2020 school year has been one of the most frustrating years we ever encountered. One thing that is having all of our head spinning is, the fear of homeschooling during everything that is going on in the world right now. Some parents are still working from home but now have to work and help their kids with class. Some parents are out in the field working, but kids are home taking schooling which is another stressful thing. Who will be there with the kids during class.
School hasn't even started yet, and anxiety is through the roof. We all know the last school year was high jacked by Corona, and all the kids had to finish out the last days of school at home. That was stressful enough, but we made it through, and after all that, we took a deep breath. Now it a new school year, and some of us had a break to get our thoughts together. We are being thrown into this new system of schooling. This whole pandemic has been very hard for administrators and parents. Many new techniques are being put in place because of these unusual circumstances.
Here are 5 things that can help you function better in homeschooling.*
Setting up the night before or even a few days early will keep you from scrambling the first day of school. Checking schedules, logins, zooms, and supplies needed for each class stops the confusion. Ensure you have information for all the school administrators that you will need for communication if things go wrong or if you have questions.
1. Schedule check is the first thing you should do when you receive it to make sure everything on the schedule is correct. Check the classes, times and make sure the zoom link is available so your child will not be marked absent.
2. Logins, we all know how this can be a bit of a headache. Try them out before call school start at least a few days before, so if things aren’t working, you have time to get in touch with tech or other administrators to help you. Just remember, as you are frustrated and overwhelmed, so are the teachers and administrators. So, be mindful of the new process and procedures; this is not only new to you, it's new to them.
3. An early start to your day is imperative to a parent, yes they may be a bit hard but getting up a few hours earlier during the school year, but this will not only give you time to yourself before the little monsters wake for school, it allows you to get a few of your tasks out of the way before the day officially starts
My favorite thing to do in the early morning is a quick meditation and affirmations before my feet hit the ground. I love to take my time getting my morning together, listening to my favorite YouTubers Yoga Bliss Dance , BehatiLife, MrsVaughn ,Roseology and ErininDemand. This sets the tone for my day.
Plan ahead homemade assignment book. I'm all about assignment books, or school organizers. I love the stuff. How I keep one of my girls on track is Pinterest. I found a pretty awesome printable assignment sheet, and we used that to keep her on track along with the binder organizer I made for her. Check out Pinterest they have tons of printable organizer sheets or create your own using Canva.
Starting them off on the right foot is a sure way to achieve success. If your anything like me, find cute but functional ways to keep classes and assignments clearly marked. I'm old school. I still like to write things down, and I make sure my kids learn that also. If your real tech-savvy Bear app is useful for note-taking or use your iPhone notes. Trello is my favorite organizer for me as an adult, but you can try Trello with your kids; they will love it.
We all get organized. As I mentioned above, find cute ways to make organizing fun, giving you and the kids an activity to do together that they will enjoy. It's not all about THEM getting organized; you must also have your stuff in order. That means sitting down and putting something together to keep you on track with your children's schoolwork, work-life, social life, and task that need to be done.
Some of my favorite organizational tools are google calendar, Trello, reminders, chalkboard calendar for the house, and a regular school calendar. It's not easy getting organized, I know! But after 10 years in an office and implementing things to keep us organized, I thought maybe I should use some of those things at home, so I did, and it works great.
Bonus
Stay positive!!! There are so many things going on around us at this moment in time. Take a deep breath and be easy on yourself; we are not robots. Everything won't be perfect. Just take your time to find things that will help you out this school year and implement them into your daily living, since for now, homeschool is a thing for many of us. Don't let the moment rule you, you take the lead in the moment. Get prepared, and things will be fine.