What we learn and love dearly,

If you are not tired (a different kind of tired) each day, then the learning day cycle has not fully occurred. I do not share this statement to make a mockery of education or to critique anybody trying to create a learning class in the home space; rather, it is quite the opposite. Educators describe this kind of “tired” as a result of planning, leading, guiding, evaluating, and spiraling back and forth to the emotional and academic needs of each child in a classroom. The same feelings and energies happen when the attempt is made to create the classroom experience at home. I will call it: The Teacher Tired Syndrome. The good news is that, at the end of a day, you and your family are actually ready to sleep, because you’ve kept busy and focused on something great, helping your family stay in sync (as best as you can) and supporting your children’s teachers and their suggestions, too. Eventually, this tired syndrome ceases when everybody gets into their groove. Be patient and flexible, to a degree, while maintaining the learning day. I promise (most educators discuss this weekly during the first month of school at department meetings) it gets easier as the weeks turn to months!

This week, my son and I tried to establish a strong routine with two learning cycles and one nutritional meal together each day. I made sure that we were dressed (out of the pjs) each day ready to begin. Our bedrooms were off limits for the "school" day (whatever time we designated), as I scurried to find three spaces in the house to create a positive and structured place for tactile, cooperative, and individualized learning to take hold. We made up names in role-playing (trying to tap into the silly nature of creating a real school day). He decided to call me Ms. Porcupine and himself, Jay $$. (He has been into Rap lately.) :)

I went with it to keep consistent. By day three, in our reflection time, he commented that it turns out that he thinks Ms. Porcupine is actually fun, and this stuff we do each day; well, he is starting to enjoy, but he warns not to get too excited, Ms. Porcupine (aka Mom), because we are only in day three of a three-week adventure. I didn’t have the heart to say it could be longer, and just let him write out his feelings. We will cross that conversation when it is the right time. For now, we take each day and focus on getting through and being present in the school routine. We may not be able to see his friends or classmates or teachers right now, but we can use what does feel routine and create a learning adventure unique to us, as you can, too.

I cannot express how important the week became for us. By shaping this academic day, with two learning cycles, the schedule has helped us create clear markers for looking forward to our time each evening to rest as well as “down-time” during the weekend. Jack actually woke up this morning to snow and convinced me to have a late start for school. I went with it and am running the afternoon work cycle only. I recommend having a table with chairs around it for your formal start of the day. We spread out a tablecloth with our learning supplies. This consisted of: Some informative worksheets that his teachers at his school provided; crossword puzzles; word searches and mad libs; coloring crayons; markers; paints; Legos, and our journals that we created to open and reflect on the journey. I left this there and organized each day this week around that opening and closing Makerspace. By the third day, when "school" began, he was seated there working without my direction. We did change our schedule. My son is one who has trouble getting out of bed in the morning. He asked me to conduct our school day from 10 am - 4 pm instead of 9 am - 3 pm. I changed this, and thought the time structure may be great for parents of teens (too), as research shows the teen brain needs more morning sleep to develop and focus better. Not sure why my son ended up a “night owl” at such a young age when I am a true morning person. Usually it is quite the opposite, and the young ones are rearing to go at the crack of dawn. Go with what feels right as long as the working cycles have a chance to become the norm in the household, and you are not catering to six different (from toddlers to teens) scheduling needs; express the need for community and flexibility to the kids to help create community in the academic day to help your strength. If you have younger ones and older ones at home, maybe come up with a compromise by assigning one early day each week, or even a weekly-rotation style, whatever the group decides that will help benefit all learners in the household. This is what will help you maintain a sense of motivation as the weeks continue.

I recommend, if you haven’t started a structure, to begin on a Monday to help track time during quarantine. Of all the literature I’ve read, as a student and as a veteran teacher, any internment style human experience recalls being strong by maintaining a sense of routine and separation of daytime activity with evening activities. My own grandfather, a man who fought in the front lines of The Battle of the Bulge, watching his close friends die next to him as he fought for his own life at a young age of twenty, showed my family some of those remnants from war time up until 90 years of age, when he would continually wake up, even in his last days when very ill at the nursing home, to brush his teeth, and put on a clean, pressed and stylish shirt. Other incredible stories I’ve read through the years and shared with my students discuss reciting a favorite story by memory or music for creating consistency at a certain time of day, each day. This is what I wished to have for Jack through these uncertain days. Something good to remember. Something meaningful and secure. This practice of structure helped all the days of my teaching and can certainly help now. If he wants 10 am, so be it.

We use different plates for our designated "school" day and different drinking mugs and water bottles (too) to mark the weeks of school, and to signal to the brain that home is school now. I did assign one homework assignment that Jack indicated later that evening he did not feel well enough to complete. I let him know that he could complete the assignment in the morning during our reflection time, as long as it was completed before the Morning Learning Cycle. He woke up earlier on the day it was due and completed without my direction. These types of “give-and-take” practices are essential in not only providing strong supports for maintaining the motivation to learn, but also for creating a feeling of security; he had something to complete that bridged his home day with his school day to remain functional and practical. Only quality, never practice homework do I hand out. I usually pose a question from the day that was left unanswered and ask him to bring it back tomorrow, during the time that the subject matter is taught.

By Thursday, we were tired, and it showed. The recess game we invented wasn’t as fun (without friends) as it had appeared in the driveway on Tuesday of the week. We decided to set the ball down, and take a small hike instead, with no pressure to be learning. After the afternoon recess hike, we continued with our day as planned, and then each reflected about it that afternoon before heading to our evening free time/ “home” time. I decided to assign and reflect upon the 10 things we are Grateful for (one of the Lenten scripture day reflections I pulled from a website) in our journals, emphasizing descriptive writing that afternoon. He wrote, “a mom who cares and her laugh.” I wrote, “fresh air and a beautiful space to stay during this time.” For the first time, I understood what it meant to be truly thankful for food, clean water, and air- things that have been gifted freely in American middle-class lives for over five solid decades. Even though I personally have fought and witnessed what true poverty does and even experienced poverty for periods of time as a single-mother- afraid and alone- financially and emotionally, this was the first time I felt this way on a global level with more uncertainty.

My heart reflected on all those who are struggling in the midst of not knowing, not having, not understanding. All of these things we each will fight and help each other with as time keeps moving forward.

That is all for now. In love, strength, and peace for this world; for each other. ~ t.