Well, the best approach comes down to whether this is a temporary or long-term/permanent option for you and your family. 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. If this was or is you, trust me, you are not alone. 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. 3) Identify the delivery mode you want to use for each subject and each child. 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. 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. Retrieved April 19, 2020 from https://grownandflown.com/soft-skills-for-teens/, Minecraft. 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. Homeschool Organizations. Homeschool Laws By State. Common Core Resources: Textbook & Publisher Resources. 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. A great list of them compiled by STEAMsational is accessible here: https://www.steamsational.com/free-printable-homeschool-planners/. Trust that everyone is working toward a common goal, for example, is one type of trust. 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. Resources for Families During the Coronavirus Pandemic. Write a list of the equipment you used to make your fort. What if schools open in a blended format, where schedules are alternating day to day or am/pm? Coronavirus Closed Schools: 27 Activities to Keep Kids Busy During School Closures. Common Sense Media. 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. 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). 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. 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. (Remember: If you dont know where you are going, any road will get you there. They are used to having their days and activities planned out for them months in advance. So, what options are there? Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://hslda.org/content/orgs/, K12.com. In my previous post, I noted that some schools and some districts are providing work for their students, which is great! If you decide you are not comfortable sending your child to their current school in the fall, what options do you have? Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources-for-families-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic, Earthcam. (n.d.). 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. Always be appreciative.). https://medium.com/taskworld-blog/lencionis-5-dysfunctions-of-a-team-330d58b2cd81. Uncertainty and lack of direction and why can cause unnecessary stress and a lack of commitment. Your child or children will be perfectly fine with a couple or a few hours of school-related work and other fun, educational activities while you focus on work. Why not act like the dedicated school time is just another meeting? You will need to research your options in your area if this is a deciding factor for you. When trying to decide what is best, there are always multiple considerations. The state, on the other hand, wants to have as much control and oversight as possible, in many cases. Administrators have never run schools, districts or boards of education during a global pandemic. While I worked and homeschooled, I had a variety of types of jobs, all technical/knowledge-working jobs, some with more flexibility than others. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/, National University Library. Headspace, a mindfulness and meditation app, is providing a series of their meditations for free in the midst of the current situation. Khan Academy Schedules for School Closures. 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. There are many options for finding safe content online for kids. Or, are you not comfortable sending your children to school at all until there is a vaccine, for example? Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews, Focus on the Family. 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. The second option is for grades 6-8, called Digital Compass, which is accessible here: https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass. Scholastic Learn at Home. 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. 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 first is required if choosing homeschooling and not purchasing a pre-packaged curriculum or enrolling your children in a full-time online school. ), 2) Do you (and your student) want the ability or option to participate in after school activities? Lets face it, we are all in survival mode right now, and trying to claim anything else would be misleading. Commitment is built on a foundation of trust and constructive conflict. 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. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass, Common Sense Media. To this day, we stand by that rule and have had very few issues. The fourth consideration is the schedule of the subjects you have selected to teach. You can ask the school about options for continuing distance learning (if they dont already include that as an option in their fall plans). 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 March 19, 2020 from https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/, Bestow. ), 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://www.digitallearningcollab.com/state-virtual-schools, HSLDA. You will need to determine what is best for you and your children. 30 Gratitude Games and Activities for Kids to Practice Thankfulness. 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. 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. Game Reviews. How Timeboxing Works and Why it Will Make You More Productive. 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. (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.). Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://montessori-nw.org/what-is-montessori-education, Roblox. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.k12.com/. The options are so abundant that it can often be overwhelming, especially for those new to educating their children at home. Weathering the Storm. Remember the CDC guidelines and be innovative in your organization and space planning. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html, Connectiond Academy. It is important to understand the risks and the comfort level you have with those risks, and, depending on the approach taken, the health risks for your children and for you (and for everyone in your household). Awake and Mindful. Others split them into pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, grades 1-2, grades 3-5 and grades 6+. 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. See below for our experience transitioning our kids from homeschooling to public school and considerations/lessons-learned that you might find helpful. 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. They already do for other meetings and for lunch, right? How might this impact your childs motivation to do their schoolwork? Carter, Christine. 