I will gather and post a list of the supplies I always kept on hand soon. Greater Good Magazine. 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. No one knows what the right answer is to any question or problem right now, BUT, we can all try things, fail, get back up, and try something else. 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. The fourth consideration is the schedule of the subjects you have selected to teach. These extreme stances come with equally strong language, which can be misleading to the new or uninformed, so it is important to make sure you fully understand the true requirements before making decisions, finalizing your plans, and submitting any notices or documentation. 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 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. What Ill provide below is a brief overview of some of the options for planning the work, starting with four considerations for doing so. ), 4) If you choose homeschooling instead of distance learning, are you fully informed of any reporting requirements, regulations, etc. What Are the Non-Core Subjects?. This is not true, legally. (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.). 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. (This is a big deciding factor that can save or cost you a lot of time and stress. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/, Montessori Northwest. These are all considerations when building a foundation of trust in a remote or distance learning team with all parties involved. 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. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/kid-safe-browsers-and-search-sites, Common Sense Media. 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. (The first is required if choosing homeschooling and not purchasing a pre-packaged curriculum or enrolling your children in a full-time online school. In the middle of the fall, we collectively decided that it was time for the girls to attend public school. 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. What if schools are opened in a virtual-only format to start the school year and transition to blended or alternating schedule formats, or even full capacity later in the school year? Retrieved March 19, 2020 from https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/, Bestow. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.digitallearningcollab.com/state-virtual-schools, HSLDA. But, there is also so much that is fully within our control. 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. (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.). Coronavirus (COVID-19). 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. 3) Clear out, setup and organize your dedicated storage area for your schoolwork and related supplies. You dont have to wait until plans for the fall are released to figure out what you are comfortable (and not comfortable) with. 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. Or, are you not comfortable sending your children to school at all until there is a vaccine, for example? 4) *BONUS* You can also take an inventory of what you have for school supplies (paper, pencils, pens, markers, crayons, glue, scizzors, stapler, tape, whole punch, etc.). Remote Learning with Khan Academy During School Closures. Awake and Mindful has collected five yoga videos for kids that might be one option for a calm activity to start off the day. Its important that parents, educators and administrators clearly define what the goals are and monitor progress toward those goals. 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. 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. For parents looking online for content for their children, who may not be familiar with different websites, movies or apps, or unsure how to tell what might be safe or age-appropriate, this post is for you. 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. (n.d.). Everything you need to organize your area is probabily already in your home. 2) Develop open lines of communication between parents, educators and administrators. One combined list of these is accessible on EarthCam.com, here: https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/. 2) Identify the subjects you would like to teach each of the children. 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. How School Closures Can Strengthen Your Family. You can ask the school about options for continuing distance learning (if they dont already include that as an option in their fall plans). What can your student do to promote these team functions also? (These are usually set at the state-level and enforced at the district or school-level. If you plan to homeschool long-term or permanently, focusing on this alignment might not be quite as important or impactful. 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. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-passport, Common Sense Media. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass, Common Sense Media. 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. (This is the option rated as highest risk by the CDC) (CDC, 2020). 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. 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. 3) Identify the delivery mode you want to use for each subject and each child. 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. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.connectionsacademy.com/, CRHE. On top of a foundation of trust is constructive conflict. (2020). To this day, we stand by that rule and have had very few issues. How might it impact their learning? There are many options for finding safe content online for kids. What if schools open in a blended format, where schedules are alternating day to day or am/pm? Marc Zao-Sanders (2018) wrote an informative article on TimeBoxing, accessible here: Organizing your space is another aspect of your current situation that you have total control over. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://hellobestow.com/blog/gratitude-games/, Headspace. There are a few things to consider. 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. Carter, Christine. In my previous post, I noted that some schools and some districts are providing work for their students, which is great! Digital Compass. We made a decision years ago to provide some independence and ownership of content decisions to our kids, specifically for movies, games, and apps. that you will be bound by? 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. 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. The options are so abundant that it can often be overwhelming, especially for those new to educating their children at home. Resources for Families During the Coronavirus Pandemic. (n.d.). There are so many different aspects and layers of trust, as well. 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. Some states and districts are surveying parents to find out their comfort level with the options listed above (or others, depending on the state and district). While I worked and homeschooled, I had a variety of types of jobs, all technical/knowledge-working jobs, some with more flexibility than others. (2018). In work environments, especially when working on projects, everyone has clearly defined roles and responsibilities which are laid out on a project plan. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/, National University Library. The traditional homeschooling community is extreme in their desire to be unregulated and to have full freedom to educate their children however they wish, with minimal or no governmental intervention or oversight. 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. Note that this option and how it is implemented differs greatly per state. 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. 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). 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. (n.d.2). To avoid things becoming disorganized, piling up, getting dirty during meals, etc., it is best to dedicate a shelf or whole bookshelf to the schoolwork, books and all related equipment. (Many states do not allow homeschoolers to participate in activities at the public school, but some states do. Awake and Mindful. Retrieved March 18, 2020, from https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSZhOdEPAWjUQpqDkVAlJrFwxxZ9Sa6zGOq0CNRms6Z7DZNq-tQWS3OhuVCUbh_-P-WmksHAzbsrk9d/pub, Khan Academy. It is also very important to note, especially when you are reading and researching your options, that there are two extremes to the homeschooling debate or conversation, especially in Connecticut, but it is likely evident elsewhere, as well. 