When I thought about school in the Fall, I felt like this:
None of the options were really appealing. At least there was not an option that I was willing to commit to for a whole school year.
So, I did what a lot of others did: “Let’s just see what happens!”
Our school district made the announcement last week. The students will be completing the first semester at home, online.
Last March, the kids left school abruptly one day being told to clear out their lockers. They came home and went right into “vacation mode.” Well, at least mine did. They stayed up half the night, slept half the day. They looked at school as “what is the least amount of work I need to do to get a D and pass this class” once the school went to pass/fail for the final semester.
In short, as learners, they were infuriating.
Our school district just dispersed the “Online Schooling Handbook” this week. Thankfully, they are making learning more intensive than it was in the Spring. There will be more accountability. There will be online classes requiring attendance. There will be grades, and they will matter.
Trying to convince my kids of these things has been a challenge. They figure that they did online schooling once, so they know how the system works. But the school has created a new system, and as learners, the kids need to adapt. We can learn from our mistakes in the Spring and make this next semester successful.
Here is how:
- A clean working space. When I told Bobby that twice a week he would have to attend class online for his 7:30 AM class, he told me he would sign in, turn his screen off so the teacher could not see him, and go back to bed. (I love it when the kids tell me what they are going to do to beat the system because now I know what they are not going to be able to do because of me.) I need to arrange clean working spaces, preferably where I can see them – actively learning.
- Devices. With three kids and three different schedules, they are going to need a device each. And preferably, not my dinky laptop. Thankfully, the school issues the kids iPads or laptops that hopefully will work and will need to charge nightly.
- Schedule. The kids need to start going to bed early to be ready for early morning learning, just like they do for any other school year.
- Take a step back. That one is for me. With Declan, online learning involved BOTH of us sitting at a computer, watching videos, and answering questions. When Declan got the answer wrong, I explained to him why he got it wrong, and I would put in the correct answer. To which he shrugged and replied, “Oh. Okay.” The kid must have looked like a genius. But he was not really learning anything.
- No phones during school hours. Last Spring, learning was replaced with video games, Tik Tok, YouTube, and face time. No more distractions during school hours.
- A Calendar. Looking at the class schedule, I need to get a planner and make my schedule. Bobby and Catelyn can, and should, be logging into their classes by themselves. But Declan is going to need help signing into his face to face classes and therapy meetings. The sample schedule for the elementary school looks like this (without therapy meetings).
It appears I am going to need to be very available between the hours of 9-3, and very aware of the schedule (I have no idea how working parents are going to be able to swing this!). - Get Outside. Outside time is going to be a must. My sensory seekers will just start sensory seeking on each other if they do not get a chance to get out and shake the crazies out.
- Supplies. I may not need to buy all the traditional back to school supplies, but I am going to need to stock up now on MY school supplies. Paper, paper, and more paper, with a side of computer ink. Pencils. Maybe some crayons.
- Gym/Running Time. That one is for me too. There have been days when I sent my terror of a child to school only to hear how wonderful they were for their teachers. It’s easier and safer to be a terror with mom! And now there are no breaks from Mom. I get the terror 24/7. So, mom needs carve a break for herself somewhere before she becomes a terror herself.
- Teacher email preparedness. Last Spring, my email was inundated by teacher updates at least once a week. EVERY teacher emailed. My older kids have a different teacher for every subject. Trying to figure out which teacher went with which child for what subject was a nightmare. Knowing who everyone is beforehand will save me a ton of time.
I was not for online learning, but I was not really against the idea either. None of the options were really appealing. Online learning for the first semester is here now and will be different than the learning we experienced as an emergency response in the Spring. Creating a new plan and a good attitude NOW is important for our family to have a successful school year.
Robyn, I’m so impressed how well you’ve thought this out and I am glad the school is calling for more accountability from the students this year. Please make sure you slot in regular breaks for yourself too 🙂 Your wellbeing is just as important. Good luck. The kids are in great hands with you.
We found out yesterday that kids go back full time to school in September. I admittedly feel some anxiety around the health risks but ultimately I feel relieved for all of us. I think, with health precautions in mind, this is the best option for T and us. When I say best I mean the lesser of the evil of all available options! 🙂
Thank you so much!
