• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

In no way, shape or form were we prepared for an immediate, global, shutdown. I think I can speak for not just Americans, but worldwide citizens, as well. We had few options, if they could even be called options. Work from home or don’t work at all. Put your children immediately into a virtual school environment or their scholastic education comes to a screeching halt. It was pretty much black or white.

My scenario: I am a fourth grade teacher. This meant I was blessed with the opportunity to work from home as a virtual teacher and still earn and provide for my family during this crisis. I am also blessed to have a relatively small class with 18 students. I am a single mother. I have five school age children at home. My five children attend four different schools and between the five children and four schools, there are 21 different teachers. How in the world is one person supposed to juggle this? Very, very calmly.

TOP 10 V.I.T.’S – Very Important Tips – Vitally Important Tips

1. S.M.E.U.S.S.R. – (as in Dr. Seuss). Stop Making Excuses and Start Seeing Results
2. Get ready for the day – do NOT roll out of bed and on to the computer. Shower, brush your teeth, do your hair and get dressed in work clothes. Have your children get up, wash their face, brush their teeth and get dressed in what they would wear to school – yes, even a uniform shirt. Trust me – it makes a HUGE difference in attitude and perspective.
3. K.I.S.S. – Keep It Super Simple. This is the acronym I use in the classroom – works especially well for Math.
4. TRUST THE TEACHER! They are in charge of the curriculum and lessons. You just need to support them.
5. Log everyone on 15 minutes early and set 5 minute breaks at least every hour – check on your children and use this time to regroup and readjust.
6. KEEP THEM ENGAGED. Depending on their age depends on how long they can stay engaged in a given activity. Always create a ‘safe’ area for them.
7. Do NOT do your child’s assignments for them! That is harming them, not helping them. This is a crucial time for everyone and they need to learn how to become problem solvers and find solutions that suit their needs. We have been forced into a golden opportunity for them. Use this to benefit your child and help them grow.
8. Work and school ONLY – Do not get distracted doing anything else. Remember, when you are physically at work and school, laundry is not being done.
9. Stay in the loop – One of the smartest things I did at the beginning of the school year was provide their schools with two email addresses. A student email and MY email. This ensured I received copies of everything sent to my children.
10. When all else fails, take a deep breath, walk away, ask for help. These are my go to 3 steps that I use for every age group, toddler to adult. We can’t always scream but we can breathe. Sometimes walking away means closing our eyes and turning around (I do this in the classroom ALL…THE…TIME..) Ask for help. So many of us think ‘I got this.’ We are in this together so reach out and ask for help, even if it’s a silent prayer – someone will always hear you.

Assessment of needs: My 15-year-old is pretty self-sufficient. She is a freshman at a private high school and has always taken the initiative with her school work. She’s on top of her emails and gets her work done. My 12-year-old is in 6th grade at a private middle school and although he is aware of what is going on in class and when assignments are due, he chooses not to always do them and is easily distracted by his basketball, skateboard or bicycle. My 11-year-old is in 5th grade at a Broward County Charter School. He is ADDHD and although he loves school and is extremely bright, organization, due dates and rules are not his forte. (Thank goodness I get those emails.) My 4-year-old is in VPK and obviously needs supervision with paper assignments and some guidance with his virtual lessons. And then there is my 2-year-old. Regardless, I have my work cut out for me.

Devices:. My freshman and 6th grader have school owned IPads. This has been the norm at their schools way before all of this. All of their textbooks are on the IPads and they are rented at the beginning of each school year. They are used for all assignments, emails, etc. I already had a desktop (which I allotted for myself) and a lap top (which I allow my 5th grader to use). All I had to purchase was an inexpensive tablet, case and kiddie headphones (that look like a tiger) for my VPK-er. The toddler does age appropriate preschool worksheets, coloring, cut and paste, play-doh, educational Youtube, etc.

Learning locations: In a small, 3 bedroom duplex with 6 people, it was going to be almost impossible for everyone to have “quiet” space. Not to mention that I would be teaching live all day and still had to keep an eye on all of them. I work from my bedroom at a small vanity that I have transformed into a work desk. My 5th grader also works in my room at my real vanity table with my laptop. My toddler lays in my bed and watches TV “quietly” between us. My 4-year-old sits in a small chair right beside me with his tablet. That way, I can mute myself and help him as I teach. My bedroom adjoins to my 15-year-old’s, where she works at her desk and my 12-year-old is at his desk in his bedroom. Requirement: EVERYONE has headphones!

Scheduling: It’s always tricky at first. After a few trial runs, we finally “nailed” it.

HOMEWORK. I use this time to check the emails from my children’s teachers. I also check their online platforms for due and missing assignments. And by this I mean I literally take their device and go through their platforms and classes one by one to make sure their assignments are finished. It sound something like this –

Mom: "This math assignment is due today?"
Son: "Yes, but..."
Mom: "Then go do it right now and bring it back to me when it is complete.
Son leaves the room to go do assignment and the conversation repeats itself for the other son.
Son: "Here is my turned in work."
Mom: "Ok. Now let's look at science. These notes are due tomorrow?"
Son: "Yes, but..."
Mom: "Then go do it right now and bring it back to me when it's complete."
Daughter: "Mom, I finished all of my work and here are my grades."

How do I really stay on top of it? Well, I always have laundry that needs to be put away. Sometimes dishes go unwashed all day. The dusting gets put off and I am constantly prioritizing and regrouping my lists. My house is a clean and organized mess. Very organized – I’m a Virgo. I have a physical weekly planner and I use the reminder app on my phone for my to do list. The list never goes away 100%. I check emails – all 9 emails – constantly. I stick to routines and I set time for myself. This past weekend, I did absolutely nothing. And I mean nothing. I laid in bed, laid on the couch, snuggled with the kiddos, kept the blinds closed, ate junk food and watched movies and cartoons. My body needed it, my mind needed it, my kids needed it and I needed it. The world didn’t come to an end and no one self-imploded.

Now realistically, this is in no way a “Leave it to Beaver” kind of family. Sometimes we have time for a family bike ride and sometimes we just want to be alone. Sometimes we go to bed early and it’s a ‘make a PBJ for dinner’ kinda night. Sometimes we watch a movie together, sometimes we even skip nightly bath time. There’s fighting and yelling, there’s running and throwing, there’s laughing and growing and above all there’s lots of learning (mostly real life learning) and lots and lots of love. We get through it because we work as a team and no family member gets left behind (Ohana). We remember that this is temporary but our love as a family is indefinite.