Category: Education

Fall 2020 education: flexibility is key

Posted on by Suki

Longtime readers know that my family has used almost every type of educational approach for our kids. We like to joke that the only type of school that we haven’t tried is Christian Military Academy!

My younger son is currently about to graduate from a mainstream public high school (his choice), and I have to say, I have been pleasantly surprised at how well they have handled this crazy situation that was dumped in their laps. I’ve heard lots of complaints from parents in other districts, but I share none of them. It’s not perfect, but my son’s teachers got well-trained, really quickly, and they are trying hard.

Teachers are doing their best to maintain connections with their students.

They’re even making embarrassing videos.

One of the things that our district is doing really well is parent communication. OK, perhaps they are overdoing it: I don’t actually need a text message to tell me to read my email!

This week they asked for parent input through ThoughtExchange, a nifty little tool for exchanging ideas.

I had one thing to say and I hope I said it well: the public school system needs to be more flexible.

Rooted in tradition is not necessarily good

Public schools have not grown organically. They were formed on a specific model of learning, and all changes have taken place as if that model is not worth questioning.

When people have come up with better ideas that built on top of that model, they were tolerated. The charter school system, for example, was built on top of the standard public school model.

When people have come up with ideas that require throwing that model out the window, like the great educational thinker John Holt, for example, public schools would have none of it. They had certain tenets that would not be questioned:

All students must learn in age-homogeneous groups.

All students must be required to be on campus a minimum number of hours.

All students must study state-mandated curriculum.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Enter the quarantine

This pause in school-as-usual can be seen two ways:

It can be seen as an irritating interruption, to be gotten past as soon as possible.

Or it can be seen as an opportunity.

I prefer opportunity.

Integrate home and school

Kids do better emotionally when they feel nurtured, loved, supported—all that stuff they have in a healthy home. We have cut families out of schools by design, and yet principals wail about lack of parent participation. Schools are simply not designed to be emotionally healthy and integrated with home life.

Now that we’ve got parents and home intertwined with school, let’s not give that up.

Stop demonizing alternatives

This is my teen attending an online class while jumping on the trampoline.

When you judge a fish by how well it climbs a tree, the fish comes out looking pretty lame. Alternative schools are for kids who need alternatives. That means that the alternative will not reflect the demographic make-up of the surrounding district. When students and families choose schools, they make choices based on themselves, not the society they live in.

Yes, we should make sure that all choices are open and welcoming to all families, but districts need to allow for differences. For example, stop demonizing a program that attracts struggling students for its low test scores.

States have to stop assuming that all cultural groups are the same. Programs that suit the unique needs of a cultural group are not equivalent to racism. Equal education does not mean the same education.

Principals have to stop coming into schools and trying to strip the individualism out of the school in the name of “quality.”

Offer maximum flexibility

In a world where families can choose 20 different types of toothpaste, education is presented as a monolithic single choice.

That doesn’t fit with our culture. Some students, certainly, not only need to be at school for the allotted time but also need aftercare. Some students thrive in standard curriculum with a typical school day schedule.

But many students don’t. Parents around the country are remarking on the positive changes they are seeing in their children:

My kids are learning so much more at home.

My teen is sleeping—finally! And waking up a reasonable human being.

My kid who was bullied has had a huge dip in her anxiety level.

We started following my kids’ interests and suddenly they love education.

Live and LEARN

If public school administrators and teachers don’t learn from this experience, they’re in the wrong profession. Teachers talk about creating lifelong learners—this should be the goal of everyone. We should all look at this situation and see what we can take away from it that is positive and good.

I was happy to see that I wasn’t the lone voice for thoughtful reconsidering of what school should be in the ThoughtExchange conversation initiated by my district. Let’s make sure the districts hear our voices, and don’t think that reversion to the status quo is any sort of achievement.

Resources:

Support your teen who is learning at home

Posted on by Suki

The other day I wrote about homeschooling tips you can use with your suddenly-at-home younger kids. Today I’m addressing your teens, who may have quite different needs.

Whether your teen is homeschooled or at school in regular life, things have changed. They are now home 24/7 and that can exacerbate existing tensions. Teens thrive with independence because that’s what they are programmed to seek. If your teen doesn’t seem too thrilled at your suggestion to play a board game with the family, well, that’s not too surprising.

Trust them

First, let’s get this over with: Teens who have their parents’ trust are more likely to trust their parents, more likely to confide in them, and more likely to heed their advice. Make it clear to your teen that you trust them. Don’t forget to tell them what you admire about them.

But then, be frank with them. Make sure they’ve been exposed to non-alarmist, fact-based information about what’s happening. Then make it clear that you trust them to do the right thing.

Let ’em out

A number of my teen students have told me that their parents are keeping them inside, and not, apparently, because that’s warranted. Find out what your local and state health departments are advising. Ours, both in my county and state, are advising that non-symptomatic people get out and get fresh air and exercise—as long as they follow social distancing rules.

This is especially important for your teens. Encourage them to get out in the natural light and get some exercise. It will be good for their emotional health as well as their physical health. If they absolutely must be inside, go back to the question of trust: Make sure they understand why they’re cooped up and what the parameters are.

Explore with them

My teen and I like to give ourselves facials. And I am definitely going to ask for a fun stripe of colored hair!

Whether you are out or in, you can join your teen in their explorations. Maybe you can both learn a new skill, like bread-baking or chess. Maybe you can go to a park for a walk.

