How is distance learning going with your younger kids?

[bisous]

It has been at least a month now. My kids are much more engaged than they were in the Spring, but I'm still not sure that they are getting a really awesome academic experience. While they are busy, which I appreciate as I am trying to work from home, and they are HAPPY, which makes ME really happy because I want them to enjoy themselves, I'm not sure they are learning as much as they would from an in school experience. I'm wondering if we're at the upper limits of what is possible for distance learning?

For reference, DS3 is in 3rd and DD is in 1st. For DS3 I think a lot of this is related to his diagnoses (which are still being figured out.) I am grateful that through spring distance learning I finally realized how behind he really is. It is so evident watching him try to keep up with his teacher (who is DOING SUCH AN AMAZING JOB) that he's missing so much both right now and from prior years. I'm frankly not sure I'm up to the task of catching him up.

DD is doing better. But she's struggling with writing. She is getting feedback but it isn't immediate. I'm sitting next to her but she has headphones on so I'm not sure what she needs or how I can help? There is a lot of missed information there. It is all relative with her though because she's already fairly advanced academically so I'm not as worried.

How is going for you guys?

[carolinamama]

That's a loaded question around here! My youngest is in 4th grade - is that "younger" enough? Overall, it's okay. Not amazing, not awful. The teachers are great.

DD has a strange situation this year because she has been in a Montessori school but made a switch to a traditional classroom. She is also dyslexic (lots of hard work and support from her tutor over the last 2 years has resulted in at-grade level reading). I provide support at home with interpreting directions, spelling, oh, how atrocious her spelling is and teaching her how to study. It takes more of my time than I had originally anticipated but I hope I'm setting her up to fly later in the year. She has holes for sure but she's filling them in along the way with an amazing amount of hard work. School will never come easy for her but I'm starting to think she will ultimately succeed. Our private school is open but we chose virtual for the fall. Unless things get really bad, she will go into the classroom in January, where they are doing a great job of masking, distancing and ventilating to decrease transmission risk. She still works with her tutor twice a week.

It's interesting how distance learning makes spotting our kids' academic weak spots much easier. We've discovered several areas where DS2 (6th) is lacking knowledge or skill but he doesn't have any learning challenges to explain it. Past teachers always told us he was doing well. It's a combination of his dislike of school and an absence of accountability in a standards grading district. He did move from public to private so curriculum and expectations are different. While I never anticipated being so directly involved in his day-to-day learning, I am glad to know where he needs more intense help so we can move to provide it. We are so fortunate that my mom started coming over a few times a week to work with him. They work in our office with the windows open and masks on but he responds to her better.

[PZMommy]

Just speaking for the younger ones, I’m teaching kinder. Our main goal is to have happy learners. I’m not doing as much academics at this point, but focusing on the social emotional aspect of everything. It’s not that we aren’t doing academics, but we are going light on the academics at the moment. Since we are in this for the long term we will pick up on the academics in the coming weeks.

My own 4th grader is struggling. He goes to school to socialize, and learning is just bonus. So taking away the social aspect makes him really not like school. I’m not happy with the amount of work he is getting for independent work and I’m cutting some of it out. I don’t really care at this point. I’ve taught 4th grade enough to know what is required and what is busy work. I don’t have time for busy work. He zooms for 3 hours a day, which is a state requirement. I think it is too much, but it is what is it. I’m actually considering pulling him out and just homeschooling him.

[georgiegirl]

My first grader is doing pretty well. He had a very rough kindergarten year (super bored academically and had major issues socially). So online school eliminated all of the social issues (no lines, no sitting next to other kids on the carpet, no kids distracting him, etc.). And although he’s still bored academically, he can pick what he wants to work on during independent time. So he’s much happier at home. I’ve tried to make him as independent as possible. Every morning we look at his schedule and make sure the appropriate alarms are set. I make sure he knows which apps to use and where his passwords are. Overall, he need very little help from me.


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[gymnbomb]

My first grader is doing ok. The teacher keeps him busy with google meets for a couple of hours in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon (plus music once a week) which I appreciate because I am working from home. She is very organized and tries very hard to keep the kids participating. She calls on them frequently and also corrects them if they are clearly not paying attention. He has not learned anything yet, but we are only on week 2 so I am trying to be patient and give it some time. He is quite ahead on reading, slightly ahead on math, and probably slightly behind on writing. Which is what they don’t appear to have done any of at all yet.

