California teachers give tips on how to ‘homeschool’ your children
Parents: How did the first week of teaching come along?
If you’re like many parents across California, you were instructed to stay home, and so were your children.
Many school districts did not send work home when thousands of students were told last Friday that their schools would be closed for up to three weeks to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. One of the main reasons: equity. Not all students have internet access or laptops to work on assigned work at home. The California Department of Education earlier this week shared guidance for K-12 students on distance learning and how to obtain internet access.
But when Gov. Gavin Newsom said schools were unlikely to open before summer break on Wednesday, many parents took to the internet to search for ways to keep their children engaged and learning as the days home turn into weeks, and possibly into months.
The Sacramento Bee spoke with educators and homeschool managers who had advice for parents embarking on their new “teaching jobs.”
Here’s what they had to say:
Don’t try to replicate school
Homeschooling should be more organic than your brick and mortar school, said homeschool manager and teacher Camille Vocker of Elk Grove.
Vocker taught in public schools for more than eight years. She now manages 25 students from grades K through 12 using Inspire, a homeschooling program through the Feather River Charter School. Vocker plans students’ curriculum, yearly goals, helps their families purchase books and take educational classes.
“Learning can happen all over the place,” she said. “You can be teaching your kids math and fractions while at the grocery story, and they are calculating their bill.”
And Vocker said she often separates them. Some activities are done together, but when laptops are out with audio on high, Vocker puts her sons in separate rooms.
“My older son is very independent,” she said. “He will come ask me for help from time to time, and I will stop my work and help him. My little one is more hands on, but I am still able to sit next to him with my own laptop and work.”
Normally, like many homeschooled children, Vocker’s own two children are in a wide range of extracurricular activities: Spanish class, horseback riding and piano. Her children spend two hours in the morning on a laptop doing core subjects before they move on to their outdoor activities.
While the school day goes on for a large portion of the day, Vocker said spending four hours a day on academics is a great target.
“But don’t do it at one time,” she said. “Break it up and give them time to jump on the trampoline or have a snack.”
Stanford’s Dean of School of Education Denise Pope said to adopt the “PDF” mantra, which stands for Playtime, Downtime, and Family time.
“Research on protective factors for teens shows that engaging in PDF every day can support better mental and physical health,” Pope said. “Playtime for teens means unstructured time for social interactions and playing informal sports, games, and other activities for fun. Structured extracurricular activities are great and can lead to positive development, but kids also need time for unstructured play, as well as downtime where they can relax and rejuvenate, and time with family.”
Pope recommends children spend at least 20 minutes a day where they are eating together or engaging with the family at home.
Children thrive with structure
While these next few weeks will feel like anything but school, students should still adopt one aspect from school: structure.
Children want to know what to expect everyday, so build a routine, experts said.
Children should ideally sleep and wake up at the same time every day. Mornings should consist of a routine: breakfast, get dressed and ready for the day, children should make their beds and do a morning chore.
Have a consistent place where they can sit and do their work.
Vocker said while students are not in a brick-and-mortar school, they should still understand the weekdays are for schooling.
“What I would recommend is start the day strong,” said Salman Khan, founder of the online education site Khan Academy, during a CBS This Morning interview. “Depending on the age group, we start with a little bit of math while the brain is fresh.”
Try fun apps and websites on a computer or tablet
Don’t feel guilty handing children a gadget for an hour or two. And don’t underestimate your first-grader: She can use a keyboard just fine.
“Generation Z is just so good with technology,” said Shaan Patel, founder of the ed-tech company, Prep Expert. Generation Z largely refers to anyone between the ages 7 and 22, according to the Pew Research Center. “Online classes may seem unfamiliar to even millennials or baby boomers. But coronavirus has forced education to step into the 21st century.”
Vocker said she recommends laptops over tablets, because learning how to use a keyboard and mouse are important for their academic future.
“On the SBAC (standardized) test, they have to be able to type a paragraph or more, and not knowing how could limit them,” Vocker said.
Younger students can practice their fine motor skills by authoring and publishing books on www.mystorybook.com. Students can draw, add text and backgrounds with very little parent supervision.
Students K-12 can register for a myriad of academic websites that will help complement the work they did in school:
The website IXL is one of the most comprehensive sites for all grade levels, and measures student progress. Like many websites, it’s offering a 30-day free trial.
Khan Academy is popular, free online site that provides structured learning schedule to students in all subjects.
Its founder, Khan, gave advice to the more than 42 million students now out from school.
“Focus on the basics,” he said, “If your child of pretty much any age is able to focus on math and reading, two hours a day, that’s a great start,”
Be creative
Play cards or games like chess to teach strategy, or board games like Ticket to Ride to teach geography.
Children can lose focus when working on mundane lessons, Vocker said. Revisit assignments again later if needed, and fill the afternoon with fun activities that are still intellectually beneficial.
Pope recommends project based learning. Depending on what age, students can dive into topics they are really excited about.
Students can create video tutorials that incorporate research, learn how to make their favorite food, interview an older relative to explore their family tree, or run a physics experiment by throwing different types of balls.
Read, read, read
“If you just have to focus on one thing, I would do an hour of reading, and that could be as simple as a reading a book,” Khan said to CBS News.
Vocker recommends children read for 20 minutes on their own each day, but parents should also read aloud to them.
“Read books that are difficult,” Vocker said. “You are demonstrating what good reading is, and they are picking up on so many things through read alouds.”
Vocker recommends choosing enjoyable books that are above grade level. Her own children, grades 2 and 4, are enjoying her read “Where the Red Fern Grows” and “Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.”
Don’t stress
If parents or children are feeling anxious or overwhelmed, take a break.
“Your children don’t have to be perfect,” she said. “Parents should focus on their relationship with their child. You don’t want to push a kid to tears over a spelling test or math paper.”
Vocker recommends utilizing summer break to review material, an hour a day so students don’t lose valuable skills they acquired during the school year.
“Three months is far too long for kids to take off, and they will regress,” she said. “They don’t need to be doing four hours a day, but something to pace themselves.”
Most importantly, Vocker said, “Have grace.”
Parents might feel challenged during this time because of their own work-from-home schedule, or because of the amount of work they need to put into to help their child. Some parents who relied on para educators as a resource for their students are now feeling more pressure to get things right.
“You know your kids better than anyone,” Vocker said. “You know their needs. School doesn’t have to look like a traditional classroom. You don’t have to sit there and do worksheets. There are lots of ways that your kids can meet the standards.”
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 9:33 AM with the headline "California teachers give tips on how to ‘homeschool’ your children."