Trying Tuesday

[wedding]

We start distance learning tomorrow. Here is the schedule

All of it is on the computer through Google Classrooms and Zoom with some other sites for activities.

Today I showed C everything and learned he doesn’t know how to use a computer ☹️ He uses his iPad for games and YouTube but that’s it. I was hoping he picked up more skills in school. So basically I will be sitting next to him all day helping with everything. Hopefully he picks it up quickly. I’m tired just thinking about it.

Also we start early because we share buses with middle and high school and they start later. It’s great when I’m working but I’ve been sleeping until 8 and that’s been the only pro of this. So sad. I was hoping we would start later since there are no buses.

[tgrimes]

The county I live in announced stay at home orders this morning. Our Houston office closed as of 5pm. The county I work in announced the same stay at home orders at 4:30. My office will be closed to the public but we’ll still have a skeleton crew there like we’ve been doing. At least I get a break from the kids and will get to drive in my new car tomorrow.

[tgrimes]

wedding We got a schedule today and it is intense. How the hell am I supposed to put H down for a nap when M will need to be connected for live videos with her teacher at the same time?

[tgrimes]

Yes, I’m aware that’s a FWP.

[jewels]

Mar 24, 2020 16:52:52 GMT -6 tgrimes said:

I missed the poof inthekitty. Sounds like it was good news though.

+ 1 to this

[jewels]

Wow wedding tgrimes. That’s an intense schedule. Our teachers sent some suggestions and that’s about it. Depending on the day, we usually do about 2-3 hours total. And we built multiple gym classes into our personal schedule

Many of our friends have only been able to do 30 minutes or so a day while working from home. The teachers have been giving a lot of grace

[inthekitty]

Mar 24, 2020 17:01:54 GMT -6 tgrimes said:

wedding We got a schedule today and it is intense. How the hell am I supposed to put H down for a nap when M will need to be connected for live videos with her teacher at the same time?

Oof. I feel for both of you. I know the teachers are trying to manage this whole thing too and different districts are putting varied guidelines and rules for them. But it's really tough to do this kind of schedule with a kid at home when you need to work/have other kids/have other obligations. I'm glad so far the teacher outreach has been minimal on our end to be honest. That way we can navigate the homeschooling part to the best of our ability with the schedule that works best for us. I really wish the teachers would save regular live broadcasts for kids who are at least in middle school and are used to lecture format learning/using the computer or at least have no one than 1 firm touchpoint/video contact for younger students during the day. 

[cagoldi]

Mar 24, 2020 16:57:53 GMT -6 wedding said:

We start distance learning tomorrow. Here is the schedule

All of it is on the computer through Google Classrooms and Zoom with some other sites for activities.

Today I showed C everything and learned he doesn’t know how to use a computer ☹️ He uses his iPad for games and YouTube but that’s it. I was hoping he picked up more skills in school. So basically I will be sitting next to him all day helping with everything. Hopefully he picks it up quickly. I’m tired just thinking about it.

Also we start early because we share buses with middle and high school and they start later. It’s great when I’m working but I’ve been sleeping until 8 and that’s been the only pro of this. So sad. I was hoping we would start later since there are no buses.

Dude still doesn’t know how to use a computer or any apps.

I’m probably going to have to relax my no screens stance. But yeah, I have to sit with him to do all his work even if it’s pen and paper for now.

This working full time while homeschooling thing is bananas.

[lfig]

My husband thinks now is a good time to do an electronics wean with S...While both trying to work at home. 🙄 Wrong time dude. I got very little accomplished today work wise.

[lfig]

That schedule looks intense wedding! I don’t envy you!!

[guster]

That is a rough schedule, wedding.
We have daily assignments, and it takes us between 60-90 minutes time do it all. Josie’s teacher just let me know that they might change the way things are working in the next couple of weeks as they are waiting on MOA’s from the union to see if they can do synchronous digital learning.
MHs school finally sent out final guidelines today bc they too were waiting on the union to okay everything.
Its crazy right now and I think that
It’ll be a while before something takes hold for the long run (and I’m
still hoping the long run is shorter than projected)

[lahdeedah]

Man that’s so hard. wedding and tgrimes. I don’t understand having the young grades, who need parental guidance with technology, check in online all day. Not ideal at all.

