I'm reaching out today with some ideas and tips to help make your students' remote learning days flow productively so that their instructional time is maximized as we have reached the end of the first marking period.
I'm very proud of how well our students are doing with remote learning whether they follow a hybrid or full-time schedule. I've had feedback from many teachers who agree that, for the most part, students are doing admirably and continue to increase their skills with both Zoom and Google Classroom. There are, however, a few tips that they would like you to be aware of and some trends that you could stay away from:
Learning/Study Zone - If possible, create an area for remote learning that is consistent daily and has all the student will need for the day to minimize time spent looking for supplies. Perhaps a box or basket with sharpened pencils and other things needed for the day could be organized the night before and ready to go when class starts. Insure that paper packets of work in the lower grades are readily at hand so when the teacher asks students to take out the math sheet, they can easily do so. Check with your upper grade students before school to insure that if there are materials they needed to print from Google Classroom, these have been printed and are ready to go. The Learning Zone should be free from distractions in a quiet place in your home.
How Parents Can Help - Resist the impulse to help during remote learning other than to remind your younger students to stay on task with their teachers. Please do not ask teachers for clarification of instructions or to reiterate which worksheet your student should be using. These are natural questions from students and they'd be asking them for themselves if they were in a typical classroom setting, with teachers responding as appropriate. Allow your child to use the "hand raised" feature of Zoom to ask for clarification if they need it. Obviously you would not be here in school, helping your child. Our goals haven't changed even though we're learning remotely: fostering independent and self-reliant students who are non-anxious problem solvers. Utilizing the organization skills as described above can go a long way in helping to achieve this goal.
We Can Hear You - Yes, we can hear you when you're reprimanding the dog, running the vacuum, stacking dishes in the kitchen or on your own Zoom or conference call for work. If your student's Zoom mic is open, we can hear it all. This is yet another reason why a learning space set aside from the hub of the household would be the most beneficial setting for your child's school day. Please understand that your household noises are also distracting for the in-school cohort.
We genuinely appreciate all that you do and know that our partnership continues to be as important as ever given these unique times. We are trying to replicate an experience, a very challenging undertaking, and your continued help and support are absolutely integral in this process. I know some of you are anxious to have your children return to in-person learning every day while others may be more cautious. We are still making plans and examining best practices to insure the safety of students and faculty at RVS.
Meanwhile, mask up, wash hands, stay close to home and resist the temptation to socialize in large groups. Our vigilance in the spring made school possible in the fall. Continued vigilance will allow the "next level of normalcy" to be achieved.