Regardless of what you decide is best for your family—in person learning or remote learning—we all have to be prepared to transition to remote learning at a moment’s notice. Infections at school could easily make remote learning necessary, even if it’s just for a short time.
As parents, we should be prepared and not caught by surprise like we were in the spring. Here is what you need to prepare your home to serve as a school for your kiddos.
First and foremost, they need a suitable place to work. Suitable means:
- a flat surface, a supportive chair
- good lighting
- quiet location
- NOT their bedrooms. Our bedrooms (children and adults) are where we rest, not work.
Kitchens and dining rooms are perfect places for school to take place. If you have an office in your home, you can use that, but only if the student doesn’t feel disconnected from everyone else. School is usually a social setting. Keeping that element will help it to feel more normal for them.
Have a place to store easily accessible school supplies. I like a three-tiered rolling cart for this.
Unless you have very small students, the supplies should be pretty basic:
- computer (please do not let your students do schoolwork on a phone!)
- pens
- spiral notebook
- pencils, and maybe some colored pencils.
When it comes to school supplies it is best to need what you have and have what you need. Having too many supplies can cause clutter and choas.
Utilizing a cart will make it easy to use the kitchen table for school, then close it up at the end of the day. If an area of your home is doing double duty, do not pile both functions on top of one another.
Finally, a schedule is crucial. Just like adults working from home need office hours, kids need “school time” and “home time.” Make an hour-by-hour schedule so everyone knows that 10:00-11:00 is math time. Keep bedtimes and waking times consistent every day. Weekends are when schedules can be more relaxed.
Remember that you set the tone for the success of your children in the homeschooling environment. Your students will mirror your attitude and level of commitment. Perhaps this is the hardest part for those of us who struggle being responsible for our kid’s education. Teacher’s will be on the other side of the computer screen, but you are ultimately in control.
If you need help setting up a remote learning environment in your home, I am available for virtual consultations.
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