4 DIY Distance Learning Ideas

This Article Appears in The Challenger Newspaper

     With the national economy coming to a grinding halt and educational institutions shutting down to help flatten the corona virus curve, many of us parents and guardians now find ourselves in a unique homeschooling situation that we, and many of our school districts, were not prepared for. Fortunately for us there are those who were prepared and seized this moment as a DIY distance learning opportunity. Today I would like to share some of those ideas in hopes that we can make the best out of the time educating our children at home. 

1. Don't worry, be resourceful. Find out what your child's grade level learning targets are. Prior to the school year Teachers create lesson plans to cover the entire year and these plans are not like a freestyle rap. They take preparation and are based upon the student's grade level learning targets and NYS competency standards. So if your child is in the 6th grade, during any month of the school year 6th graders across the New York State are learning the same ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies curriculum with minor variations. If you want to know for sure what your child's learning targets are reach out to their Teacher and find out. I am sure they would be more than happy to give you that information! Why am I sharing this? Because the initial reaction of many parents and guardians teaching their children at home has been, "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO TEACH THEM?!" If your child was given take home packets and/or access to an online learning platform, those learning packets and online assignments are based upon their Teacher's lesson plan. And their lesson plan is based upon the student's grade level learning targets and NYS competency standards. As a parent and guardian our job is to help provide added resources around our child's learning targets and competency standards. In other words, if your child has a Social Studies assignment about Ancient Egypt, there are many resources online, especially on YouTube, that you can share with them. If it is Math, no problem. You may not know the weird math your child is learning but someone does and there are resources online to support them. There are resources literally at our fingertips. Take advantage of them by connecting with your child's Teacher, School, using social media networks, searching the internet and contacting the School District if necessary.

2. Physical Education is everyday. According to various studies regarding lifespans, the present generation is the first generation that are expected to not outlive their parents and guardians. A combination of sedentary lifestyles, obesity, poor diets and other issues are the causative factors. Nowadays elementary school children are lucky to get more than two days of forty minutes of physical activity each week. Also, lessons about diet, eating the right foods and the importance of optimum health are few and far between. Especially with the social climate around COVID-19, this is an excellent opportunity to reinforce the importance of health and wellness. Encourage some form of physical activity for your child EVERYDAY. It doesn't matter if it is in backyard, front yard or on the side of the house -of course while maintaining physical distancing from others. If there is no place outside, use the basement, attic, living room or bedroom. Create some space so they can get their heart to race. Physical activity does not need to be standard exercises either. If you have a Wii game system, use one of those games that promotes physical activity. Use the TikTok for some fun physical activity. Find some fun activities on YouTube. Also, join them! In regards to diet and eating the right foods, this is also a great opportunity to include healthy snacks in your daily routine and easy to prepare healthy meals that promote optimum health. Health is wealth.

3. Don't forget the life skills. Use this time to incorporate basic life skills in your daily routine. Teaching a child how to separate, wash and dry clothes, garden, how to use certain computer programs, clean the bathroom and numerous other tasks that they will need later in life is priceless. These tasks are usually not even taught in school and this is a unique opportunity to school them. Plus you can make these tasks fun. I mean, I am not sure how to make cleaning a bathroom fun but I'm sure you can figure something out. Incentives always work.

4. Your home is the classroom. Distance learning does not mean to replicate our child's classroom at home. You are now the Teacher, again. I say "again" because you were the first Teacher to begin with. So make your child's learning environment yours. When I taught preschool, during breakfast time my class would listen to a mix of A Tribe Called Quest, Jill Scott, Alice Coltrane, Frankie Knuckles and others. On the walls I had images of black artists at their eye level. After our daily exercises we would meditate for five minutes to slow our heart rate before transitioning into our calendar lesson. It was our classroom. I am not sharing this to tell you to rearrange your home. I am sharing this to emphasize the fact that you determine the structure, time period and resources to support your child's learning environment. If the first thing in the morning you want your child to do is read for fifteen minutes, cool. If you want them to watch a ten minute national geographic video while they eat breakfast, do it. If they usually have math after lunch in school and you want them to knock it out in the morning, that is all good. Do what works for them, and you, and don't be afraid to make adjustments. Also, if you have children in different grade levels, delegate, delegate, delegate. The older children are your TA [Teacher's Assistant]. 

    In closing, I will that these ideas are not only helpful in making distance learning run smoother but also minimize the stress that many of you are feeling from being thrown in this unpredictable position. You have more skills, tools and resources than you may know or even give yourself credit for. I have worked with youth from preschool to college age, in various capacities, for over two decades. One of the most valuable assets that I or any Teacher could have is a relationship with a student. It is only through that relationship can learning be facilitated. For 8 hours every day throughout a school year we strive to build this asset which you naturally have as a parent or guardian. So don't stress, you got this, and when you want support that is what we are here for.

Peace,

Saladin