Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-mission/about-our-ratings, Common Sense Media. 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? Bauer, S. W. (2016). Minecraft Official Site. 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. Grownandflown.com. What can your student do to promote these team functions also? 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. Common Sense Media provides two different options for digital citizenship education. (n.d.). Carter, Christine. (n.d.). We also chose to provide our girls with education regarding proper behavior online, rather than feeling the need to constantly police them and their online activities. Focusonthefamily.com. These are all considerations when building a foundation of trust in a remote or distance learning team with all parties involved. 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.).

The first consideration is the age levels you are teaching. 100 Things to Teach Your Teen While Youre Stuck at Home. (n.d.). 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. The activities in the basket could be anything from printed mazes, cut and paste activities, manipulative for counting, coloring books, etc.

Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/slideshow/2173553/coronavirus-school-closings-keep-kids-busy/1/, Wiess, S. R. (2020b). 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. (This is a big deciding factor that can save or cost you a lot of time and stress. 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. 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. How might it impact their learning? Others split them into pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, grades 1-2, grades 3-5 and grades 6+. We have never parented (or helped our kids with remote learning) during a global pandemic. Coronavirus (COVID-19). 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. One combined list of these is accessible on EarthCam.com, here: https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/. Parents need to be able to bring concerns to educators and administrators when things arent working for them and their children. ), 2) Do you (and your student) want the ability or option to participate in after school activities? 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/. 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. Everything you need to organize your area is probabily already in your home. 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. (n.d.).

Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/kid-safe-browsers-and-search-sites, Common Sense Media. (Note that this is not a comprehensive list.) If you are homeschooling on your own, you and your children might be the only members of the team, but for others remotely schooling via distance learning options provided through their school or district, there are many other members of the team, as well. Many state and local education-related publications have language that indicates that the notice of intent to homeschool and the portfolio reviews are required. While the kids play, you can plan your day(s). Common Sense Media includes reviews of some books, as well. 2) Develop open lines of communication between parents, educators and administrators. If you plan to homeschool long-term or permanently, focusing on this alignment might not be quite as important or impactful. 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. Retrieved March 19, 2020 from https://awakeandmindful.com/best-kids-yoga-videos-on-youtube/, Bestow. 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. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://hslda.org/legal, HSLDA. A lesson I learned the hard way many times is that they cant both be done (effectively) at the same time. at the schools themselves, but something to be aware of when asking them for assistance of any kind.

Common Core Resources: Textbook & Publisher Resources. 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. 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.

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. For other jobs, like when I administered analytics servers, I had more flexibility to design my work day around the desired school schedule. One option is for grades 3-5, called Digital Passport, and is accessible here: https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-passport. Are you comfortable sending your children to school in the fall, as long as CDC guidelines for schools are followed (CDC, 2020)? Scholastic Learn at Home. 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. 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. Retrieved March 16, 2020, from, Zao-Sanders, Marc. 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. Yes, movies sometimes work, but how about something possibly more fun (for you and for them)? 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.

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. 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. Florida is more strict, but does have umbrella schools that allow for smoother navigation of the requirements. On top of a foundation of trust is constructive conflict. You can research options for full-time online schooling, which some states offer for free (Digital Learning Collaborative, 2018). (n.d.).

What Ill provide below is a brief overview of some of the options for planning the work, starting with four considerations for doing so. Common Sense Media.

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. 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. I was in the same situation as many of you, having to figure out what to do to keep the toddler busy while working with the preschooler. Greater Good Magazine. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://nu.libguides.com/CommonCore/ccss_publishers. Given the current closure of public schools, many publishers are providing content online for free, as well. 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. 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. Coronavirus Closed Schools: 27 Activities to Keep Kids Busy During School Closures. School and schoolwork does not have to be an all-or-nothing situation. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.roblox.com/, Wiess, S. R. (2020a). Will you and your children be ok with this or able to handle any repetition or boredom by supplementing with other activities? What we sometimes forget, though, is that our kids are, as well. Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://montessori-nw.org/what-is-montessori-education, Roblox. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.earthcam.com/events/animalcams/, National University Library. 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.

