Positive Spin on Quarantined Homeschooling
When schools closed due to the coronavirus, parents everywhere were in a panic. How long will they be home? Many had no child care and it was yet to be determined if they could work at home. As it turned out, many could, and on a not so bright side, many could not and their businesses had to close, then there were those in between. Some restaurants and bars could be open for delivery and curbside business but there still was the issue of homeschooling and who would watch your child.
Finally, it calmed down to a dull roar. Parents started to get in the groove of how this could work. Some parents shared on FaceBook that they were having to Google in order to teach their 6th and 4th grader their math lessons. Other shared social media information that was encouraging. Parents were now seeing just how difficult it is to teach and they are at home teaching one to three children usually, instead of 25. I have even read that some parents are ready to sign petitions for teachers to be paid higher salaries. I agree. Even now without all of the high cost curriculum programs available, most teachers are on line teaching creatively and professionally without having district officials waltzing through their classrooms disrupting the educational process. They deserve our praise and gratitude for continuing to give educational support to their students and their parents.
Then there are more humorous posts such as: Homeschooling is going great. 2 students have been suspended for fighting, 1 has been placed in detention for talking back and 1 teacher has been fired for drinking on the job. As well as one parent sent out a note asking for help or just more tequila.
My suggestion, for what it is worth, is to put a positive spin on this quarantined homeschooling. All parents say things can get a little crazy even when a routine has been put in place. Kids get out of control and there will be times that you will want to hang them up by their toenails. (kidding, of course)
24/7 within your house can take even the strongest of us over the edge.Your goal is to have some kind of routine established so that you can get what you need to do personally and professionally, as well as doing what is most important of all and that is taking care of your kids socially, emotionally and academically. A key word to remember in all of this is to be flexible. Make your schedule with your kids daily. If your child is really going strong with a new math skill, you have the ability to keep it going. That usually can't be done during real time school because there are schedules to follow based on lunch times, class changes, etc. At least you have more flexibility, for the most part.
Use this time while you have it to enjoy and cherish having kids with you. They grow up so quickly and these are memories that you can make last a lifetime. Building a stronger relationship during this unprecedented time should make you think that house arrest is not all bad. Have some humor and be creative. Such as: give each child a sketch pad and pencil/crayons and tell them to sit on the floor. Then you get on the sofa and tell them their assignment is to draw Mommy taking a nap.
Teaching in small chunks instead of overdoing it is the best way. Due to less children to manage than a real time classroom, you can get more done in less time so there is no reason to overdo it. There are so many positives about your child. I have a list of words from The Family Centered Treatment Foundation that can change how you may view your child:
X ~
strong willed spirited
stubborn persistent
wild energetic
emotional caring
dramatic expressive
unpredictable spontaneous
talkative communicative
quiet a thinker
clingy loving
bossy a leader
impatient passionate
dreamy imaginative
restless active
fussy selective
shy reflective
aggressive assertive
"When you look at a problem with positive frame of mind, you become a powerful source of energy that transforms obstacle into great success."
Anil Sinha
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