He is fine with getting started with everything in the morning, but they have a long break in the middle of the day and it is hard to get him going again after that. I wish she would post the “independent work” links/assignments sooner so he could work on them either before the official school day starts or as soon as their google meet is over at 10:45-11 instead of having to wait until 12 or 12:30 for them to be available.


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[klwa]

My 2nd grader seems to be doing pretty well. Our school has the day split into sections to help hold their attention. So, a 30 minute meet in the morning, followed by 30 minutes of independent work, then another 30 minute meet, etc. If she finishes her work early, we'll cut on Cosmic Kids yoga or Just Dance on Youtube so she can have some active time in there. Other days, she'll stay at her computer reading on Epic or playing Reflex Math or Smarty Ants. She breaks for lunch at the same time as my high schooler for half an hour. Afternoons are a little less structured. They have specials then testing/breakouts/etc for an hour. That's probably the most difficult time. Especially if it's an iReady testing day & she's not in the group being tested that day. Then, about 1:30, they come back together for science.

[schrocat]

I have a first grader and learning is going okay. She doesn't use a headphone so that I can hear what's going on in her class. My kids are all working in different parts of the house so her lessons are not disturbing the other kids.

[bisous]

I'm wondering if I can have DD in another room with me. Or rather, if I can put DS3 alone... I'm sort of working with both of them though. DD needs me to intervene so that she isn't making interjections constantly. DS3 needs my interpretation of what the teacher said or for me to make sure he's working on his stuff.

The hardest thing for me right now is figuring out what they are supposed to have done during the day so we can finish anything up that is left over. We have this period of time, 11:30 to 12:00 when they are "done" with zoom but before DS2 is done that I allow them on Epic provided that they did all their schoolwork. Except I have no way of knowing what they were supposed to be doing and have to rely on their word because it isn't posted until after noon. If the schoolwork could be posted ahead of time I could look at it and verify and they could keep working on it until they finish and Epic could be a great reward. I feel like I really lose momentum at 11:30 never to regain it during the day (as many of you have also mentioned--getting them BACK is so hard!) I hate to ask anything else from the teachers since they are obviously working so hard this semester!

[klwa]

I'm wondering if I can have DD in another room with me. Or rather, if I can put DS3 alone... I'm sort of working with both of them though. DD needs me to intervene so that she isn't making interjections constantly. DS3 needs my interpretation of what the teacher said or for me to make sure he's working on his stuff.

The hardest thing for me right now is figuring out what they are supposed to have done during the day so we can finish anything up that is left over. We have this period of time, 11:30 to 12:00 when they are "done" with zoom but before DS2 is done that I allow them on Epic provided that they did all their schoolwork. Except I have no way of knowing what they were supposed to be doing and have to rely on their word because it isn't posted until after noon. If the schoolwork could be posted ahead of time I could look at it and verify and they could keep working on it until they finish and Epic could be a great reward. I feel like I really lose momentum at 11:30 never to regain it during the day (as many of you have also mentioned--getting them BACK is so hard!) I hate to ask anything else from the teachers since they are obviously working so hard this semester!

Is there any way you can make 11:30-12 their lunch time? So they know they have a break then. That way once the work is posted at noon, it will be a hard "go back to work" time.

We've got two different lunch times in our house (DS & DD2 are at 11:30. DD1 is at noon.) because of how the school day is split between grade levels, so even if one child is still in class, having the other two eating then might work?

[bisous]

Is there any way you can make 11:30-12 their lunch time? So they know they have a break then. That way once the work is posted at noon, it will be a hard "go back to work" time.

We've got two different lunch times in our house (DS & DD2 are at 11:30. DD1 is at noon.) because of how the school day is split between grade levels, so even if one child is still in class, having the other two eating then might work?

I think that could work really well! The each have one day a week with their small group meeting from 11:30 to noon. Also, both older kids (in the kitchen) are still on zoom calls. Maybe I could put their lunches in a lunch box and we could eat outside. Hmm. I like this plan!!