So Many Thoughts. . .

Well, as the world knows, we are definitely in an unprecedented time as many students are about to go into online learning. I have a few pieces of advice for all teachers and parents as you plan and embark in this new “normal”.

For Teachers:

• Please remember that parents are not teachers. You cannot expect them to teach their child the way that you would teach them. With that in mind, remember that you cannot expect them to do an hour’s worth of work each day for you subject. It is just not possible.
• Also, remember, that some students do not have the same technology access that other students do. Not everything can be online, you need to have alternatives. What does that look like? Well, I think it will depend on your district’s plan on getting work to students and back to you.
• DO NOT GRADE EVERYTHING! You can’t grade everything that students do. You will need to learn how to give feedback for students to make corrections to help them read their best effort before you can put a grade on it.
• Teachers, you need to work with others to build project based learning items. Find a way to get all subjects into a project and not just worksheets/practice for one subject. Can you do a project for every single standard? Probably not. So then you need to look and figure out which standards are more important than others.

For Parents/Guardians:

• I’m sorry that you are now having to continue your job (in person or remote) and make sure your child is still learning. Is this the best? Of course not, that’s why we started having schools so that parents did not have to do everything.
• Do not be afraid to let the teachers of your students know if they are assigning too much to do. This is a new world for teachers as well and they may not fully understand how to make the right balance of work for your child at home. Also, not all families are created equal. If your child needs to care for others or possibly find a job to help in this difficult time, school may not be the priority in your house.
• If you need help with your child understanding something, reach out to your teacher. I hope that districts are figuring out a way for teachers to be available online or in person to help your child understand information.

There are so many things that are going to be different for everyone. At this time, we need to remember that we are all in a world that was different 6 months ago. We all need to understand that we are all under pressure and doing something different than what we are used to. This is a time to work together and to make a plan. This is not a time to place blame and accuse others for something they didn’t do.

I hope to build resources for you over the next few days/weeks to help you out. In the mean time, do a search for project based learning and how to teach online. There are so many people out there like Ginger Lewman and Richard Byrne ready to help you out!