Teaching Your Kids While You Work
Coronavirus (COVID-19) shut down your office and your kid's school along with everything else. It's been chaos with 50 states having 50 different policies. And over 13,000 school districts seemingly having 13,000+ different ideas for how to continue your child's education. As if you weren't concerned about the stability of your job and the stress of working at your dining room table; you're being told to teach your kids at the same time.
Let's acknowledge a few things first. Everyone's situation is different solutions will require infinite patience and incredible flexibility. That our haphazard, uncoordinated patchwork of school districts have various plans (including complete closure) with a wide range of success and failure. Finally, that this is causing anxiety for everyone involved. So, let's try to find some solutions.
1) Sync Your Schedules - Homeschooling one-on-one tends to be quicker than classroom learning. What takes 6 hours at school can only take 2-4 hours at home. Review the requirements for your kid/kids learning. Now, compare your mandatory tasks for working from home.
2) HELP PLEASE! - Divide the subjects and kids between you and your partner. Ask for help from friends, family, and other parents. Does your school district provide any tools? Look for online resources. Don't be afraid to ask for help. We all need it.
3) Schedule and Routine - Find a schedule that works for you and your child. Be flexible and patient your kids and yourself. Is it possible to do some work a little earlier in the morning while your kids are asleep? Math and science can be taught anytime after 3pm until bedtime as well. Weekends can also be opportunities for learning. This may be necessary for using limited resources like computers.
Make a schedule, write it down, and display it someone prominently. This will help provide work time for your and your child. Here's an example:
Family Schedule
7am – 10am
Adult 1: Work
Adult 2: Watch children
Kid 1: Breakfast and school work
Kid 2: Breakfast and school work
10am – 11am
Adult 1: Watch children
Adult 2: Check work messages
Kid 1: Online class
Kid 2: Zoom with friends
11am – Noon
Adult 1: Check work messages
Adult 2: Help children with homework
Kid 1: homework
Kid 2: homework
Noon – 1pm
Lunch for everyone. Extra time to play outside or walk around neighborhood
1pm – 1:30pm
Adult 1: Help children with homework
Adult 2: Check work messages
Kid 1: homework
Kid 2: homework
1:30pm – 4pm
Adult 1 and 2: Work
Kid 1 and 2: Free time
4pm – 5pm
Adult 1: Chores and errands
Adult 2: Work
Kid 1 and 2: Chores
5pm – 7pm
Dinner. Extra time for own activities.
7pm – 10pm
Adult 1: Spend time with kids
Adult 2: Work
Kid 1 and 2: Theme night activities (Movie Night, Game Night, etc). Free time. Bed.
4) Use Everything - Allow open access to every board game, book, art supply, toy, or whatever for your children. Allow them independence so you can work. Be honest with your children about your job. When you are working, you're not to be interrupted unless it's burning or bleeding. Also, there are millions of educational videos available for on streaming services. Is your kid freaking out and you need to be in a Zoom meeting? Let them watch Cartoon Network if it keeps them quiet. We're in a State of Emergency. No one will judge you for doing what you need to for survival.
5) Improv - With many school districts providing little to no guidance, it's good to employ the tactics of shortform improv theater. The "structure" is education and it is driven by audience/student. If your kid is really into roller coasters, make that a full day project. Have them spend a couple hours researching the 10 best roller coasters in the world. Write a report on why those are the best roller coasters. What is the science and math behind roller coasters? What is their history? Create a design and build a model of your own roller coaster. Use the techniques of Montessori education. Let your student own their education by having fun.
My grandpa was a master at this. He'd teach me through every day experience. It'd always start with, "Hey Mike, would you like to learn how to..." and end with me doing chores. This is how I learned how to change light fixtures, write checks, read schematics, fix a leaky toilet, change the oil, cook a meal and so much more. By college, I was completely independent and able to run my own household.
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6) Communicating With Others - It's good for your child to talk with their friends and play online games. So, let them do it. In fact, encourage them to use Zoom with their grandparents, mail a letter to a cousin, leave a note to a neighbor in need, or host an online party. 7) Be Patient, Flexible, and Relax - This has been a big change for you, your kids, your boss, and everyone else. Sometimes, the homework isn't going to be finished. It's not going to prevent your kid from going to college. It's okay and shouldn't interrupt your work.
There are nearly 50 million families in America experiencing the same problems you are right now. So call, text, email, Zoom, group chat at least one of them. Share your successes. Laugh at your failures. And remember to take care of yourself. Everything is going to be fine.
Mike Kraus was born on the industrial shoreline of Muskegon, Michigan. After earning his Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he attended Grand Valley State University for his graduate degree. From there, he gained varied experiences from the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Children's Memorial Foundation. And every place he worked, he had his sketchbook with him and found ways to be actively creative. In 2014, Kraus became a full-time artist by establishing Mike Kraus Art. Since then, he has sold hundreds of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. Currently, Kraus lives in Rochester, New York with his beautiful wife and goofy dog.
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Store: MikeKrausArt.etsy.com
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