You can use an existing bingo card, plenty of which are posted for free online. They already do for other meetings and for lunch, right? They are asking because they truly care about your children and your input. KEY POINT: You do not have to replicate your full workday and the full school day, so give yourself a break and get rid of that expectation right away. 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? You can make, download and print your own bingo card at sites like BingoBaker, accessible here: https://bingobaker.com/ Yet another alternative is to keep your call off speaker, but let your kids mark off the square on the bingo, and you tell them when the criteria has been met. The standard subjects tend to include math, language arts, science, history or social studies, art, technology, health, physical education, and music. Remote Learning with Khan Academy During School Closures. 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. This is not true, legally. Uncertainty and lack of direction and why can cause unnecessary stress and a lack of commitment. 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. 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. 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? Here are a few suggestions of where we might start: 1) Develop (and ensure everyone knows and understands) clearly defined goals. 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. (2018). 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). 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. 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. 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). To this day, we stand by that rule and have had very few issues. 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. 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.

Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews, Focus on the Family. How might this impact your childs motivation to do their schoolwork?

There are so many options available to teach every subject, and many are free. (n.d.). ), 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.

Accountability is the forth level in the pyramid identified by Lencioni, and aligns closely with constructive conflict and commitment. 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. What is Montessori Education? ), 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. You dont have to wait until plans for the fall are released to figure out what you are comfortable (and not comfortable) with. I present to you the conference call activity challenge for today (03/17/2020): Conference Call Bingo (with your kiddos)! SheKnows.com. These can be accessed here: https://www.headspace.com/covid-19.

Best of luck with this years educational adventures. 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. 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. What if schools open in a blended format, where schedules are alternating day to day or am/pm?

(Dont forget to include what you used to keep your fort together tape, staples, clothes pins, etc. 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.). 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. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources-for-families-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic, Earthcam. Ultimately, only you can decide what is best for you and your children. The state, on the other hand, wants to have as much control and oversight as possible, in many cases. 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. 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!). 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. Here are a few options, as examples: CDC. Small wins go a long way. 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. Welltrainedmind.com. Make a fort out of anything you like (Amazon boxes, sheets, blankets, etc.). There are a few things to consider. 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.

Resources for Families During the Coronavirus Pandemic.

So, what options are there? (2020). Then, your stress levels went through the roof when it didnt all go smoothly with calm, quiet kids and dedicated focus for you. 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. (Also, in Connecticut, if your children were never enrolled in a public or private school, no notice of any kind needs to be filed. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.k12.com/. Retrieved March 25, 2020, from https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-compass, Common Sense Media. 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? Retrieved April 19, 2020, from https://welltrainedmind.com/a/what-are-the-non-core-subjects/?v=7516fd43adaa, Common Sense Media (n.d.). 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. 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. Homeschool Organizations. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/policy-issues/current-policy/, Digital Learning Collaborative. 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. 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. 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). Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html, Connectiond Academy.

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. Trust that everyone is working toward a common goal, for example, is one type of trust. You can ask the school about options for continuing distance learning (if they dont already include that as an option in their fall plans). that you will be bound by? 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. You are the parent, and you know what is best for your children.

There are many options for finding safe content online for kids. (2019).

Decorating Amazon boxes and used soup cans make great arts and craft projects and excellent organizers! Khan Academy Schedules for School Closures. Stay home and stay safe. Harvard Business Review.

Our toddler also participated, at an age-appropriate level, in virtual field trips, science experiments, and other educational activities with her sister. A visual representation of the five dysfunctions Lencioni identifies is shown below. (2020). Youre Probably Homeschooling Way More Than You Need To. (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.)

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. Age-Appropriate Chores. 3) Clear out, setup and organize your dedicated storage area for your schoolwork and related supplies. Note that this option and how it is implemented differs greatly per state. K12.

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. SheKnows.com. If you are teaching one child, you can skip this section. 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. Retrieved March 16, 2020 from, Center for Disease Control (CDC). 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. 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. 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. 3) Identify the delivery mode you want to use for each subject and each child. How School Closures Can Strengthen Your Family. For gratitude, an easy option to start your day would be to talk about three good or positive things. 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. 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. 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. I will gather and post a list of the supplies I always kept on hand soon. 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. 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. You will need to determine what is best for you and your children. 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. 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.