We have a packet of work to do weekly and it seems like the teacher will send us videos for the kids to watch. She sent one out yesterday to explain the packet outline to the kids and read them a book and poem about spring. She says we will get instructional videos for the kids on the website they are using for the different online resources they have access to. I like that it’s just there for us to do at our own pace.

[joelies]

That's intense, wedding!

Colin's teacher provided a sample schedule that covers about 4 hours of learning a day, including specials. He does an hour here and there, plus tons of reading and educational apps. He probably exceeds his 4 hours a day but I'm working and J is mostly trying to take Chase, so I have all the guilt over not doing enough.

Tonight after filling out his reading log, we emailed his best friend through Google classroom. We were explaining about email and subject lines, and suggested "Hi M" but no, he starts typing "I miss you" as his subject. Aaaaand I started to cry. Both boys are talking more about missing their friends everyday and asking when this will be over. I hate not being able to tell them.

[lahdeedah]

Awww so sad. joelies I hate that they are missing their friends so much right now.

When I sent a message to M’s friend’s grandma about being able to talk to him, she said here is his number. You can Duo him. 😳 I wasn’t expecting him to have his own phone. We tried, but he wouldn’t FaceTime. Not sure why. We haven’t tried since we sent him a video last Friday and never got a response. :/

[kim22]

wedding and tgrimes I could not managed such a schedule. I have to be available from 8-11 everyday for my students and I have set up Google Hangouts for whoever can make it but we were told that due to high numbers of students who are sharing electronic devices with siblings or parents who are working, we cannot require anything at a certain time. We left thinking this was 2 weeks so all assignments given were review. Now that it’s looking to be much longer, we are meeting Thursday to figure out how to teach new content. I’m struggling to get my students to turn in anything.

[klong11]

lahdeedah a 6 year old with his own phone? I'm going to guess he lost it.

[lahdeedah]

Mar 24, 2020 20:27:33 GMT -6 klong11 said:

lahdeedah a 6 year old with his own phone? I'm going to guess he lost it.

Yep. An android phone. We may try again tomorrow. When we tried Thursday, he didn’t answer the video call, so we sent him a video. He “laughed” at it with the cry laughing emoji. And about an hour or so later we called him again just as a phone call and he answered and said he had company over- his cousins. I let them talk for a few minutes and told him we would call back Friday. No answer Friday and we sent him a video and
he didn’t respond to it.

PDQ
I think his mom enlisted in the NG and went to training end of January. She was supposed to be back in state in March at a base on the coast I think. I think he and his dad may have went to visit her this weekend. I’m just assuming, but not sure.

[tgrimes]

Here is our schedule:

[flamingo]

Seeing these schedules, I've never been so thankful for half-day Kindergarten! Yikes.

I feel like our school/teachers struck a good balance. Meanwhile I have friends in another area of town who are complaining about the heavy work loads for their older elementary kids. It seems there is so much variance b/n schools even within the same district.

We've been able to complete everything but if we did happen to get off track for a day or two I wouldn't be particularly stressed. Our superintendent has already come out and said the work we're doing now won't be graded, as essentially they can't guarantee a level playing field for all students since the learning is happening at home.

[inthekitty]

tgrimes. Woof. I think both yours and wedding's teachers are being overly optimistic/naive that they can structure the day just like at school. Even a half hour Zoom lesson will feel like forever to a 6 yo. It's not the same as being in the classroom. And there are so many distractions at home. I don't see it lasting more than a week.

[klong11]

It was all I could do to get Cadence to draw some damn pictures of what she saw on her walk this morning. Any other time and she's drawing on every single piece of paper she can get a hold of. 🙄

She also seems to think I need to be within 1 foot of her at all times and if we are both sitting, then at least one appendage needs to be touching me. Tomorrow's lesson will be on personal space and social distancing.

Her favorite time seemed to be when I gave up after our afternoon walk and just let her have tablet time. 😬🤷

[tallb]

Lol to these schedules. People have jobs! I don't know what my county will be doing since not everyone has internet access. I hope not this!

[tgrimes]

Mar 25, 2020 2:19:39 GMT -6 tallb said:

Lol to these schedules. People have jobs! I don't know what my county will be doing since not everyone has internet access. I hope not this!

