Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass, Common Sense Media. While I worked and homeschooled, I had a variety of types of jobs, all technical/knowledge-working jobs, some with more flexibility than others. Educators have never taught during a global pandemic, much less taught remotely or taught some students remotely and some in person at the same time. (n.d.). You dont need to go crazy buying organizing supplies. If you are teaching one child, you can skip this section. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://welltrainedmind.com/a/what-are-the-non-core-subjects/?v=7516fd43adaa, Common Sense Media (n.d.). (n.d.).
Retrieved March 16, 2020, from, Zao-Sanders, Marc. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://nu.libguides.com/CommonCore/ccss_publishers. 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. A big lesson learned in this transition is that no matter what homeschool curriculum you choose, there will be differences in what they learn there and what is covered in the public school curriculum, thus, some material will be repeated and there will be gaps to be filled in other places. The first consideration is the age levels you are teaching. Educators need to be able to express concerns to parents and administrators when things arent working for them, their class, or even particular students. We made a decision years ago to provide some independence and ownership of content decisions to our kids, specifically for movies, games, and apps. Remember the CDC guidelines and be innovative in your organization and space planning. Common Sense Media provides two different options for digital citizenship education. endobj
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. Considerations for Schools. (Various factors played into our decision, but one major factor for us was for the girls to have the option to participate in sports, clubs and other activities, and we were living in a location where they were districted into good schools.). Looking at these from a more positive lens, as opposed to negatively identifying them as dysfunctions, the list of what teams need to thrive include: The foundation of working together as a group, especially in a stressful, unclear, unpredictable situation like remote learning during a global pandemic, is trust. (The first is required if choosing homeschooling and not purchasing a pre-packaged curriculum or enrolling your children in a full-time online school. 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). (Also, in Connecticut, if your children were never enrolled in a public or private school, no notice of any kind needs to be filed. =R#om5%RH^~0{3vC; Youre Probably Homeschooling Way More Than You Need To. Administrators have never run schools, districts or boards of education during a global pandemic. Small wins go a long way. How We Rate and Review. Its important that parents, educators and administrators clearly define what the goals are and monitor progress toward those goals. Then, your stress levels went through the roof when it didnt all go smoothly with calm, quiet kids and dedicated focus for you.
You will need to research your options in your area if this is a deciding factor for you. A lesson I learned the hard way many times is that they cant both be done (effectively) at the same time. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://montessori-nw.org/what-is-montessori-education, Roblox. (2018). Accountability is the forth level in the pyramid identified by Lencioni, and aligns closely with constructive conflict and commitment. (n.d.). The standard subjects tend to include math, language arts, science, history or social studies, art, technology, health, physical education, and music. Roblox. Everything you need to organize your area is probabily already in your home. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://www.headspace.com/covid-19, Khan Academy (2020). <> Greater Good Magazine. If you want to really make it fun and engaging with everyone involved, you or the meeting organizer can make up a bingo card and send it out to everyone on the call. (n.d.). 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. 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. 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. 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. 5 0 obj Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources-for-families-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic, Earthcam. 2) Identify the subjects you would like to teach each of the children. 1 0 obj Age-Appropriate Chores. endobj Current Homeschool Laws. Trust that everyone is working toward a common goal, for example, is one type of trust.
How might it impact their learning? Some of the common misconceptions include: Lets attempt to address these one by one.