Ask your teen to show you funny videos. Do your hair together. Watch a show. They might reject you, but you can always try!

Support but don’t pressure them about academics

Chances are your teen’s academics are going to look a little different for the rest of the semester. Ask them what they need from you, but if you weren’t involved on a day-to-day level before, back off and give them some space. Remember: every single kid applying to college is going to have a story to tell about what happened this semester. A bad grade or an incomplete really won’t be the end. And it’s certainly not worth destroying your relationship over.

Love them

So many teens believe that their parents don’t love them. So many parents are convinced that their teens disdain them. In any case, we have to fight against that. Remind them that you love them, even as you let them have the independence that they seek.

Further reading: Nice article from Greater Good magazine

Temporary homeschooling tips!

Posted on by Suki

12 years ago, I came home from my younger child’s kindergarten in distress. It was clear that his developmental issues were making it impossible for him to learn in a classroom setting.

I suddenly became the world’s most reluctant homeschooler.

That experience forced me to get creative—just like millions of parents around the US are suddenly being forced to get creative due to quarantines and school closures.

You may not be in a position to become a homeschooler full-time, but here are some tips for ways that you can keep your kids—and you—from going insane in the short term.

Cure your nature deficit

Have you heard of Nature Deficit Disorder? It’s a thing. It’s one of the underlying issues in modern kids’ behavioral problems. It’s easily curable:

Go outside. Outside is a great place to be during an epidemic, as long as your family has not been quarantined due to an active infection. And even if you don’t live near actual nature, a walk on city streets gets your kids out in the natural light.

Raining? Snowing? Humans are resilient. Our bodies do fine anywhere from the edge of the Arctic to the rainforest. Put on gear, go out, get muddy, get ridiculous.

Afraid of making too much laundry? What else do you have to do?

Gamify!

Kids’ brains are wired for learning and investigation. The reason they like those video games so much is that they are engineered to take advantage of kids’ natural inclinations.

You can do it, too. Make everything you do into a ridiculous game. Have to walk somewhere because you can’t take public transit? Invent a contest for the funniest walk. Stuck in a two-level condo with energetic kids? Invent a game that involves going up and down the stairs…a lot.

Treasure hunt

There is nothing kids like more than a treasure hunt. Not convinced? Try it. If you’re not stuck inside, do a treasure hunt in your neighborhood: make a list of things they need to find. If you don’t want them to touch anything, give them a device and have them take photos. Kids are like little seeking machines—once they get into it, they’ll wear you out before they’re done. (If you’re stuck inside, hide small items like marbles around the house and give the kids buckets!)

Counting

This was often a last-ditch resort of mine, trying to keep a high-energy kid focused so we could get things done or get somewhere we needed to go. Ask them to count. How many telephone poles are there on our street? How many squirrels can you see in the next ten minutes? (Set a timer—timers are great motivation for kids.) Let’s find all the prime numbers up to a hundred.

A change of paradigm

What I tell new homeschoolers is that their new educational path is not a change of schools, it’s a change of paradigm. Your entire life shifts when you are suddenly at home with people you used to send off to school.

We’re all stuck in this new paradigm, for a while at least. Rather than fighting it, I suggest you embrace it. As the mother of one kid in college and another about to leave, I will tell you that these years go fast.

You might even create some fun memories during this time of stress and uncertainty.

Need to teach online?

Posted on by Suki

Here are a few pointers from someone who does it every day

Yup, my kid really did attend a class at Athena’s while jumping on the trampoline!

I got a call this morning from a friend who suddenly needs to teach a hands-on class…remotely. How do you do that?

Lots of teachers are asking this question, so I’m going to offer a few simple pointers.

The technology is not too hard!

While you have been happily continuing in the brick and mortar world, online education has come a long way. There is so much easy technology you can access, much of it for free.

Don’t think that you can’t do it. Find someone to help you if you feel overwhelmed. Don’t listen to anyone who says you need to do something complicated. Use the simplest tools that you already have a feel for.

Be creative with technology

How could you use Facebook live streaming? Do you know how to share a Google Drive document? Did you know that anyone can upload videos to Youtube and share them only with a specific audience?

Don’t focus on what you don’t know. Focus on what you do know and how you can adapt it.

Remember that the real world matters

The worst online classes take away everything that is good about the real world. The best ones integrate the real world with the IRL world.

Think about what your students get from you in the classroom, and consider how you can continue to give that online.

So… Are you a teacher who uses your voice a lot to convey information? Make sure to make sound available to your students.

Do you provide your students with fun physical materials? You can still do that. Some schools are putting together packets that students can pick up. Just make sure that your parents know that you are wearing a mask when you create the packets!

Do you need to engage your students in real time? If your students are likely to all have access to streaming, live streaming allows you to share your face and gestures.

Do you give immediate feedback in the classroom? If your classes depend on back and forth communication, look into what sorts of texting programs might work—Messenger, WhatsApp, Hangouts… There are so many! Find out what’s easiest for your families.

Don’t disappear

Your students are used to being with you for a certain amount of time in the week. Even if they are not in the classroom, they should feel that you are just as available to them during this stressful time.

Consider this an opportunity to do some professional development

You may end up never using online educational tools again…but that’s unlikely. Once you develop these skills, you may end up integrating them into your teaching long term.

Teaching online is extremely rewarding in its own way. I don’t think that remote classes should ever replace in-person interaction, but in a time like this, these tools are there for your use. Good luck!

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