(n.d.). K12. (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.) They already do for other meetings and for lunch, right? 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. 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!!! State Virtual Schools. Game Reviews. 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. There are also many online tours of national parks, zoos, and aquariums. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://hslda.org/content/orgs/, K12.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass, Common Sense Media. Your next steps are: 1) Identify the age groups of the children you are educating and whether they need to be planned separately or if the plan and content can be the same. (n.d.). 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. Uncertainty and lack of direction and why can cause unnecessary stress and a lack of commitment. 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.). (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.). 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). In the middle of the fall, we collectively decided that it was time for the girls to attend public school. If you are unsure, Common Sense Media is a great place to start. (n.d.). Coronavirus Closed Schools: 27 Activities to Keep Kids Busy During School Closures. Bauer, S. W. (2016). While we await final proposals for opening of schools in the fall from states and local districts, we are all asking what if? What if schools open as usual in the fall at full capacity? 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.). Minecraft Official Site. AnimalCams. 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 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. 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. 3) Clear out, setup and organize your dedicated storage area for your schoolwork and related supplies. These can be accessed here: https://www.headspace.com/covid-19. Common Core Resources: Textbook & Publisher Resources. 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. Then, your stress levels went through the roof when it didnt all go smoothly with calm, quiet kids and dedicated focus for you. Here are a few suggestions of where we might start: 1) Develop (and ensure everyone knows and understands) clearly defined goals. How Timeboxing Works and Why it Will Make You More Productive. Trust that everyone is working toward a common goal, for example, is one type of trust. In work environments, especially when working on projects, everyone has clearly defined roles and responsibilities which are laid out on a project plan. Considerations for Schools. 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. 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. ), 2) Do you (and your student) want the ability or option to participate in after school activities? We made a decision years ago to provide some independence and ownership of content decisions to our kids, specifically for movies, games, and apps. Free Printable Homeschool Planners. Homeschool Laws By State. If your student is overloaded with work, have them work with their teachers and administrators to request extensions or accommodations where needed. (2020). 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. Current Homeschool Laws. The first major hurdle for the transition was figuring out what grade they should be in. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html, STEAMsational. Administrators have never run schools, districts or boards of education during a global pandemic. 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. What is Montessori Education? 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. (n.d.). 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. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-passport, Common Sense Media. (Remember: If you dont know where you are going, any road will get you there. Youre Probably Homeschooling Way More Than You Need To. (Many states do not allow homeschoolers to participate in activities at the public school, but some states do. 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. 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. It is important to be fully informed of all legal and regulatory requirements prior to making your choice, so that you are making a fully-informed choice. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/age-appropriate-chores/, Grown and Flown. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.roblox.com/, Wiess, S. R. (2020a). You can use an existing bingo card, plenty of which are posted for free online. Our children need to be able to disagree and question things when concepts or instructions arent clear to them. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/slideshow/2173553/coronavirus-school-closings-keep-kids-busy/1/, Wiess, S. R. (2020b). The third consideration is the mode you wish to use to teach the subjects you have selected. 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. Age-Appropriate Chores. (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. (2020). Awake and Mindful. (n.d.2). We cannot control what this pandemic has become or is about to become or the ripple effects it may cause. Digital Passport. 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. 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. 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. Write a list of the equipment you used to make your fort. 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). 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. If you plan to homeschool long-term or permanently, focusing on this alignment might not be quite as important or impactful. While I worked and homeschooled, I had a variety of types of jobs, all technical/knowledge-working jobs, some with more flexibility than others. Carter, Christine. 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. Grownandflown.com. 5) Choose activities to start your day off on a calm and positive note. (Parents, dont be jealousyou can make forts, tooand even take your conference call from inside your fort, if you want to.). (n.d.). 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. 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. 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. If you decide you are not comfortable sending your child to their current school in the fall, what options do you have? 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. 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. Kid-Safe Browsers and Search Sites. 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. 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. Everything else is a bonus. Florida is more strict, but does have umbrella schools that allow for smoother navigation of the requirements. 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. 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. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-mission/about-our-ratings, Common Sense Media. 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. Coronavirus (COVID-19). There are actually more options than you would think, and you are your and your childrens best advocate. Accountability involves all levels, including our children consistently being held responsible for their work. ), 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. 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. Just take one step at a time and focus on one goal at a time. 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.). Retrieved April 19, 2020 from https://grownandflown.com/soft-skills-for-teens/, Minecraft. 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 18, 2020, from https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/611770255064350720/remote-learning-with-khan-academy-during-school, Scholastic. 