Monday, March 16, 2020
I am not really sure how to begin this post. It has been a wild year so far and it looks like it will be a bit chaotic for a while. We are all experiencing big feelings these days. I realize that many have different opinions and suggestions and theories about what is going on in the world. My emotions and opinions have been all over the place this past week. Surprisingly for a highly anxious person, I have been mostly at peace. Oh don't get me wrong, I have shed some tears and I have been shaking with the fears of the unknown, but at the end of the day, I am trusting our Father. It would be foolish for me to try to figure out why this is all happening, so I am choosing to trust that there is a reason and a purpose for this madness and I am going to try my hardest to work on what the Lord is wanting me to learn through these uncertain days. So, on the subject of learning, my social media feeds have been filled with another fear that many of my friends and family are facing over these next few weeks that have actually prompted this blog post, HOMESCHOOLING 😓. As a classroom teacher turned homeschool teacher this year I have thought of some things that might be helpful to those who find themselves helping their kids navigate this new adventure. Obviously, I do not have all the answers and you know your children and their learning styles/behaviors more than anyone, but I have thought of a few ways that might make these next few weeks (or sorry to say even longer) run a little bit smoother and keep you a tiny bit sane.
1. Mental preparedness- I start with this one because it will be the most difficult for you and your children. Prepare your mind that this is a challenge. It's okay to be unsure and maybe even a little mad that this is your life right now. Sit down with your children and talk about how this will affect your family life and come up with ideas and ways to make this easier for all of you. Talk with your children on the importance of taking this seriously and approaching it like school. My 7th grader kept saying on Friday that they didn't have school next week. Wrong! You do have school it just looks different. Let them be frustrated or annoyed and be okay with letting them know you feel the same way at times, but also let them know that you are all in this together.
2. Designate a space- You will be combining your home life and school life in the same space and this gets tricky. It also contributes to how mentally prepared you are to share your most comfortable space. Pick a place or places in your home that only school work will be done, I would suggest that laying on their bed in their room would not be the best place. Once you have decided on a space be creative and let them help you make it their school space. Let them decorate or make a bulletin board that will help them feel like they are doing school work.
3. Create some rules/guidelines- Think about some potential issues that might come up during these next few weeks and come up with some rules to help before it becomes a problem. Maybe you feel like your child will not listen to you (I have one of those) or your experience with helping them with homework is already making you sweat. Be honest with your child that these next few weeks you are their teacher and they need to listen to you just like they would at school and make a consequence or reward for listening to you. In my house, we have an issue with devices, so our rule is that nobody gets on a device until 1:00 and only if their work is finished. Chloe does have a morning break where she gets some time on her Kindle, but once again, goes with the guidelines we already have in place. I have already gotten attitude from my older kids about how the table is too hard, can I work in bed, can I work on the couch, whine, whine, whine. Stay strong parents!
4. Make a schedule- This is for you and for them! Try to keep the morning routine pretty similar. Our mornings are starting a little later than normal because S and E do not have to be at school as early, but I still have made a wake-up time and a start time. I would suggest the student works on two subjects then takes a 20-30 minute break. Let them get a snack and maybe some screen or toy time then back to work. Set a timer to help them stay on track and to help them realize that whatever they are working on will come to an end 😊. I have had a few people ask about multiple children and how to handle work that out. I would suggest that all the children be working during the same allotted schedule. You might have to mark that during a certain time you are working with a child, but it will only cause more issues if one child is doing school and the other is doing something "fun". Give one child something easy to work on (even if it's coloring a picture) while you are getting the other child ready to work and then switch to the other child.
5. Stay calm and try to have some fun- I am a trained teacher and there are days that I about lost my mind trying to teach one 6th grader. I am embarrassed to say how many texts I sent to Jeremy over this school year telling him I couldn't do this anymore! I knew that the Lord asked me to homeschool Chloe this year and for whatever reason, we have found ourselves being the teacher for all our children. Enjoy the moments with your children. Be thankful for the blessings that God has given you. You are making memories that they will tell their children about one day. These are precious moments that we have so use them the best way possible and you never know, you might just start to enjoy it!
These are just a few of my thoughts. I know it doesn't cover everything that will come up over these next few weeks, but I hope it will encourage some of you. I will be praying that the Lord grants each of you extra strength and grace during this time. I pray that the Lord gives your children peace and understands the importance of what you are doing with them. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to me! Air hugs to you all!
1. Mental preparedness- I start with this one because it will be the most difficult for you and your children. Prepare your mind that this is a challenge. It's okay to be unsure and maybe even a little mad that this is your life right now. Sit down with your children and talk about how this will affect your family life and come up with ideas and ways to make this easier for all of you. Talk with your children on the importance of taking this seriously and approaching it like school. My 7th grader kept saying on Friday that they didn't have school next week. Wrong! You do have school it just looks different. Let them be frustrated or annoyed and be okay with letting them know you feel the same way at times, but also let them know that you are all in this together.
2. Designate a space- You will be combining your home life and school life in the same space and this gets tricky. It also contributes to how mentally prepared you are to share your most comfortable space. Pick a place or places in your home that only school work will be done, I would suggest that laying on their bed in their room would not be the best place. Once you have decided on a space be creative and let them help you make it their school space. Let them decorate or make a bulletin board that will help them feel like they are doing school work.
3. Create some rules/guidelines- Think about some potential issues that might come up during these next few weeks and come up with some rules to help before it becomes a problem. Maybe you feel like your child will not listen to you (I have one of those) or your experience with helping them with homework is already making you sweat. Be honest with your child that these next few weeks you are their teacher and they need to listen to you just like they would at school and make a consequence or reward for listening to you. In my house, we have an issue with devices, so our rule is that nobody gets on a device until 1:00 and only if their work is finished. Chloe does have a morning break where she gets some time on her Kindle, but once again, goes with the guidelines we already have in place. I have already gotten attitude from my older kids about how the table is too hard, can I work in bed, can I work on the couch, whine, whine, whine. Stay strong parents!
4. Make a schedule- This is for you and for them! Try to keep the morning routine pretty similar. Our mornings are starting a little later than normal because S and E do not have to be at school as early, but I still have made a wake-up time and a start time. I would suggest the student works on two subjects then takes a 20-30 minute break. Let them get a snack and maybe some screen or toy time then back to work. Set a timer to help them stay on track and to help them realize that whatever they are working on will come to an end 😊. I have had a few people ask about multiple children and how to handle work that out. I would suggest that all the children be working during the same allotted schedule. You might have to mark that during a certain time you are working with a child, but it will only cause more issues if one child is doing school and the other is doing something "fun". Give one child something easy to work on (even if it's coloring a picture) while you are getting the other child ready to work and then switch to the other child.
5. Stay calm and try to have some fun- I am a trained teacher and there are days that I about lost my mind trying to teach one 6th grader. I am embarrassed to say how many texts I sent to Jeremy over this school year telling him I couldn't do this anymore! I knew that the Lord asked me to homeschool Chloe this year and for whatever reason, we have found ourselves being the teacher for all our children. Enjoy the moments with your children. Be thankful for the blessings that God has given you. You are making memories that they will tell their children about one day. These are precious moments that we have so use them the best way possible and you never know, you might just start to enjoy it!
These are just a few of my thoughts. I know it doesn't cover everything that will come up over these next few weeks, but I hope it will encourage some of you. I will be praying that the Lord grants each of you extra strength and grace during this time. I pray that the Lord gives your children peace and understands the importance of what you are doing with them. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to me! Air hugs to you all!
Comments
Post a Comment