As we start this unique journey together, I think the biggest challenge will be to create some structure to our days so that we can try to get into a rhythm or ourselves and our families. Having said this, I think this can certainly look quite different from one family to the next. There is not one right way to go about this process, so don’t feel bad if things don’t fall immediately into place. I am sure it will take some time to figure out what works best for each family and each student may need a different plan.

I am going start with gratitude

I am thankful for the unexpected gift of more time with my family.

I can easily list all of my anxieties about these unparalleled time and continually discuss my fears, but I also know that these days will provide opportunities that would not have been possible in my daily work schedule. Haven’t others sometimes wished for my time with their children?  

Creating a schedule

There are a number of options for schedules like the ones below and it is preferable to let students help structure this so that they have buy-in.  Be sure to structure in some time for movement and getting outside. It is also a great time to start to limit screen time and I am going to try to model this in my home. 

I also like the schedule below because of its flexibility. I especially like the prompt at the end which highlights one great thing that happened. I can’t encourage people enough to do some journaling during this time. For those who are especially daring, students and/or parents could create a video log each day or start a podcast of their experiences.

Learn something new

I asked my eighth grader yesterday what she would like to learn now that formal schooling is off the table for a few weeks. She said sign language.  She goes to school in NH where the Governor just declared that students will go to online learning next week. I am hoping that she does not get some boring worksheets from her teachers. Find something that your students are interested in and build in time for that now.  

Watch What Happens 

While I know that there is nothing that can ever replace the work that our teachers do building relationships and learning experiences for our students in their physical classrooms, I also know that these same educators will start to provide some cool experiences to support students and their families over the coming weeks.