We had hoped, kind of, for at least some time in the school setting. A few hours a couple of days a week would have been a nice “testing the waters” on teachers, parents, and students. We live very close to Philadelphia, and the surrounding counties are lighting up big time right now. I am hoping, that as time wears on, the numbers will go down, and there will be a safer feeling in all the parties involved. I hope things go well for you guys! If the proper health precautions were put in place, I would have a good feeling about sending the kids as well.
I hope things will slowly open for you over there and that you can send the kids back at some point. But for now it sounds like a good approach to keep them at home given how things are lighting up as you said. We are pretty fortunate, in Ontario, Canada that they were very strict about lockdown for a while and it allowed things to flatten. Fingers crossed it will happen (and it will!) for your family and area too. Enjoy the rest of your summer in the meantime. It’s insane how quickly it’s flying by.
I went to college online 🙂 It takes some getting used to, but it sounds like you are absolutely prepared! I think you got this 👍👍👍
Thank you! My kids are soooooo unmotivated. They have no interest in school as it is and really want to do the least amount of work possible. I like that they are offering the classes online. Makes me feel like they are actually getting an education and learning something. Fingers crossed for a good experience!
It can definitely be hard to stay motivated, especially at home where all the cool toys and nice people are 😉
But I did want to add that schools sometimes try to stretch the work to fill 8 hours. With online classes, sometimes my work was done in 2, 4, or 6 hours (straight-up working and studying not goofing around 😆).
So, staying motivated for 8 hours might not be necessary, and “8” is kind of arbitrary. Some days yes, some days no. Anyway, that was just my experience 🤗 I wish you all well!
You know, I thought that! In the Spring the kids were done in an hour, and I think that is what they are counting on again. It may not be an hour, but it will definitely be less than a full school day, which is a total plus. Good point!
I like the balance here between the white and black boxes. I hope the district gives you a list of what items you might need for art or for any project based learning that might occur. This would help you with number 8. I am thinking of some of Gary’s posts when he was scrounging for materials for projects.
Your proactive plan looks very impressive. I think a dedicated work space can be especially useful. And it does sound like that space for at least your boys needs to be within your visual field. Hope you have space.
Hopefully teachers will figure out that it might be wise to take attendance at the end of class, after seeing everyone’s face the full time or getting ongoing participation in a chat box. LOL
I’m with Bobby. I don’t nap but I do go dark and multitask during some Zoom meetings. Some large writer’s meetings tell the audience to do that when a presenter is sharing their screen. Conserves band width they say. I can picture many kids doing what Bobby indicated.
I wish, for the sake of me keeping things straight, that the black boxes were more all together. I have a feeling I am going to forget to log on to one of those classes when I get involved in something else. I’ll get the hang of it, I guess. It is way better for Declan being broen up like that though, so I will keep that in mind. Haha! I bet that would probably be a better idea – attendance at the end. I can imagine a lot of kids probably will take a nap with the black screen on for protection!
I have alarms set on my phone fir everything. Its SO easy to lose track of time.
We haven’t gotten a plan. The weekly half hour Zoom meetings were complete disasters and actually caused problems.
Like you said “wait and see” is kinda the best approach until we know more.
Definitely carve out some Robyn time! I know Bob has work but you’re doing the job of several people all at once!
That’s what I am afraid of. When I get into something it really takes all my concentration. I totally see me missing “math” or “reading” by accident. It’s a learning curve, I guess. Bound to happen.
I hope you guys get a plan soon! And that it is something the helps Ben and you both!
Sounds like a better learning experience is afoot for you in the new school year, and I wish you all the very best with it, Robyn. I’m sure that, as you say, following the knee-jerk response earlier this year, it looks as though it’s all going to be much better organised and systematic and that’s bound to help. As for us, it’s back to school for everyone in September, albeit in class ‘bubbles’ for a while.
I think so, too. I think the schools had a lot of time to plan and prep how to make online learning more successful than they could last year having to make the decision so quickly without a plan. Good luck to you guys this school year! I hope it goes well!
