When The Kids Are Home…#8

Post 93

I was talking to a parent recently who mentioned being afraid that he wasn’t teaching his child the right way. I think that’s a concern a lot of people have right now. Homeschooling is new to most parents. How do you know if you are doing it “right”?

First of all, you know your child best. You know what he/she gets excited about. You  know what will make his/her eyes glaze over and what will make them sparkle. There is no right or wrong way to homeschool. The idea is to get from Point A to Point B. How you get there isn’t as important as getting there. If your little one enjoys sitting at his/her own special place to learn, then do it. If he/she responds better working on the floor, that’s the way to go. I know there needs to be a certain amount of structure so help your child do the worksheets sent home. But there are all kinds of learners. Some learn visually, some learn by hearing, and some learn better when moving. Frequently learners are a combination of the three. As I mentioned last week, a lot of lessons can be incorporated into playtime, nature walks, special projects, etc. Let’s say, for example, your son/daughter should practice writing his/her letters correctly. Making a special card to send to a relative or friend is just as effective at doing that as writing a sheet of the alphabet. Addition and subtraction can be emphasized when playing with legos or Barbies. A new way of teaching called Project Based Learning (PBL) has been taking hold lately in education. The student learns by choosing a topic he/she is interested in learning more about and lessons are built around that. The idea is that the direction of the learning is set by the student’s interests. What we are talking about here is the same thing. You can be incorporating education into your child’s play. That can be taken a step further by helping your child with a project that he/she is interested in and wouldn’t normally have the time for. It can be as simple as planting seeds or baking. (A lot of Homeschool math happens in the kitchen.  😉  ) Just be aware that there are lots of ways to “teach’ during the day.

I hope this helps! Take Care and Stay Safe.  🙂

When The Kids Are Home…#7

Post 92

I’ve been thinking a lot about emotions lately…ours and our children’s. I read a piece put out by NYSUT that was a fictional letter from “all the teachers on planet earth” to parents. It said in part: “Don’t stress about schoolwork. In September, I will get your children back on track. I am a teacher and that’s my superpower. What I can’t fix is social-emotional trauma that prevents the brain from learning…” I have found that children are mirrors of the emotional state of the adults around them. They may not understand why their adults are feeling the way they are, but they absorb and reflect those emotions. And right now there are a lot of emotions flying around out there! I know, as parents and as teachers, we try to keep things as ordered and calm as we can for our kids. So, don’t stress or feel guilty if you are not getting in every lesson that your son/daughter’s teacher has included in his/her packet. The idea is to get him/her from point A to point B. It doesn’t really matter how you get there. For example, counting can be done online or on a worksheet. It can also be reinforced on a walk where your child counts the number of rocks he/she collects. At this point in the year, we are usually beyond “3 plus 1 equals 4” and heading towards “how many more would you need to add to 3 to get to 4”. Try having your child figure that out when playing with legos. (“We have 3 blue legos on this side of the building and 4 red ones on the other side. How can we make the blue side as high as the red one?”) The point is to get the idea across, not to necessarily finish a worksheet. Another example…we want preschoolers to understand that the words on a page tell a story and “go with” the pictures. You can demonstrate that by running your finger under the words as you read. And if your son/daughter starts writing by drawing letters and lines on a piece of paper while telling you his/her “story”, he/she has gotten it! What I am trying to say is that homeschooling doesn’t necessarily have to look the same as learning in a classroom . That’s why it has the word “home” in it. If you approach it feeling more relaxed, confident, and happy, your child will reflect that. Tie it into the “fun” things you are trying to provide for your son/daughter. This is also a great time to allow his/her interests to develop in a way they can’t in a more structured setting. I saw another post put up by one of the members of this group (Andrea Damiano-Femoyer), a very caring preschool teacher. She calls our children “little heroes” who have had their “whole worlds literally turned upside down.” They are trying to make sense of things just the way we are. The difference is, they have you to help them through this. And as the NYSUT letter says, “No kids are ahead. No kids are behind. Your children are exactly where they need to be.”

Take Care and Stay Safe!  🙂

When The Kids Are Home…#6

Post 91

I hope your Spring Holiday…whether Easter or Passover…was happy. I’m sure it was different as we all try to navigate these crazy times. But having little ones who depend on you really makes you have to “rise above” the daily news and make sure their world stays steady. Being a parent right now is hard but it is what will get you through each day. I really believe that the stress of the world can go away when it is viewed through a child’s eyes. How many of us went for a walk or hike over the weekend? I’m sure your son/daughter stopped many times to pick up a rock, flower, stick, etc. (Some may have even found “bunny fur” which proved the Easter Bunny really came !) How many of us somehow put together an Easter basket, a special meal, a cake, a Passover Seder last week? The point is…let yourself get caught up in these moments. And encourage your child to get caught up in them, too. These moments of enforced togetherness have their good points, too. Even though there are times that I know are trying, days spent with a 4,5,or 6 year old have an innocence that will disappear as he/she gets older. They may be frustrating days. They may be loud days. But they are special days. Cherish them.

Take Care and Stay Safe.  🙂

 

When The Kids Are Home…#5

Post 90

Homeschooling, something that would have seemed impossible a few months ago, is now part of our daily lives. We are all trying to adapt…children, parents, and teachers. So, while we are on the subject, I’d like to talk about it from a teacher’s perspective.

As teachers, we feel responsible for each child in our class. If you notice, most teachers refer to their classes as “my kids”. That’s because, for about 6 hours a day, they ARE our kids. We worry about them…scholastically, socially, and emotionally. We are responsible for their development. They are a major part of our daily lives. And we really care about them. So now, when we are separated, it’s very strange. We still feel that responsibility and that love but we are trying to continue it over a computer and/or take home packets. This is new for everyone. So I’d ask you to please understand that teachers are doing their best, too. Hours are spent trying to figure out how to upload videos, adapt lessons to a new format, use other new technology, and still keep that warm togetherness feeling we have each day in our classrooms with “our kids”. (Not to mention online faculty meetings and professional development.)  Add to that the fact that most teachers have their own families to deal with at this time. Everything from trying to find wifi connections in the house, jockeying for space to “teach”, helping our own kids with lessons and schedules, to changing a poopy diaper are all part of what is now a “typical” day. Then throw in the stress of Covid 19 and all that involves and you can see, we’re all in the same boat. Just as you are juggling work, kids, family, and fear of the unknown, so is your child’s teacher. We are trying to provide what you are right now for your child…a stable, safe environment. As I’ve said before, we are both working together for the same thing…your child. He/she is what is most important to all of us.

Take Care and Stay Safe! 🙂