This is by no means, an exhaustive list, just things I’ve read or talked about with other parents. Last Friday night, I hosted a Zoom meeting for the Parent Club (PTA) at Holy Spirit School. We all shared our frustrations and figured out ways we’ve been working with our kids. If you’re teaching more than one child at home, take these tips to heart. Also, do what works for you. If you have other tips, please feel free to share them or email me at gengoid@gmail.com Good luck.
Differences between younger and older kids.
Younger kids need plenty of guidance, and require patience for their short attention spans. They also may need to take multiple breaks during one subject, to have them refocus.
Older kids are usually self sufficient, and can follow the lesson plans on their own, but may require motivation to get them up in the morning, or to finish their work.
Switch your hats.
You are with your kids 24 hours a day now. They see you as either Mom or Dad. Teachers have the luxury of being seen as that, teachers. So the kids respect for teachers in a school setting is different from what you will expect of them at home. Your kids only see Mom or Dad. When it comes time to start their “lesson plans” for younger children, role play. Say you are the teacher and we’re in our classroom. This helps them identify that you are now someone different, and eventually the younger kids will align with you as a teacher. For the older kids, this probably won’t matter.
Every household is different. Every child is different.
Just because you see a child on your social feed do something like learn new life skills or finish their homework by a certain time, doesn’t mean you are doing a poor job as parent. Each family and household has their own traits with unique challenges. Some families have more kids, so attention and guidance are spread out. In this situation, you’re playing zone coverage instead of man to man. Some other families might have both parents working now than they did before, so you won’t have time to get to their class work till the evening. Comparing your children to your friend’s children sets you up for failure as a teacher. Focus on the child’s needs in learning and you will do just fine.
Give yourself grace.
You are probably working more now than you were when you went to work, and now you have the responsibilities of teaching your kids someone else’s lesson plans, while you’re also the disciplinarian, cook and housekeeper. Know that you are looking to guide your kids to the best of your abilities, and that when push comes to shove, you still have control of your day. If there’s something you don’t understand, look up the answer on the internet. If there’s a meeting you can’t move, move the kids work schedule around your work day. In the end, know you were never meant to handle all these responsibilities. This should be temporary.
Choose your battles.
Some days your child may not want to do specific assignments. Some students may not like the busy work, like coloring and are more interested in problem solving. Adapt to your child’s learning style, if the specific assignment doesn’t necessarily have to be turned in.
Build routine.
Start the school day the same time you would every day. Perhaps, in the beginning, get your kids to dress in their uniforms, or school clothes, like they are getting ready to leave in the morning. Just make sure the routine of school is brought to the home. So they align with the expectations of learning from home.
Create community.
School is every part, a community, and during this time, it’s probably the element your kids miss most. Recess becomes Zoom play dates. After school sports activities like basketball can become online skills training sessions. Just because we are “Shelter in Place” doesn’t mean the community aspect of school has to. Connect your kids with the activities and friends they value most.
Centralize communication.
Have a common communication tool from your school. We recently adopted ParentSquare as the centralized communication platform for all teacher to parent messaging. It’s placed us well ahead of the curve for Distance Learning, as it’s afforded us the opportunity to get one stream and source of truth for Lesson Plans, communication with teachers, and allowing our school community to flourish despite being at home.
Pre-planning logistics.
It helps when lesson plans are sent before the school week starts, like Sunday night. This gives you an opportunity to schedule the workload for your kids. What does this mean? Set up their laptops with the links they need from their lesson plans. Set bookmarks in their browser that get them to the appropriate zoom meeting. Print out any sheets that they may need to work on and set aside. For younger kids, teach them how to use the tools they have, and they will handle their Chromebooks, before you know it.
Calendaring and schedule.
You don’t have to create a kanban board or use a project management tool to set up your kids schedule, but if that’s what works for you, by all means, do it. A simple weekly calendar showing important dates like tests or conference calls for everyone to see, is a great way to get your household on the same page. Print it and post on a wall. Or if you’re tech savvy create a google calendar and set reminders on your kids accounts. Use whatever tool to communicate these things so you or your kids don’t miss out.
Over Communicate.
You will need to do this with all the adults that have an expectation of you throughout the day. Talk to your partner and tell them about your work schedule, and what you will handle at what times, tell them about certain meetings, so they can cover for those times. Tell people you work with about times you will be away, helping with the kids lesson plans, or block chunks of time on your calendar to busy, and designate those times for distance learning.
Ask for help from your teachers and faculty. Some may provide zoom one on one’s to motivate some of your kids throughout the day.
Create your own schedule.
Schedule the kids school day around your online work schedule. Distance Learning doesn’t have to be an 8–3pm school day. Organize the subjects or lessons around your own schedule, and check in on their work at the end of the day.
Set-up a school area.
Sometimes I wish we had space for a dedicated classroom but make the space work for you. Designate a place in your home as the school work area. This will be supported by their books, laptops, pencils, and journals. They should have all the things they need, away from other distractions like television or their electronic devices.
Meeting conflicts.
Zoom meetings, talk to your faculty and staff, to see if they can work a schedule that doesn’t conflict with other teachers they may have, so your children aren’t double booked for Spanish and Math at the same time.
If you have more than one child at home holding zoom meetings, while you are streaming a work call, bandwidth at home probably worsens. Either prioritize the meetings for your kids and choose what’s more important or talk to their teachers and have them schedule meetings that don’t conflict with other meeting times of your other children.
Remember their grade levels.
If you have more than one child at different ages and in different grades, remember that they all have their own ways of learning. One size definitely does not fit all. The younger they are the shorter attention span they have. Sitting through one 30 minute lesson works for your 8 year old, but may or may not for your 6 year old, and definitely not for your 4 year old.
Re-prioritize difficult lessons or the child that needs your time.
It may be a lesson you don’t have time in your work day to guide your child through. It may be that your child needs guidance with certain activities. Move those particular lessons into a meeting time in your work day. Yeah, schedule it as a literal meeting in your work calendar, or simply move that lesson after the end of your work day and into the evening. If there’s still something you don’t understand, schedule a call with their teacher. They are still your kids teachers, reach out.
Take breaks.
Young children in Pre-K through 1st, typically have shorter attention spans. The younger they are, the more guidance and breaks they’ll need even during a particular lesson. Have them get out of their seats, watch a quick video, dance, do push-ups or anything that gets their energy out, before refocusing them on their work.
For older children, remember they don’t do all their work in one sitting at school. They have breaks between classes, lunch and recess. Give them time away from their lessons. Structure if you can, otherwise the quick incentive would be their electronic device.
If it hasn’t happened already, one of these days you are going to break. Know that it will pass. Remember that your kids are in this situation as much as you are. There are other parents who are sitting in their homes, feeling the exact same frustrations. Take a break, connect with other parents and grab a drink. Make sure you break out the good stuff. Thank God for Spring Break.
