Wow, you guys. It has been a crazy week. Most people are now stuck at home, quarantined to one degree or another, though at this point there isn’t really anywhere to go anyway with everything closed. I mean, we stayed home a lot before, but this is a new level of HOME.
It seems like nearly every school in the country has been shut down at this point and now just about everyone is, in some ways, homeschooling, whether they want to or not.
I’m seeing lots of memes on Facebook with kind of snarky comments about everyone having to homeschool now. I’m not really a huge fan of the comments that are poking fun at people who are suddenly finding themselves in the position of having to do school at home with their kids, except for this one (I edited off the top comment, because it was rude):
Yeah. That pretty much sums it up.
Personally, I can’t imagine what it would be like to suddenly find yourself in a position of having to do school with your kids at home. In many, if not most cases, these suddenly-homeschooling parents don’t get to choose their own curricula and activities (which is part of the fun of it). They have been sent home with their kids school assignments that they now have to complete at home. I’m sure the kids are not super excited about that and it’s all just a bit overwhelming at times.
I have seen some parents who are really excited about this, who have said they had wanted to try homeschooling and now they get their chance. And I have seen some parents who are saying they’re nervous, annoyed, or lacking confidence in their ability to pull this off. I even saw where one mom posted about how she yelled at her kids most of the day and then she thanked her children’s teachers for putting up with how awful they are (I think that one was meant to be at least partly in jest. I hope.).
I would like to say, first of all, to anyone who is reading this and feeling overwhelmed by suddenly having to do school at home with your kids: YOU CAN DO THIS.
Secondly, I would like to just offer a few little tips to maybe help things to go smoothly-ish. I posted a link to this post on my Facebook page, which has lots of ideas and links for practical things you can do during the day, including podcasts, booklists, video streaming, online art classes, and so on. My list here is less about specific school-y things to do and more about how to make the shift to school at home a little less painful.
Tip #1: Have a plan/routine to start your day.
Example, after breakfast and morning chores, I used to put on a song every morning just before 9. My kids knew that the song was the signal that it was about time to start school, so they’d come to our kitchen, which is near the schoolroom. Often there would be a little quick dance party, and then when the song was over, everyone would move into the schoolroom and the day would start.
We don’t do this anymore, because my husband has instituted “gym time” before school starts. Now morning chores are done before breakfast and once our morning meal is cleaned up, the kids all go downstairs for some sort of gym exercise that my husband writes for them on our white board in the basement. They do this for about half an hour and then as soon as they’re done, school starts in the schoolroom. We have our routine timed so they still get into the schoolroom about 9am. We always start with prayer, singing the Doxology, and saying the Pledge of Allegiance, to further formalize the “official” start to our day.
My point is, there is a known routine that helps us to move from regular morning stuff to school time. And because it’s the same every morning, I don’t (usually) get grumbling and complaining about it being time for school. I think it also helps that we get school done first thing in the morning, so I don’t have to try to round everyone up after they’ve been able to get absorbed in other stuff. So I guess that’s tip #2.
Tip #2: If possible, do school first thing in the morning after breakfast/morning chores.
Tip #3: Don’t try to make school at home look like school at school. It’s okay if they don’t do all their work sitting at the table or if they need regular breaks, or whatever. I have a kid who always takes all of her reading assignments into our pantry and reads them while sitting on top of our chest freezer. I think that’s pretty weird, but she gets it done so who cares? And also…
Tip #4: Don’t try too hard to match some idealized idea you have about what school at home should look like. I mean, I’d really like to be reading Shakespeare to my kids on a blanket under a tree in our backyard whilst they construct to-scale dioramas of the Globe Theater… or something, but that’s not likely to happen. It’s a great benefit of homeschooling to be able to do science experiments and art projects and nature walks and poetry tea times and all those things. But if that’s not your thing, don’t sweat it. And if you do want to add in this stuff, just do one or two things to start. Not all the things at once, or you’ll burn out.
Tip #5: Read aloud. Just pick a book, pick a time of day, and gather your kids around while you read to them, even if they can read for themselves.
Tip #6: Bribe them with food. But don’t necessarily let them know you’re bribing them. Have a poetry tea time (nothing complicated, just have snacks and tea or another tasty beverage while you peruse poetry books together and read aloud from them for each other), eat a snack that somehow goes along with something your kids are learning about in their schoolwork (this doesn’t have to be complicated either… I mean I made corned beef hash out of a can for St. Patrick’s Day yesterday), or just bake something together for fun (and math). Or sometimes do make it obvious you’re bribing them! My kids rarely get to chew gum. But they know that if they have a cheerful attitude and do our work without complaining during Table Time (our version or Morning Basket: schoolwork done all together at the table before everyone breaks away to individual work), they can have a piece (except right now because: Lent). Food makes everything better.
^ They wrote “The Corn Laws” in cookie frosting on the plate and then stuck microwaved popcorn to it^
Tip #7: Last and most importantly, let yourself enjoy your kids and try not to stress about their schoolwork. Schools are probably going to be closed for much longer than two weeks. The work will get done. They will learn and they will be fine. Your connection with them is much more important that how much schoolwork they get done (I have to remind myself of this often!!)
Shifting from regular school to homeschooling would be a huge adjustment under the best circumstances, and both parents and kids would need time to acclimate to such a huge change, even if they had been expecting it and were prepared for the shift. In these times of unexpected, perhaps unwanted, and probably unplanned-for homeschooling, everyone needs some breathing room, some compassion, and some time to figure things out. Homeschooling is hard! It’s okay for it to be messy sometimes. But hard as it may feel, we all have an opportunity to slow down and enjoy each other for a while. You can do this. I hope that you will truly love this opportunity to be your kids’ teacher all day, at least for a while. I am praying for you.
