HOW TEACHERS AND PARENTS CAN HELP TO MAKE THIS EASIER!
As a teacher and a mom, I can see two different perspectives on our current situation. I get that teachers are motivated to get the learning to the home so that the kids don’t fall too far behind. But I’ve got to tell you, as a mom, I am feeling what all you other mama’s are feeling…AND WE NEED HELP!
I am going to be completely raw and honest here… Being a teacher I have a lot of guilt over the feelings I’ve had lately about the importance of learning right now and schooling my kids at home….
There…I said it! Ugh…Learning is not my #1 priority right now and being a teacher…that feels weird. Teaching your own kids is so different from teaching a classroom full of other people’s kids.
I have been a teacher WAY longer than I’ve been a mom…I feel like my brain naturally creates, plans, organizes, etc. And if you know me at all you know that I like to be in control….I know, it’s horrible, but true! I’m just being real here!
Who can relate????? Ahhhhhhh!!!! One day is great and we are out in the sunshine having picnics, snuggling to movies, playing games, sleeping in, etc. The list of positives goes on and on.
The next day is a battle to get anything done. Figuring out what every teacher is expecting, helping your little ones understand how to use all the technology, going through all the emails everyday, explaining math to your kids (who learn it differently than we did). And hearing your precious little kids say things like, “I don’t want to”, “You don’t know how to do that”, “I don’t understand”, or just flat out telling you no! Yep, and we still love those little stinkers!
I’ve always wanted to be a stay at home mom. I’ve always loved being a teacher. But I’ve never wanted to teach my kids….it’s just a different relationship. My kids look at me like I’m the one making them do the school work. I’ve tried it all….by nature I love routines and schedules! I also know that research shows that kids do best when given a routine. But my kids are REALLY fighting this.
I’ve tried no routine and that is even worse! I feel like I’m bouncing from super structured and routined to no routine at all… I CANNOT FIND THE HAPPY MEDIUM!
I’m STRUGGLING!!!!!! Who is with me?
Honey, do you say things like that to Mrs. abcdefg? Sweet child of mine, do you use that tone of voice with Mr. hijklmnop?
Parents Everywhere….It can’t be just me…right?!
Yesterday I came across a post about a mom that was not making her kids do school work unless they wanted to. Her feeling was that her home was a place to feel safe and loved. Their happy place. She was refusing to allow anything else change that. So her family was enjoying every bit of time they were having together. Working on their packets when they wanted to.
I follow a moms page that has a variety of people posting how they are feeling and I’ve got to say this whole schooling thing is not bringing happiness into the homes…at least not during the “school” part of their day.
Teacher friends have shared that some moms have expressed that they are just not doing it…I’ve got to admit that is a bit liberating.
We all know there are positives to this situation and that it could be a time when we gain so much back as a society of people. But let’s just talk about the expectations on families to get the work done and how we can help each other out.
We need help!
What can teachers and parents do to help each other make this a better experience for everyone?
TEACHERS… 4 Things to Consider that will Help the families that are feeling the struggle:
- Grace– Permission for grace! Every person’s situation is different. Many are trying to juggle work, home, school, struggling learners, EVERYTHING! Parents are feeling like they are not doing anything great…because it’s all just too much! TEACHERS, IF YOU ARE READING THIS…TELL YOUR FAMILIES THEY HAVE PERMISSION FOR GRACE.
- Clear Expectations– All teachers and districts are giving parents something different, every household has different resources to work with. Teachers have given more than enough ideas of what we can do, to the point that we do not know what to do. Click here to see a simple plan (to took the idea from a wonderful teacher I know) that you can provide to your families of what must be done and “could” be done. Simple and clear expectations for the week on one page. Not a lot of ink (to save our home printer….lol)
- Don’t Shoot the Messenger– Talk with your students when you have video calls about why it is important that they continue to do school work. If they are expected to do it and parents are expected to hold them accountable they need to understand why. Because of the parent/child relationship kids will and DO tell their parents no, ask why, say it’s not fair, and quite honestly kids think their parents do not know what they are talking about. Kids would never say these things to their teachers. PLEASE REMIND YOUR KIDS THAT ITS THE TEACHERS ASKING THEM TO DO THE WORK. NOT THE PARENTS.
- Bare Minimum Requirements– Give your students the bare minimum assignments. Ask yourself what are the basic skills that students will need to get to the next grade level. Then assign only that! For example, in primary grades: reading, being read to, and math facts! There are no state tests, no quarterly assessments, lets face it, all our normal standards do not even exist anymore. What would happen if teachers everywhere just spent this time out of school preparing and planning for what next year will look like rather than sending the millions of emails and trying to figure out how to grade remotely…what if we worried more about allowing our kids and families to enjoy the safety and love and happiness that home is supposed to be and spent our time out of school reinventing what next year at school will look like. Hmmmm?
PARENTS: 4 things to consider that could help make your days better.
- Encourage Others: When parents are venting or asking for help on social media or any form of communication DON’T BRAG ABOUT HOW EASY IT’S BEEN IN YOUR HOUSE….I know right, who would EVER? People, I’ve read it with my own eyes… We are all just doing our best and guess what…YOUR BEST IS AWESOME! There are moms in all situations with completely different kiddos and THEY ARE DOING THEIR BEST!!!!
- Family Happiness– Love and happiness and the feeling of comfort in your own home should come before anything else. When frustration meets you, kick it out! Whatever the source is…goodbye! If that means ditching school work because your kids are crying…DITCH IT!!! Find your happy and move on.
- Share your ways to make it fun- if you did something in your home that made “school time” fun…share it. Sometimes we need to just shake things up a bit. My kids have been fighting me about doing their 20 min. of silent reading, so the past two days we picked a different spot and I read silently with them. What a difference….and I enjoyed 20 quiet minutes in my new book (that I’m loving BTW) called Sold on Monday by Kristina McMorris.
- Take Time for Yourself– Go for a walk, take an extra long bath, do your nails, and take care of yourself. You will feel better when you are taking care of yourself!
One final idea to share:
Theme Days: Working Women’s Wednesday…lol
Listen…whatever works! Yesterday was rough in this house. At bedtime, I told my girls that Wednesdays are going to be called “Working Women Wednesday” This means that when they are ready to get their day started, they can dress up like “women going to work”….I learned quickly that what a 7 and 5 year old think women going to work look like is not exactly accurate…but they picked out their fanciest dresses and shoes and asked to wear my jewelry and found the brightest red lipstick possible and BAM!!! WE’VE HAD A GREAT DAY! EVEN FOUND TIME FOR A TEA PARTY AND MOVIE!!!
WHATEVER IT TAKES MY FRIENDS! WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER!
Share in my comments below how you have made your days of schooling at home better!