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.). 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. A lesson I learned the hard way many times is that they cant both be done (effectively) at the same time. Are you comfortable sending your children to school in the fall if they are physically opened for attendance? (2020). Then, your stress levels went through the roof when it didnt all go smoothly with calm, quiet kids and dedicated focus for you. 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. 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. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/, Common Sense Media. 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. at the schools themselves, but something to be aware of when asking them for assistance of any kind. 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. Connections Academy. 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. Making sure others respect your time is actually easier than it might seem at first. Smoothing the transition in our new reality. (n.d.). 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. Others may be planning their own lessons and activities. Digital Compass. 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. One combined list of these is accessible on EarthCam.com, here: https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/. 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. (n.d.2). 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. The first major hurdle for the transition was figuring out what grade they should be in. While the kids play, you can plan your day(s). There are so many options available to teach every subject, and many are free. For gratitude, an easy option to start your day would be to talk about three good or positive things. There are also many online tours of national parks, zoos, and aquariums. Everything you need to organize your area is probabily already in your home. (Parents, dont be jealousyou can make forts, tooand even take your conference call from inside your fort, if you want to.). What is Montessori Education? You dont have to wait until plans for the fall are released to figure out what you are comfortable (and not comfortable) with. (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.). Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/, Montessori Northwest. The one thing that all of those spaces had in common was a dedicated space to store all of our supplies and work. 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. Many other options exist, just be sure that you are accessing them through sites that you trust. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://nu.libguides.com/CommonCore/ccss_publishers. 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. 2) Develop open lines of communication between parents, educators and administrators. Everything else is a bonus. Its challenging to ensure everyone is on the same page during a normal school year, but even more challenging during a global pandemic. 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. 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. (n.d.). If you plan to homeschool long-term or permanently, focusing on this alignment might not be quite as important or impactful. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. An example of this is a new kindergartener starting homeschool in the first year of school eligibility. It is important to remember this. SheKnows.com. 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. 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. Free Printable Homeschool Planners. 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. 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. A template for this can be found on many of the CT homeschooling group websites or Facebook pages. 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. 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.). (n.d.). 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. 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. Note that this option and how it is implemented differs greatly per state. However, we can control our reaction to it by staying safe, keeping our family safe, and following the Center for Disease Control (CDC) (2020) guidelines posted here: In my experience homeschooling and working full time (from various locations and time zones), the biggest lesson I learned was that I needed to be organized, but also flexible. 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. Here are a few options, as examples: CDC. Accountability involves all levels, including our children consistently being held responsible for their work. 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. Best Kids Yoga Videos on YouTube. 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. Yours will too. Common Sense Media includes reviews of some books, as well. 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. 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. (These are usually set at the state-level and enforced at the district or school-level. The standard subjects tend to include math, language arts, science, history or social studies, art, technology, health, physical education, and music. Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://www.headspace.com/covid-19, Khan Academy (2020). You can use an existing bingo card, plenty of which are posted for free online. Almost three years later, I can tell you that it was the right choice for both of them, without a doubt. 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.). (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. 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. 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. 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/. (2020). This is not true, legally. In work environments, especially when working on projects, everyone has clearly defined roles and responsibilities which are laid out on a project plan. 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. 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). 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. ), So, with this conflicting guidance and information, what should you do? 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. (This is a big deciding factor that can save or cost you a lot of time and stress. 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. (n.d.). They are asking because they truly care about your children and your input. 2) Block off the appropriate time for schoolwork on your work calendar and communicate these expectations to your manager and coworkers. Its important that parents, educators and administrators clearly define what the goals are and monitor progress toward those goals.