That’s what I was worried about with my school district. All of us got phone calls about whom to contact if you don’t have internet. It sounded like some companies would be offering free access or there would be a way for them to pick up packets or something. They were trying to work with everyone.

[wedding]

Mar 25, 2020 2:19:39 GMT -6 tallb said:

Lol to these schedules. People have jobs! I don't know what my county will be doing since not everyone has internet access. I hope not this!

I love in a bougie town so I don’t think that’s much of a factor. They had enough laptops to send anyone that needed one also.

We have the highest rated school district in the state and is in the top nationally so the district has high expectations from the teachers but I think they need to loosen them a bit right now.

[nam2013]

Oh my goodness, those schedules are insane! How are parents ever supposed to do that?! Let alone do that with a 6yo?! I would think that with these high expectations it would create differences between kids really fast too... I mean some parents have 4 kids that need help, others have one, some parents need to work, others don’t, some parents are better at teaching then others etc. So much variables to keep in mind 😕.

[chrisy01]

Our school gave us a suggested schedule for the full day. I took one look and was like nope. I created my own and I’m still not following it. I do what is best for us. He’s doing the work that needs to be done. He wanted to do more of math the other day so I let him. Now he works on more of the other things. I’m letting him help make decisions so he’s more willing to do it.

[peachsmama]

Mar 24, 2020 21:18:13 GMT -6 flamingo said:

Seeing these schedules, I've never been so thankful for half-day Kindergarten! Yikes.

I feel like our school/teachers struck a good balance. Meanwhile I have friends in another area of town who are complaining about the heavy work loads for their older elementary kids. It seems there is so much variance b/n schools even within the same district.

We've been able to complete everything but if we did happen to get off track for a day or two I wouldn't be particularly stressed. Our superintendent has already come out and said the work we're doing now won't be graded, as essentially they can't guarantee a level playing field for all students since the learning is happening at home.

Seriously. We have 5 worksheets to do a day. A story to read and journal about. Sight word practice. Math with home items And read 2 books. Matthew still gets bored and wants to stop.

[cagoldi]

Mar 25, 2020 7:08:40 GMT -6 chrisy01 said:

Our school gave us a suggested schedule for the full day. I took one look and was like nope. I created my own and I’m still not following it. I do what is best for us. He’s doing the work that needs to be done. He wanted to do more of math the other day so I let him. Now he works on more of the other things. I’m letting him help make decisions so he’s more willing to do it.

This is us, too.

Yesterday we made lemonade so he had to practice reading a recipe, measuring ingredients, etc. Yesterday he wanted to use Magnatiles so while we’re building we learned about equilateral triangles and isosceles triangles. Today he wants to make banana bread and we have a 9 am video call with his bestie who moved to FL.

We’re focusing more on keeping a routine and learning new household skills. As for actual academics, probably just doing enough to keep him moving forward.

He is watching more TV than I want (probably about two hours a day ATM), but he almost always picks Story Bots or Wild Kratts so I’m not letting it bother me.

[jewels]

Mar 25, 2020 7:08:40 GMT -6 chrisy01 said:

Our school gave us a suggested schedule for the full day. I took one look and was like nope. I created my own and I’m still not following it. I do what is best for us. He’s doing the work that needs to be done. He wanted to do more of math the other day so I let him. Now he works on more of the other things. I’m letting him help make decisions so he’s more willing to do it.

This.  We made a schedule together that loosely follows his school day, but have been flexible to accommodate moods, etc.  Yesterday it looked like it was going to be the last nice day for a long time so we abandoned lessons after an hour and went outside to play/ride bikes for a few hours.  Today, he got bored with something and asked to do a math game on the computer instead.  We already did math but I said sure.  I mean, they are in Kindergarten, not medical school. 

I'm also trying to just add lessons into regular stuff and not stress about doing exactly what they say.  For instance, he helped me online grocery shop and I figured that was reading and math (how much of X do we need if you eat it daily, etc).  

As of right now, our schools are not expecting much more than that.  I am told that next Monday it will change but I doubt it will change that much.

[jewels]

cagoldi, TV is definitely needed now. We are doing much more than 2 hours a day of tv/tablet time. But in general I've always been fairly loose about that.