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. 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. 1) Draw out a rough daily schedule (or weekly, if your daily work schedules vary), allocating specific times for work and for schoolwork. Are you comfortable sending your children to school in the fall, as long as CDC guidelines for schools are followed (CDC, 2020)? 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. 100 Things to Teach Your Teen While Youre Stuck at Home. Yes, movies sometimes work, but how about something possibly more fun (for you and for them)? One option is for grades 3-5, called Digital Passport, and is accessible here: https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-passport. While you are working on a schedule more customized to you, your kids and your work schedule, two companies, Khan Academy and Scholastic, have recently provided lesson plans and activities free for children who are now staying home due to school closings. 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. 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). ), So, with this conflicting guidance and information, what should you do? Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-mission/about-our-ratings, Common Sense Media. The state regulations say that families MAY submit a Notice of Intent to homeschool and participate in portfolio reviews. How We Rate and Review. These are legally optional. 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)? (Dont forget to include what you used to keep your fort together tape, staples, clothes pins, etc. 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. A template for this can be found on many of the CT homeschooling group websites or Facebook pages. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html, STEAMsational. Stay home and stay safe. Parents need to be able to bring concerns to educators and administrators when things arent working for them and their children. K12. We have never parented (or helped our kids with remote learning) during a global pandemic. Decorating Amazon boxes and used soup cans make great arts and craft projects and excellent organizers! The activities in the basket could be anything from printed mazes, cut and paste activities, manipulative for counting, coloring books, etc. Make a fort out of anything you like (Amazon boxes, sheets, blankets, etc.). 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. 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. The key is not to be happy or unhappy about the approaches, but to be informed. 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. 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. Focusonthefamily.com. (Parents, dont be jealousyou can make forts, tooand even take your conference call from inside your fort, if you want to.). Many state and local education-related publications have language that indicates that the notice of intent to homeschool and the portfolio reviews are required. The public school administrators where we are were extremely helpful in working with us to determine the best placement. If your student is overloaded with work, have them work with their teachers and administrators to request extensions or accommodations where needed. (2020). 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. (n.d.). An example of this is a new kindergartener starting homeschool in the first year of school eligibility. Roblox. Our children need to be able to disagree and question things when concepts or instructions arent clear to them. 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. See below for our experience transitioning our kids from homeschooling to public school and considerations/lessons-learned that you might find helpful. Age-Appropriate Chores. 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. at the schools themselves, but something to be aware of when asking them for assistance of any kind. Some of the common misconceptions include: Lets attempt to address these one by one. Uncertainty and lack of direction and why can cause unnecessary stress and a lack of commitment. Weathering the Storm. (2020). Almost three years later, I can tell you that it was the right choice for both of them, without a doubt. How Timeboxing Works and Why it Will Make You More Productive. The CRHE and HSLDA do a great job of keeping up with the current state regulations and how they are implemented (along with your legal rights and options as a homeschooler) (CRHE, n.d.; HSLDA, n.d.). 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/. Florida is more strict, but does have umbrella schools that allow for smoother navigation of the requirements. 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. The first major hurdle for the transition was figuring out what grade they should be in. 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. CommonSenseMedia.org. 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, 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. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://montessori-nw.org/what-is-montessori-education, Roblox. 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 March 16, 2020 from, Center for Disease Control (CDC). 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. The one thing that all of those spaces had in common was a dedicated space to store all of our supplies and work. Here are a few options, as examples: CDC. (2020). 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. You can choose to homeschool your children with you being the primary teacher (as opposed to distance-learning where you are assisting your children with work assigned by their teacher). ), 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. 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. 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. 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.). 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. Are you comfortable sending your children to school in the fall if they are physically opened for attendance? When trying to decide what is best, there are always multiple considerations. 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. Being completely clear on goals, roles, and contributions can promote commitment and team cohesion. It is also an opportunity for us to find ways for our kids to help around the house and to teach them new life skills that are no longer taught in schools. 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. Common Sense Media. Our toddler also participated, at an age-appropriate level, in virtual field trips, science experiments, and other educational activities with her sister. (n.d.). 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. You are the parent, and you know what is best for your children. 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. 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. You will need to research your options in your area if this is a deciding factor for you. 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. They are used to having their days and activities planned out for them months in advance. Kid-Safe Browsers and Search Sites. 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. Youre Probably Homeschooling Way More Than You Need To. 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. You can research options for full-time online schooling, which some states offer for free (Digital Learning Collaborative, 2018). (2020). Connections Academy. Here are a few suggestions of where we might start: 1) Develop (and ensure everyone knows and understands) clearly defined goals. AnimalCams. 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. Ultimately, only you can decide what is best for you and your children. Minecraft Official Site. With everyone rushing around trying to figure out what they are going to do for the fall, it is important to also pause, step back, and consider how the plans you make for the fall fit into your future educational plans.

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