HOW CAN I HELP MY CHILD BE SUCCESSFUL IN REMOTE LEARNING? 

• Get Organized - The quickest way to fail at online learning is to not be organized. You need to help your child work out a clear schedule for learning. Make sure you insert “Energy Break” where your child does an activity that gives them energy (stretching, 5-min TikTok timeouts, shoot hoops, etc.)! Be sure to create checklists and systems for completing the week’s tasks. Here’s a template of a digital weekly planner your child can copy and share with you/the teacher! Paper planners are also dope (you can print off the linked file if you want)! They also need to figure out the best way to take notes, and do that literally the whole day.

• Create a Workspace - Beds are for sleeping, couches are for Netflix, workspaces are for working! I know extra space can be hard to find, but see if you can have a set location for where learning occurs. This helps separate not only the location, but the feeling for students of where learning occurs as opposed to the rest of their home activities. Find a place, chair, and/or hammock that doesn't already have a consistent purpose and make that where learning takes place! 

• Communication is Key - You HAVE to be in daily communication with your child, and at least weekly with your child’s teacher. Just because your kid says “I’m all caught up” doesn’t mean they are. Check in occasionally with the teacher to see if your little darling is handling their business! Recap what your child did that day via their checklist, review what's coming up tomorrow, and email your teacher once a week to make sure they're on the right track and they know how to reach you!

• Build Them (and you) a Community - It is 50x harder to do education by yourself* (*not a verified statistic). Students used to have community inherently built into their classes just by showing up. Make sure they get a couple students they can form a study group with (Video Hangouts, Group Texts, etc). You ALSO need to do the same thing with some parents of other students in those classes! That way, you can all keep each other up-to-date on everything happening! Meet weekly and make sure you don’t travel hours down the wrong path! Teamwork makes for clean work (or something like that😁).

  • “No man is an island -John Milton” -Hugh Grant

• We’re All in this Together - Everyone here has the same goal: your child’s success. It’s not just up to the teachers to educate your child, in-person and/or online. You’re a vital part of the learning process (possibly the most vital). Check in with your child daily, be aware of their assignments, and open a communication line to the teacher and/or administrators letting them know you’re here to help! Most importantly, BE. PATIENT. With everyone. Your child, teachers, admin, and yourself. We’re all navigating this world ourselves. Just roll with it and stay motivated!

  REMINDER: Most likely, your teacher got into education to help students like your child. If you get the perception they aren’t helping your child, talk to them. Calmly. Ask them what you can do better as a TEAM to help your child reach their potential! You’ll be amazing at what a non-accusing conversation can do for a parent-teacher relationship.