. 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. To this day, we stand by that rule and have had very few issues. 100 Things to Teach Your Teen While Youre Stuck at Home. Starting your day with gratitude and calm activities has been said to start your day off on a positive note. 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. They already do for other meetings and for lunch, right? They had to tell us the recommended ages by Common Sense Media, parents and kids and were only allowed to watch movies, play games or download/use apps that were 2 years over the lowest age recommended out of the three. 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. (2020). In all honesty, because we got sick of answering the question of Can we watch? questions, we came up with a specific rule to guide their choices. When we homeschooled, for earlier years, where I had many conference calls, and the kids were younger, we used videos for most of the elective subjects and studied each subject almost every day. Its important that parents, educators and administrators clearly define what the goals are and monitor progress toward those goals. You can research options for full-time online schooling, which some states offer for free (Digital Learning Collaborative, 2018).

Organizing any extra items needed (for science experiments, for example) over the weekend for the entire week will also help make your work/homeschool days flow much smoother. How We Rate and Review. ), 2) Do you (and your student) want the ability or option to participate in after school activities? 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. (Note that we do still have the requirement that they add us on all social media accounts so that we can monitor their activities there if we choose to do so.) Some subjects that lend themselves to video lessons are art, music, history, and even physical education, for example. Lets face it, we are all in survival mode right now, and trying to claim anything else would be misleading. 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. (n.d.). Other paid options exist for states which do not offer state virtual schools, like K12, ConnectionsAcademy, although many others exist, as well (Connections Academy, 2020; K12, 2020). 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. (These are usually set at the state-level and enforced at the district or school-level. In work environments, especially when working on projects, everyone has clearly defined roles and responsibilities which are laid out on a project plan. Instead of trying to convince your kids why they should be quiet and calm during your conference calls and hoping for the best, you might try giving them specific activities to keep them busy during these times. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://www.headspace.com/covid-19, Khan Academy (2020). (n.d.2). 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.

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. To commit to common goals, everyone on the team has to be aware of the goals, understand why those goals are important, and be aware and accepting of their role in helping the team attain those 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. Weathering the Storm. For later years (grades 3-5 and 6-8) we elected to study math and language arts every day, and study science, history/social studies, art and music one day per week each, leaving the additional day (which happened to be Friday for us) for making up work we didnt complete earlier in the week. Common Core Resources: Textbook & Publisher Resources. Everything else is a bonus. The public school administrators where we are were extremely helpful in working with us to determine the best placement. The state, on the other hand, wants to have as much control and oversight as possible, in many cases. https://medium.com/taskworld-blog/lencionis-5-dysfunctions-of-a-team-330d58b2cd81. The options are so abundant that it can often be overwhelming, especially for those new to educating their children at home. Current Homeschool Laws.

(2020). Parents need to be able to bring concerns to educators and administrators when things arent working for them and their children. (Remember: If you dont know where you are going, any road will get you there. 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. Florida is more strict, but does have umbrella schools that allow for smoother navigation of the requirements. Thats all any of us can do, and the only way we are going to figure out what will work is for everyone to be comfortable communicating and providing constructive feedback when things are not working. Some of the common misconceptions include: Lets attempt to address these one by one. Stay home and stay safe. Attention to results is the top and smallest portion of the pyramid. 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. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://nu.libguides.com/CommonCore/ccss_publishers.

For gratitude, an easy option to start your day would be to talk about three good or positive things. When I started homeschooling and working from home, we had one preschooler and one toddler. If your student is overloaded with work, have them work with their teachers and administrators to request extensions or accommodations where needed. (n.d.). Why not act like the dedicated school time is just another meeting? As you wrap up the day, after allowing your kids to play and relax for the first day, take three deep breaths and smile, knowing that you completed some planning and organizing, and that you are on your way. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/slideshow/2173553/coronavirus-school-closings-keep-kids-busy/1/, Wiess, S. R. (2020b). Remember that you have options and that considering the short term and the long term will help smooth any future transitions for you and your children. There are actually more options than you would think, and you are your and your childrens best advocate. 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. Scholastic Learn at Home. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/, Montessori Northwest.

SheKnows.com. These are all considerations when building a foundation of trust in a remote or distance learning team with all parties involved.



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