This letter has been rolling around in my head for about a week now. All week long, as more and more places decided to close their doors, and as "social distancing" became more and more prevalent (and more and more a part of our vocabulary) I've been pondering what exactly I could (or should?) say in this space. The only thing that I knew for sure was that I wanted to be sure to document this piece of history here (for it absolutely is a piece of history that I will surely tell my grandchildren and great-grandchildren about).
And then, as more and more schools closed and more and more parents were left wondering "what am I going to do with my children home for two to four weeks?" and as more and more parents reached out to those of us who homeschool to ask for guidance, a thought occurred to me: I should tell these parents that same thing that I have told any parent who comes to me asking about homeschooling, or who has come to me to ask how to get started homeschooling. And so, without further adieu here we go....
And then, as more and more schools closed and more and more parents were left wondering "what am I going to do with my children home for two to four weeks?" and as more and more parents reached out to those of us who homeschool to ask for guidance, a thought occurred to me: I should tell these parents that same thing that I have told any parent who comes to me asking about homeschooling, or who has come to me to ask how to get started homeschooling. And so, without further adieu here we go....
Dear Friends,
My friend Rob said to me the other day that I must be excited that everyone has to homeschool now. And while I absolutely am, I also want to offer some thoughts to those of you who find yourselves thrust into a world that you may or may not want to be part of.
For those of you who have been wanting to try homeschooling for years I say "welcome home!" These next two to four weeks may be just the opportunity you have been waiting for! Try it on. See how it fits. Who knows, you may like it here enough to stay (or to keep it in mind for somewhere down the road. Jen, I am especially looking at you).
For those of you who feel panicked and never wanted this (those of you who have often said to me: "I give you so much credit! I could NEVER homeschool!)! I say, don't. Don't feel like you need to do something that doesn't feel absolutely right to you and your children. We all know that when something doesn't feel right that chances are it isn't. Listen to that still small voice inside your heart and follow it.
And for those of you who are somewhere in the middle, the people that are embracing it and curious about it, but most likely will be happy to send their children back to school when all is said and done, I say "join us". You may find that you like it here. Or you may find confirmation that you are meant to be a traditionally schooling family. Or you may be left with more questions than you began with. Either way, enjoy the ride and the peek into our world!
Regardless of your feelings on this new normal, I want to share with you some wisdom that I tell people when they ask me about homeschoolng. It doesn't matter if they are just curious, or if they are asking because they are seriously considering homeschooling. This wisdom applies no matter the situation.
1). Don't try to recreate school at home. Unless you have been homeschooling from the get-go and that's how you've always done it then it's not going to work. "Playing school" will be fun for about an hour (maybe even as long as a day) but honestly it's not going to last beyond that. Unless you run your home like a classroom and the children have been calling you "Mrs. Mom and Mr. Dad" all along it's just not wise to start now. They have grown up with home as home and school as school. Please try to keep it that way (unless of course, recreating school at home is right and beneficial to your family).
2. Do not think that you need to "do school" or "do lessons" from 9:00am-3:00pm (or 7:30am-2:00pm or whatever the usual school day is). Here in our house lessons start generally around 9:00am and we are generally done by 12:00pm, unless of course we are moving very slowly and then we adjust accordingly. If the girls are especially silly/unfocused we may go as late as 1:00pm but that's rare (and usually only happens in May. This is why we are always done with lessons by Memorial Day weekend). When you don't have a classroom of twenty kids you can get a lot done in just two or three hours! Do lessons at a time that fits for your family. Maybe that is first thing in the morning. Or maybe that's after lunch or in the evening. Whatever it is, do what works for you.
3. Don't think that you have to "do school" Monday through Friday. If Tuesday through Saturday works, go for it. If Monday, Wednesday Friday works, go for it. We generally do lessons Monday through Thursday and leave Fridays as a quiet day or as a skiing day or as a let's go on a trip day or as errand day or as catch up day (if we didn't finish something). Sometimes Friday is even just another day of lessons because they have decided they want to dig a little deeper than we were able to get in four days!
4. If your district has set rules like you HAVE to log in at a certain time each day, follow those, but once that time has been met/achieved call that part of the day done.
5. Don't worry about sticking to a stringent schedule. Establish a rhythm to your day instead. The difference between a schedule and a rhythm is that a schedule is time based (breakfast at 8:00am) where as a rhythm flows from one thing to the next. The girls know that each morning when they wake up they watch TV while Dave and I make breakfast. Once breakfast starts the rest of the day just flows from one part to the next. And yes, generally each thing happens around the same time each day but even if we wake up at 10:00am, the rhythm will flow the same way as it does if we wake up at 6:00am. If you keep your days as they generally are and simply figure out what that piece looks like during the hours where they are usually at school that may help.
As homeschoolers our entire day "counts". So with that in mind everything becomes a learning opportunity. When I go and write the girls' progress reports for the district, I look at their lesson work but I also look back at my Instagram feed and blog posts as everything "counts".
Getting out of the mindset that school (learning) only takes place in a certain building at certain times of the day is the greatest gift you will ever give your children.
Getting out of the mindset that school (learning) only takes place in a certain building at certain times of the day is the greatest gift you will ever give your children.
7. Have a dedicated quiet time each day. For little littles this may be nap time , for older kids this may be time to watch a movie or FaceTime or text with their friends. I make sure that our quiet time generally lasts an hour (though sometimes it goes two hours) and it's the one time of the day where the three of us are on different screens. Grace uses our iPad, Emma is generally with my phone (so if I don't respond to texts in the early afternoon that may be why) and I will use the TV or computer. Once quiet time is done I.....
8. Send them outdoors. In all weather. As I often say: "There's no bad weather only bad clothing choices." 😀
XO,
Shel
P.S. Want a peek back at some of the blogposts I wrote about why/how we homeschool back in the day? Click the links below:
Why We Homeschool,
Seven Years Later (An Update),
Not Back To School (Another Update):
and
The Rhythm of Our Home.
Looking for resources for things to do during the pandemic? Look no further than the list below!
Brave Writer. All things writing. Fabulous site!
Daily Writing Tips from Brave Writer. 100 of them. Emailed to you! Sign up here.
Lesson plans and ideas from Scholastic.
Wonderful audio stories from Sparkle Stories.
Storyline Online. In which celebrities read children's books aloud!
Virtual museum tour. Tour twelve museums all from the comfort of your home!
Virtual museum tour. 500+ museums.
Thirty free virtual field trips (from places like the Boston Children's Museum to Mars there's something for everyone)!
Have dancers? Check this out! Free live dance classes!
Nightly Live Streams from The Metropolitan Opera in NYC.
Classical 99.5 WCRB out of Boston has a wonderful live stream. We listen to it during lessons (and in the car).
The TIME for Kids Facebook page is full of wonderful articles that would create great discussions.
Exploring Nature with Children. A wonderful curriculum (worth purchasing) and a free calendar to download too!
Fans of Little House on the Prairie? Take a virtual field trip and learn more!
Eight Ivy League schools, 450 free online courses.
Activity Village. A UK based website full of wonderful coloring pages, projects and thematic worksheets. $26 per year membership fee (totally worth it)!
Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems (author and Kennedy Center's first Education Artist in Residence)
Other Ideas/Resources:
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