Brave New World: Virtual School Days

Communication, COVID-19, Digital Tools, Elementary, Home Schooling, Parents, School Stress, Students, Teachers, Tutoring, Virtual Learning

Families are adjusting to virtual school days and new learning schedules.

Our worlds have shifted.

 Gone are the overscheduled, ultra-busy days defined by rigid school and extracurricular routines. Now our days are vaguely outlined and routines are minimal.

Are you nagging gently nudging your teenager to check the online assignments for each class daily? Do you walk your elementary kid through the weekly “must dos” and optional tasks, while trying to navigate the use of online meeting platforms? By 10:30, most of us fall into one of two camps: 1). They aren’t even out of bed yet, or 2). Mayhem has ensued and they are either on their devices playing games with friends, or telling you they are bored…and there are roughly 10 waking hours to go until they go to bed and we repeat the cycle tomorrow.

With the long-term learning plans in place, it is time to devise a schedule to bring some pattern to your kids’ school days. Everyone’s daily patterns may look different. The one-size fits all schedule of “normal” school days just isn’t possible for all of us! Give yourself the room to build a schedule that works for you and your kids.

Here are four tips to help you build a flexible schedule that works for your family:

1. It’s time for some teamwork:

Your role has changed. If your kid was an independent worker before, it is time to get more involved. Step one is figuring out the online classroom portals used in your school. How are the teachers communicating with kids? Is it through paper packets or an online portal?  If you were already super connected to your child’s work patterns and assignments (go you!) it is time to see how this will look different for the 4th quarter.

2. Take inventory:

Are your kids early risers? Perhaps an early “school” day works best for them.  Do your kids sleep in and not hit their stride until the afternoon? Great. This is a great opportunity to let them do their work when they are at their best. One size doesn’t fit all.  Be ready to set up different “school” scenarios for each child.  What is the flow of work? Do teachers assign everything for the week and they need to pace out their work to be turned in Friday, or are there daily assignments? Set aside time each week to talk to each child about what their school week looks like, and how to manage the flow of work.

3. Be patient:

We are all in a steep learning curve trying to determine expectations, timelines, feedback, and what the days need to look like to be productive. Is there too much work? Not enough? Open and honest communication with your kids’ teachers is more important than ever. 

4. Use the available resources:

There are literally hundreds of websites with additional resources and ways to continue learning outside the classroom. The VDOE published guidelines, as did each school division on the amount of work that will be assigned to students based on their grade level. When you do the math, it clearly doesn’t add up to the hours of instruction (and work) they would have received at school, but this new stage of the school year is not meant to replace the unreplicable school environment. We as parents need to find ways to supplement “school” learning and help our kids not fall behind in the skills they’ve been working on during this school year.

We Can Help

Tutor A Team is here to be your partner as we navigate this together. We offer one-on-one tutoring to meet the evolving needs of your kids! Our certified teachers are working virtually with students all across Hampton Roads every day right now. Reach out to us today and we will build a plan for you child’s individual learning needs.  Let us help you help them.  We look forward to working with you!
Learn More About Tutor A Team