Let’s face it. Remote learning can be just as stressful on parents as it has been on teachers. Most parents who are in this situation are also working from home, so making sure kids complete school assignments is easier said than done. Below I have five tips to help you get through this crazy time with your kids. I know I speak for many teachers by saying we are looking forward to coming back to school when the time comes.
Communication
Make sure you know how to get a hold of the teachers. Whether your child has one teacher or several, knowing how to communicate with them is important. As a teacher, my parents not only have my email address, but they also have a number they can call or text. Many don’t take advantage of this, but it’s available. For me, the best way parents can get ahold of me is through email, which I check frequently. The number I give them is a Google voice number connected to my school email. As soon as a parent calls or texts, I get an email alert and I can even respond to a text through my email.
Make sure you and your child’s teachers are on the same page. Many parents don’t know what assignments their kids have for the day, so this could cause some assignments to be incomplete. Ask teachers which subjects your child should have assignments for. Some teachers may only be focusing on Language Arts and Math during this time, while others may have assignments for each subject. Once you communicate with the teachers, you’ll have a better idea of what assignments to expect for each day.
Workspace
Having a designated area can be helpful. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but some kind of space where your child can plug in their device, organize, materials, and get to work. This would be best if it’s away from the other screens such as a t.v. or other home computers. It’s tempting for kids to turn on the t.v. when they are close to it, but having the t.v. on while they are working on school assignments is not ideal. We use our kitchen table, and yes a t.v. is close by. However, the rule is that it stays off during remote learning time. When remote learning is done for the day, we have another place where we keep our materials and plug-in devices.
Plan of Action
Have your child write out their assignments each day on some kind of planner. You
could make one yourself or download one online. The planner should have a column for each subject and one for each day of the week. By writing out their assignments, kids can check them off as they complete them. This will help establish some kind of routine. It also may help them not feel so overwhelmed if they can see what they have to do for the day. This also will give the kids accountability to complete their work by being able to check off their assignments as they complete them.
I have a link to a planner I created using Google Docs. When you click on the link, you can view the document. If you’d like a copy for yourself, click the file and make a copy.
Check-in
I know most parents are still working during this time, whether they are essential employees, or working from home, it’s difficult to make sure the kids are actually completing their work. However, having a set time to check in with your child and their work will help the workload not pile up as much. Check their planner, and have them show you what they’ve done on their devices for each subject. My students have Chromebooks and use Google Classroom. Their parents could have their kids show them the assignment for each period using their Chromebooks. This will require more than just asking if your kids completed their work. Kids are much like adults in the way that some kind of accountability helps. If they know they will be showing their assignments to their parents each day, they are more likely to complete their assignments.
Take breaks
As a middle school teacher, I know my students have more than just my class for
assignments each day. Working on all the assignments at once would be overwhelming for anyone. Making sure kids take breaks is important. After completing a certain number of assignments, have the kids go outside for an hour or two. If it’s raining, have them do something indoors to relax. This could mean turning the t.v. on to watch a show, but I strongly suggest having them refrain from video games until after all their work is done. In my experience as a mom, it’s harder to get the kids off the games once they start. Kids could also use this time to draw, play a board game, or anything else that would be relaxing for them. Your child might need several scheduled breaks to get through all their assignments, and that’s perfectly fine. You might just have small breaks after each assignment instead of a longer break if that’s the case.
This is a stressful time for everyone in the world, but together we will get through this. While remote learning isn’t ideal, it’s the best we can do for our kids at this time. Exercising patience for yourself and your child, and even your child’s teacher is important. This is a new way of learning for most of us, so making mistakes is going to be part of this process. I know I will have a greater appreciation for learning with my students in person when we are able to go back to school.
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