Setting and Keeping a Schedule
It happened: Remote learning for the remainder of the year.
Maybe this sent shudders up your spine as you thought about how to help your student manage the changes. Maybe your heart broke because your student is being forced to celebrate achievements and advancements virtually instead of in person with peers. Maybe you were struck by fear because this meant you will be at home with your kids for the remainder of the academic year without a break!
Honor your feelings. Feel the feels. Now let’s figure out how to make lemonade from these lemons!
While we have been doing the virtual school thing since March, many families are still struggling with how to engage students in school work, set up any kind of consistency during the day, and remain sane. The most recent DESE guidelines have outlined the content areas that must be covered during this academic year. Every school is either in the process of sending or has sent out grade specific information related to the identified “power standards”. If you are in need of additional information you can read more on the DESE website.
One of the most challenging tasks is setting up and sticking to a schedule. I think we have set up at least 4 schedules since the end of March. Follow through kills us every time! I share this because you need to know that it is going to be difficult to set up, implement and maintain a schedule when there are no outside forces exerting influence on your day. We keep circling back around to the schedule because it is what makes the day run smoothly.
First things first: Make a commitment to yourself and your sanity that you will do your best to set up and stick to a schedule.
Next: STOP AND TAKE A BREATH! Inhale: 1….2….3….4, Exhale: 1...2...3...4 You’ve got this. Let’s break it down into bite sized pieces so that you can set things up to work for you and your students.
Day 1 tasks for setting up a schedule:
Find a time in the morning before you kids get up (you may need to break out that alarm clock!) to spend 30 minutes going through what the school is expecting your child to accomplish each day or week. Many districts are asking students to complete a certain amount of time per content area. Write this info down. Task Complete!
During the afternoon when your kids are using technology or napping and, happily, leaving you alone for 30 minutes (or longer!) set up the school schedule using the time recommendations from the school district and convert them to times during the day. Be sure their academic schedule does not exceed a regular school day. If your child goes to school from 8 am -2 pm use this as a guide when setting up their day. Alternate academic/content areas with brain breaks if you can. And, just like that, you have your “school schedule” for each child! Damn, you’re good.
For older kiddos you may want to give them the task of setting up a schedule for their day. Be sure to include parameters and expectations. For example: You must be awake and out of bed by 9 am.
Incent them to create the schedule by giving them a reward. Perhaps something like being able to use the big screen tv for 1 hour to watch whatever they want without interruption would be motivating.
Day 2 tasks for setting up a schedule:
In the evening after everyone has eaten, the kitchen is relatively put back together again and your kids are on technology leaving you alone (no judgement here- sanity is important) you can begin to block out the remaining tasks or chores for each day.
Some ideas of things to include in your schedule will be wake up, brush teeth and hair, put on clean clothes, start school work, meals and snacks, breaks, physical activity, creative time, quiet time, tech time, socializing, family time
As you start to use your academic schedule with your children, get feedback from them about what is working and what needs adjusting. If it makes sense to move things around- do it! The schedule needs to work for everyone in order for it to stick.
Sample Schedule:
By 9:30 am: Wake up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, put on clean clothes
10-11 am: School work: writing and science
11-12:30 pm: Lunch and creative free time (e.g., an art assignment for school)- no technology
12:30- 2 pm: Math and history
2- 3:30 pm: Snack and exercising (could be a physical education assignment)
3:30- 5 pm: Socializing and/or tech time
5-6:30 pm: Family time and dinner
6:30 -9 pm: Reading/quiet time, tv/tech time and shower/bath time
Enlist the help of other adults in the house, set alarms to keep things moving forward and on time, post the schedule where everyone can see it. Remember, this is a work in progress. Do your best. Progress, not perfection. When you fall off the horse, get back on. That’s all we can do right now and it is awesome that you are doing that!