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. 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. Educators need to be able to express concerns to parents and administrators when things arent working for them, their class, or even particular students. 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. How We Rate and Review. Commitment is built on a foundation of trust and constructive conflict. 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. 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? Always be appreciative.). 30 Gratitude Games and Activities for Kids to Practice Thankfulness. 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. But, there is also so much that is fully within our control. (2018). SheKnows.com. Making sure others respect your time is actually easier than it might seem at first. When I started homeschooling and working from home, we had one preschooler and one toddler. 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. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/kid-safe-browsers-and-search-sites, Common Sense Media. Some of the common misconceptions include: Lets attempt to address these one by one. Given the current closure of public schools, many publishers are providing content online for free, as well. Examples of delivery modes include DVDs, online learning games, online video lessons, printable lessons, workbooks and textbooks, fully online classes, and instructions posted online that allow you to create your own. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/, Common Sense Media. 2) Develop open lines of communication between parents, educators and administrators. 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. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://hellobestow.com/blog/gratitude-games/, Headspace. 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. Many state and local education-related publications have language that indicates that the notice of intent to homeschool and the portfolio reviews are required. 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. Common Sense Media. If this was or is you, trust me, you are not alone. 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. 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. Either way, you will need to allocate time for schooling for your children and for your work. The fourth consideration is the schedule of the subjects you have selected to teach. 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. If you are teaching one child, you can skip this section. (Note that this is not a comprehensive list.) Harvard Business Review. To this day, we stand by that rule and have had very few issues. Small wins go a long way. (2020). They are asking because they truly care about your children and your input. 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. Homeschool Organizations. 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. What Are the Non-Core Subjects?. Its important to have an honest conversation with your family and make the decision that is best for you, and to communicate that through these surveys. Some subjects that lend themselves to video lessons are art, music, history, and even physical education, for example. that you will be bound by? Best Kids Yoga Videos on YouTube. 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. 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. Focusonthefamily.com. Note that this option and how it is implemented differs greatly per state. 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. 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. Its challenging to ensure everyone is on the same page during a normal school year, but even more challenging during a global pandemic. 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. With some states canceling in-person schooling for the rest of the academic year and others extending the closures for additional time periods or indefinitely, but messages coming from politicians that we need to re-open the country, we are in a state of wait and see. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.connectionsacademy.com/, CRHE. 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. 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. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources-for-families-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic, Earthcam. Headspace, a mindfulness and meditation app, is providing a series of their meditations for free in the midst of the current situation. 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. 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. ), 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? (n.d.). 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. If yours has not done so, or you would like to supplement the work provided to your kids, there are many approaches to doing so. What Ill provide below is a brief overview of some of the options for planning the work, starting with four considerations for doing so. CommonSenseMedia.org. (This is a big deciding factor that can save or cost you a lot of time and stress. (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.). Enjoy! A lesson I learned the hard way many times is that they cant both be done (effectively) at the same time. The state, on the other hand, wants to have as much control and oversight as possible, in many cases. 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 my previous post, I noted that some schools and some districts are providing work for their students, which is great! 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. While the kids play, you can plan your day(s). (n.d.). This is when choosing distance learning through the school, working with the school on curriculum or even taking advantage of optional portfolio reviews, or employing a certified teacher in a pandemic pod could work out better than doing what we did with creating a custom curriculum. Attention to results is the top and smallest portion of the pyramid. 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. You are the parent, and you know what is best for your children. 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. ), 4) If you choose homeschooling instead of distance learning, are you fully informed of any reporting requirements, regulations, etc. ), 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. (2018). School and schoolwork does not have to be an all-or-nothing situation. We have never parented (or helped our kids with remote learning) during a global pandemic. 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. Common Sense Media provides two different options for digital citizenship education. (2020). 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). These are accessible here: https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/. 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. Yours will too. The public school administrators where we are were extremely helpful in working with us to determine the best placement. (n.d.). In fact, they have created a launch page for the current times, accessible here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources-for-families-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic, Common Sense Media. 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. Others may be planning their own lessons and activities. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/, Montessori Northwest. The standard subjects tend to include math, language arts, science, history or social studies, art, technology, health, physical education, and music. 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)? 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. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/, National University Library.
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