Starting your day with gratitude and calm activities has been said to start your day off on a positive note.

Write a list of the equipment you used to make your fort. Florida is more strict, but does have umbrella schools that allow for smoother navigation of the requirements.

We have never parented (or helped our kids with remote learning) during a global pandemic. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/slideshow/2173553/coronavirus-school-closings-keep-kids-busy/1/, Wiess, S. R. (2020b). 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. See below for our experience transitioning our kids from homeschooling to public school and considerations/lessons-learned that you might find helpful.

Small wins go a long way.

School and schoolwork does not have to be an all-or-nothing situation.

(n.d.). (n.d.). In my previous post, I noted that some schools and some districts are providing work for their students, which is great! On top of a foundation of trust is constructive conflict. Resources for Families During the Coronavirus Pandemic.

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.

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.

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. Kid-Safe Browsers and Search Sites.

(n.d.).

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. Greater Good Magazine. 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. 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. 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.

You will need to research your options in your area if this is a deciding factor for you.

(2020). 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. Bauer, S. W. (2016).

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).

https://medium.com/taskworld-blog/lencionis-5-dysfunctions-of-a-team-330d58b2cd81. Everything you need to organize your area is probabily already in your home. 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.

Grownandflown.com.

(These are usually set at the state-level and enforced at the district or school-level. Accountability is the forth level in the pyramid identified by Lencioni, and aligns closely with constructive conflict and commitment. You can then try to save each others sanity by intermittently saying or doing the things you know are on the card, so that everyone has a chance to keep their kids engaged, but quiet (because shhhwe have to hear what is going on, so we dont miss out on a bingo square!).

Either way, some people are going to be happy and some unhappy, regardless of the plan or approach that is taken. 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).

Parents need to be able to bring concerns to educators and administrators when things arent working for them and their children.

One combined list of these is accessible on EarthCam.com, here: https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/. 2) Block off the appropriate time for schoolwork on your work calendar and communicate these expectations to your manager and coworkers.

Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://welltrainedmind.com/a/what-are-the-non-core-subjects/?v=7516fd43adaa, Common Sense Media (n.d.). Minecraft Official Site.

Weathering the Storm.

There are many options for finding safe content online for kids. Administrators have never run schools, districts or boards of education during a global pandemic. A visual representation of the five dysfunctions Lencioni identifies is shown below. 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? Others split them into pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, grades 1-2, grades 3-5 and grades 6+.

Carter, Christine.

Decorating Amazon boxes and used soup cans make great arts and craft projects and excellent organizers! The first major hurdle for the transition was figuring out what grade they should be in. Almost three years later, I can tell you that it was the right choice for both of them, without a doubt.

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.

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.

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. (Dont forget to include what you used to keep your fort together tape, staples, clothes pins, etc.

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. There are so many options available to teach every subject, and many are free. (n.d.). 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. 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. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.connectionsacademy.com/, CRHE. (The first is required if choosing homeschooling and not purchasing a pre-packaged curriculum or enrolling your children in a full-time online school. There are many misconceptions about homeschooling, in general, but especially with working and homeschooling.

Age-Appropriate Chores. 3) Identify the delivery mode you want to use for each subject and each child.

at the schools themselves, but something to be aware of when asking them for assistance of any kind.

(n.d.).

), 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?

), So, with this conflicting guidance and information, what should you do?

(Note that this is an unpopular opinion and not promoted or frequently supported in the traditional, long-term homeschooling community, though, so questions about this option in these traditional groups or distribution lists may not be met with the most positive reactions.)

As 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.

Yours will too. Its challenging to ensure everyone is on the same page during a normal school year, but even more challenging during a global pandemic.

Attention to results is the top and smallest portion of the pyramid. Administrators need to be able to raise concerns when they see inactivity and absences, to agree or disagree with reasons behind them, and then for everyone to be able to constructively discuss options for solutions, and even test out different solutions (and yes, sometimes fail and try something else).

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. Are you comfortable sending your children to school in the fall if they are physically opened for attendance? The second consideration is the subjects you wish to teach.

(Many states do not allow homeschoolers to participate in activities at the public school, but some states do.

Then, your stress levels went through the roof when it didnt all go smoothly with calm, quiet kids and dedicated focus for you.

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. Common Sense Media includes reviews of some books, as well. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://nu.libguides.com/CommonCore/ccss_publishers. (n.d.). Other paid options exist for states which do not offer state virtual schools, like K12, ConnectionsAcademy, although many others exist, as well (Connections Academy, 2020; K12, 2020). The standard subjects tend to include math, language arts, science, history or social studies, art, technology, health, physical education, and music. Connections Academy. 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.

