Spiderman Wears a Mask, So Can You!

In the past few weeks, I have listened to parents, teachers, students, and experts about the need to open up schools.  I agree.  I want to be at school with the students.  Yet I have also heard cries from some parents about how their child is not capable of wearing a mask.  I am here to say, give your child's abilities more credit than this.  Of course, they are going to complain to you about it.  THAT DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE NOT CAPABLE OF DOING IT!

Wearing a mask at school does not mean wearing one continuously throughout the day.  Most schools and teachers have a plan where students would mask up when social distancing is not possible; for example, wearing a mask in the lunch line, when the teacher is helping you in a one on one or small group situation, and on the bus. Students who have been taught to wear seatbelts for safety can be taught to wear a mask FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME.

School prioritize the safety of students and faculty.  That is why we have active shooter drills and fire drills.  Why we require closed-toed shoes, and why we insist that students walk and not run from place to place.  Many schools have no tolerance for bullying, bringing weapons, and aggressive contact between students.  All of these rules keep people safe.  Wearing a mask KEEPS PEOPLE SAFE.s

I do not know of a parent who does not want to raise children who are kind.  Kindness is the basis of good character.  Teachers emphasize this value during class.  We all pitch in to clean up after a project because it is kind.  We put things away so that other students can find them, because it is kind, and we use quiet voices because it is kind.  We are in an unusual time and we need to protect ourselves and others by wearing a mask BECAUSE IT IS KIND.

As a parent you can help so that the transition to going back to school can be a smooth one.

Practice wearing a mask at home.  Wear one during enjoyable activites such as baking or food preparation.  When the treat is ready, take off the mask and eat!  Wear one while playing computer games, kids will forget they have one on and become used to the feeling of it.  Find ways to make a game out of wearing a mask.  

My three rules are BE KIND, BE SAFE AND DO YOUR BEST.  Wearing a mask comes under all three.  Tell your children that by wearing one they may be saving a life.  Let them know they are heroes.  For goodness sake, Spiderman wears a mask, so they can too!

I'm Bored!!!

What parent hasn't heard this utterance from their child.  "I'm booooooorrrrred!"  It comes out as a whine, a complaint, a plea, a demand and you feel the need to entertain, amuse, or give in just to make it stop.

Well, I am here to tell you that boredom is good.  Boredom is space.  Space that can be filled by entertaining the child or by giving him or her the opportunity to create something new.  I read on Facebook that Shakespeare wrote King Lear during the plague while he was isolated at home.  Now he did not have TVs, computers, electronics, and easy access to mindless activities.  Will S. put his boredom to good use.  He wrote a brilliant play.

Now I don't expect that your 8 year old will write King Lear, but why not give her a chance, the space, and the time to create her own brilliant masterpiece?

This is a challenging time and we all have the need to find things to occupy our time at home.  My favorite memories of childhood include building a fort by turning the furniture over, covering it with blankets, and crawling in with a flashlight and a book.  I recall my 3 year old brother pulling all the pots and pans out of my grandmother's cabinets and playing the drums with a wooden spoon.  My sisters and I would take old magazines and make collages.  I would close the door to my bedroom and belt out broadway show tunes.  I would draw, write, paint, build things out of old cardboard boxes.

As a teacher I love to create games for students to use that reinforce learning.  I think my love of doing this comes from my parent's letting me find my own pursuits when boredom set in.  We find our talents in the moments we are bored.  Art, music, game, literature, writing, designing, building, engineering, cooking, let your child try out the ones that call to her.

So next time the words "I'm bored" send chills down your spine, respond by giving them space and time, no direction, access to everyday stuff, and let them create their own masterpiece.

In the Time of Coronavirus

Many of you are being granted the opportunity of "homeschooling", whether you wanted it or not.  But it is an opportunity!  Working with your children is a privilege I experience every day.  I am here to support and be a resource to families in this "new normal."

The first thing I want to suggest is to have a schedule.

Include online academic learning time, outdoor time, practical life skills time, creative/building time, reading/writing time, puzzle time, and challenge time.  Below is a sample schedule:

Sample Weekly Schedule while School is closed. Use the time blocks daily.  Be flexible.           

Wake Up, Make Bed, get dressed, eat breakfast, clean up breakfast dishes               

 30 minutes    Academic Time -Online academic/assigned work.             

20 minutes    Practical Life - Teach the child a chore they can do independently, wash dishes, empty/lodishwasher, fold and put away laundry, wipe down surfaces, sweep       

40 minutes    Academic - i Online academic/assigned work.                       

20 minutes    snack, have student prepare, eat and clean up                       

45 minutes     Reading Time -Chapter book Reading-Choose a project to do with a book you read. Create a new book cover with artwork and author bio. Ask others who have read it to write reviews. OR create a board game to go with the book. OR Write a play to dramatize part of the book.

30 minutes    Pet Care - play with, brush, cuddle, walk, read to, observe, be present with your pet.                  

Lunch Symposium - students prepare, eat, clean up. Take turns choosing a topic to discuss. Post the topic the day before and encourage some research about it. Such as, What would you want to see if we took a trip to Paris?                        

30 minutes    Outside time -Go outside, take a walk, observe nature, help with outdoor chores                       

15 minutes    Memorizati on time - use this time to memorize a poem, math facts, states and capitals,             speeches, order of Presidents, monologues from plays etc.               

45 minutes    Writing Time - Writer's workshop - journal, write stories, poems, songs, plays, and then read, perform, or illustrate your work                       

45 minutes or more    Creative Time - Work on a new skill - use YouTube videos and on line tutorials to learn a new language, dance, instrument, recipe, craft, or do one of the STEM projects on the Homework site.                       

15 minutes or more    puzzle time - work on crossword, word search, rebus, sudoku or other types of puzzles                       

                        *Limit screen time that does not fall into the academic category.

Throughout the day: Be Kind, Be Safe and Do Your Best to help others!                           
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A wise friend told me that it is more difficult to work at home with your children then it is in school.  That is because you and your home are your child's SAFEST PLACE!  They feel free to express anger, frustration, and annoyance; and they will!  When you find yourself frustrated with your child's emotions, it is the time they need you most so be prepared to give a lot of hugs. Tell your child how lucky you feel that you have this chance to work with him or her.  Be present when you are needed to help with something.  Rely on advice from the schools and classroom teachers.  You got this.