Thanks Robyn, I expect it’ll be fine. I think they’ve been doing a lot of work over here too. Fingers crossed, anyway! 🙂
These are brilliant and so well thought out. I get them so much. I strongly suspect that I will be reading this list again in a few weeks as I prepare for our next marathon homeschooling session. The gym/exercise bit is the crucial one. We need this to keep us able to function – without that the homeschooling falls apart. Thank you x
I agree – I need something away from the school chaos so I don’t lose my mind! I am glad you like the list. Good luck next learning session!
I think you’re wise to set the ground-rules now. Write them on the dining room wall with sharpie. At least you won’t need to worry about tic tok. Gettysburg finally announced their plan which was exactly what I was hoping for, half the kids in school 2 days per week. Now the stupid part… masks not required. For. My. Life. I can’t understand why they would ignore such a simple and proven safety measure. I can’t believe the teachers aren’t going to rebel.
Oh my gosh, I have been dealing with this Tik Tok thing for the past 24 hours. Declan is trying his hardest to find a way to say he is Canadian on the app so he can still watch it. And believe me, there are people out there telling of ways around the stoppage by signing into these new apps which I am trying to avoid. He’s a mess.
No masks? Yeah, that sounds – well, not smart. I just new we couldn’t start this new school year like how we ended the last one. Changes were necessary. Here’s hoping for a good, illness free, school year ahead!
According to Eli, Instagram is putting out a tic tok clone on August 5. He’s pretty unconcerned about the ban.
Good to know!
Thanks for sharing dear.
Thank you for these tips. My son school begins in two weeks & we need to prepare him mentally and psychologically for it. It felt like a very long vacation since Spring. I hope on line school will really be serious this time because this many be our new normal for 1-2 years. Stay safe.
I hope it is more serious as well, and also that my kids take it seriously. How we approach this next semester will hopefully start a new mindset – especially if we will be doing this for a long time!
I agree. Our school district seems ready but I still see in the news part of the Bay Area are not ready as parents and students rally for what they hope to happen when school starts.
Something to help transition is to set timers on your phone. If the kids have different times they need to transition, maybe pick a different sound for each kid, otherwise time will just slip away. It will take some getting used to. I honestly am thinking about making my kids call me Mrs.___ during school hours to reinforce the school mentality. LOL ( only kind of kidding about that… ) Make your procedures known, stick to them, and best of luck like that rest of us! : )
Hey there! Yeah, I am nervous once I see all the different schedules and trying to keep on track with all of them. A timer will probably help a ton. The Mrs. thing is not a bad idea either! That will help keep the line drawn (for both of us – I’ll try and do a teacher reprimand instead of a mom yell 🙂 ).
Good post
Thank you!
I’m lucky that my kid was expecting change because he was moving up to junior high from elementary. He was already using a chromebook due to dysgraphia challenges so he has adapted well to that. We too set him up with a workspace and set it outside of his bedroom so he has a safe bolt hole if he needs it. It hasn’t been the easiest transition but he’s done remarkably well. We’re still waiting on what his support is going to look like but we’ve only been back just over a week and I know the teachers are trying their best. We’ve had to get in contact when issues arose and they’ve done their best to adapt. He certainly would be better face to face but the numbers here are not under control yet so we’ve decided to opt in to the virtual academy for the following grading period too. i hope your kiddos are doing well with this crazy situation.
Tomorrow is the big first day – fingers crossed things go well! It sounds like you are pretty relaxed and flexible, which I am sure is helping a ton. I hope to be the same way, even when things go wrong or don’t work. I hope things continue to go well and even better for you!
We just keep saying everyone’s trying it so there’s teething problems for everything…and there has been. Info from being completely relaxed to a basket case but that’s my typical coping strategy 😉 Good luck for tomorrow 🍀
Thank you!
Robin, I absolutely feel this. I love that you included your everyday school planner. Even if it is in 45 minute chunks, it still has that peace of mind that comes with having a set schedule as we move into our schooling away from school.
Thank you!
Amazing tips 😊👍🏻
You have explained it so well. As a teacher, I support the “no phone call” tip the most. Phone calls disrupt the studies.
Thank you!