Remember the CDC guidelines and be innovative in your organization and space planning.

4) Ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and identify how each will be held accountable and how opportunities for improvements will be identified, evaluated, and implemented. While I worked and homeschooled, I had a variety of types of jobs, all technical/knowledge-working jobs, some with more flexibility than others.

(This is the option rated as highest risk by the CDC) (CDC, 2020).

Awake and Mindful. 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.

What can your student do to promote these team functions also? If this was or is you, trust me, you are not alone.

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.

The fourth consideration is the schedule of the subjects you have selected to teach.

So, what options are there?

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). that you will be bound by?

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.

Coronavirus (COVID-19).

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.

Ultimately, only you can decide what is best for you and your children. Remote Learning with Khan Academy During School Closures. 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.

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 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.

Headspace, a mindfulness and meditation app, is providing a series of their meditations for free in the midst of the current situation. Game Reviews. Homeschool Organizations. 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. Best Kids Yoga Videos on YouTube.

You can use an existing bingo card, plenty of which are posted for free online.

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. For gratitude, an easy option to start your day would be to talk about three good or positive things. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/, National University Library. 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.

(n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/, Montessori Northwest. Trust that everyone is working toward a common goal, for example, is one type of trust. When trying to decide what is best, there are always multiple considerations. 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. 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.

Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/policy-issues/current-policy/, Digital Learning Collaborative. These can be accessed here: https://www.headspace.com/covid-19.

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. 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.

Retrieved March 19, 2020, from https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html, STEAMsational.

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. Scholastic Learn at Home. The public school administrators where we are were extremely helpful in working with us to determine the best placement. The activities in the basket could be anything from printed mazes, cut and paste activities, manipulative for counting, coloring books, etc.

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. You will need to determine what is best for you and your children.

Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html, Connectiond Academy. In all honesty, because we got sick of answering the question of Can we watch? questions, we came up with a specific rule to guide their choices.

Retrieved March 19, 2020 from https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/, Bestow.

If you are unsure, Common Sense Media is a great place to start. 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.

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. 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. 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.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-mission/about-our-ratings, Common Sense Media.

Best of luck with this years educational adventures.

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. What is Montessori Education? Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.digitallearningcollab.com/state-virtual-schools, HSLDA.

The options are so abundant that it can often be overwhelming, especially for those new to educating their children at home. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.k12.com/.

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. Harvard Business Review. They are used to having their days and activities planned out for them months in advance.

You are the parent, and you know what is best for your children. (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.). 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. On a sports team, each team member (player, coach, manager) has to understand their role in the teams success to be committed to being the best in that role that they possibly can, thus maximizing their contribution to the team and the teams progress toward that goal. These are all considerations when building a foundation of trust in a remote or distance learning team with all parties involved. What we sometimes forget, though, is that our kids are, as well. We cannot control what this pandemic has become or is about to become or the ripple effects it may cause. 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. Many other options exist, just be sure that you are accessing them through sites that you trust. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://montessori-nw.org/what-is-montessori-education, Roblox. 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. (n.d.).

), 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.

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.

They already do for other meetings and for lunch, right?

Youre Probably Homeschooling Way More Than You Need To. A great list of them compiled by STEAMsational is accessible here: https://www.steamsational.com/free-printable-homeschool-planners/.

30 Gratitude Games and Activities for Kids to Practice Thankfulness.

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.

Educators need to be able to express concerns to parents and administrators when things arent working for them, their class, or even particular students.

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. Accountability involves all levels, including our children consistently being held responsible for their work.

If you have decided that you are not yet comfortable physically sending your kids back to a school building, thinking through some of the following questions might be helpful in deciding between distance learning (assuming this option is available/offered through your school) and homeschooling: 1) Do you want to choose your own curriculum, make your own lesson plans, etc., or do you want to assist your children in completing teacher-assigned activities? The key is not to be happy or unhappy about the approaches, but to be informed.

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. Welltrainedmind.com.

But, there is also so much that is fully within our control.

The best resource we have found for determining age-appropriateness of movies, games, applications and some websites is Common Sense Media, accessible here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/. 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). (2020).

If you want to really make it fun and engaging with everyone involved, you or the meeting organizer can make up a bingo card and send it out to everyone on the call.

(n.d.). (2020). (2018). 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.

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. CommonSenseMedia.org.

When I started homeschooling and working from home, we had one preschooler and one toddler. Well, the best approach comes down to whether this is a temporary or long-term/permanent option for you and your family.

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.

If your student is overloaded with work, have them work with their teachers and administrators to request extensions or accommodations where needed. 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. 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.

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