Awake and Mindful has collected five yoga videos for kids that might be one option for a calm activity to start off the day. A template for this can be found on many of the CT homeschooling group websites or Facebook pages. If any of you are like me, you started your working and homeschooling balancing act by trying to explain to your children how important work is, and how you have to focus (and they have to be quiet) while you are on work calls. 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. endobj 1) Draw out a rough daily schedule (or weekly, if your daily work schedules vary), allocating specific times for work and for schoolwork. The state regulations say that families MAY submit a Notice of Intent to homeschool and participate in portfolio reviews. 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. <> 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. Carter, Christine. Some subjects that lend themselves to video lessons are art, music, history, and even physical education, for example. This is not true, legally. The second option is for grades 6-8, called Digital Compass, which is accessible here: https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/, Common Sense Media. 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. Khan Academy Schedules for School Closures. You are the parent, and you know what is best for your children. 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. 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). Welltrainedmind.com. 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.2). Awake and Mindful. Coronavirus (COVID-19). Homeschool Laws By State. You will need to determine what is best for you and your children. Join a Master Class with your peers Earn CKS Certification in one of these topics, Join the push for greater adoption of KM - let us educate your staff. Write a list of the equipment you used to make your fort. 7 0 obj 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. Retrieved March 18, 2020, from https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSZhOdEPAWjUQpqDkVAlJrFwxxZ9Sa6zGOq0CNRms6Z7DZNq-tQWS3OhuVCUbh_-P-WmksHAzbsrk9d/pub, Khan Academy. They also expect to have to make up for missed learning in the fall for this last spring, especially for the younger students in lower grades. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2020 from https://grownandflown.com/soft-skills-for-teens/, Minecraft. Retrieved March 19, 2020 from https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/, Bestow. School and schoolwork does not have to be an all-or-nothing situation. endobj If you are unsure, Common Sense Media is a great place to start. What is Montessori Education? 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. Why not act like the dedicated school time is just another meeting? 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). Smoothing the transition in our new reality. (This is the option rated as highest risk by the CDC) (CDC, 2020). There are many options for finding safe content online for kids. For other jobs, like when I administered analytics servers, I had more flexibility to design my work day around the desired school schedule. Its also important to understand what is and what is not likely to happen in the next year curriculum and academic-wise and how that might impact you and your children. When I started homeschooling and working from home, we had one preschooler and one toddler. Find a fort posted by someone else and draw a picture of their fort and estimate how many people you think could fit in their fort. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html, Connectiond Academy. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.connectionsacademy.com/, CRHE. The activities in the basket could be anything from printed mazes, cut and paste activities, manipulative for counting, coloring books, etc. global human management resource international market place entrepreneurs hrm globalization markets cipd likely most succeed places where assignment business point 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? Many state and local education-related publications have language that indicates that the notice of intent to homeschool and the portfolio reviews are required. (n.d.). Florida is more strict, but does have umbrella schools that allow for smoother navigation of the requirements. 100 Things to Teach Your Teen While Youre Stuck at Home. (2019). vit bachelor bits systems technology 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. One combined list of these is accessible on EarthCam.com, here: https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/. State Virtual Schools. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/2218929/how-many-hours-homeschooling-per-day/. (This is a big deciding factor that can save or cost you a lot of time and stress. 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. ), 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. 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. Yours will too. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/kid-safe-browsers-and-search-sites, Common Sense Media. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/, National University Library. (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.) ), As you think through the answers to these questions and others, I would like to share about our personal experience with the transition from homeschool to public school in Connecticut only a few years ago. 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. at the schools themselves, but something to be aware of when asking them for assistance of any kind. While the kids play, you can plan your day(s).
Many other options exist, just be sure that you are accessing them through sites that you trust. Others may be planning their own lessons and activities. Always be appreciative.). (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.). Yes, movies sometimes work, but how about something possibly more fun (for you and for them)? There are also many online tours of national parks, zoos, and aquariums. 13 0 obj endobj These are accessible here: https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/. Here are a few suggestions of where we might start: 1) Develop (and ensure everyone knows and understands) clearly defined goals. Our children need to be able to disagree and question things when concepts or instructions arent clear to them. 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. You will need to determine the best balance and schedule for your family based on the ages you are teaching, the subjects you have selected, and the modes you have chosen to use to teach those subjects. AnimalCams. Hopefully, you have found this content helpful, and are on your way to planning a (relativelythey are our awesome kids, after all) calm, fun and enjoyable adventure educating your children at home while working. (n.d.). How Timeboxing Works and Why it Will Make You More Productive. For gratitude, an easy option to start your day would be to talk about three good or positive things. % Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.digitallearningcollab.com/state-virtual-schools, HSLDA. 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. 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. The first major hurdle for the transition was figuring out what grade they should be in. 8 0 obj Bauer, S. W. (2016). 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. (2018). 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). For example, Connecticut only requires a notice of withdrawal, legally, but does recommend (only a recommendation, not a legal requirement) a notice of intent to homeschool and portfolio review.
CommonSenseMedia.org. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.k12.com/. When you are planning your days, you will first need to decide how much time you want (or need) to spend with your focus dedicated to your work (in meetings, for example), and how much time you want to spend homeschooling your child (or children). 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. The key is not to be happy or unhappy about the approaches, but to be informed. Well, the best approach comes down to whether this is a temporary or long-term/permanent option for you and your family. The options are so abundant that it can often be overwhelming, especially for those new to educating their children at home. (n.d.). Everything else is a bonus. You will need to decide, based on your family values and rules about electronics and screen time, your work schedule and flexibility, ages of your children, and learning preferences and styles, what modes are best for you for each student and each subject. Will you and your children be ok with this or able to handle any repetition or boredom by supplementing with other activities? 10 0 obj <> fire inspection certificate testing protection ii test Headspace, a mindfulness and meditation app, is providing a series of their meditations for free in the midst of the current situation.
