We have successfully finished one week of distance learning! Due to the pandemic and schools being closed we had to start our school year online at home. Not exactly what I was hopping for my sons first day of Kindergarten… but what could I do. The school passed out materials, teacher assignments and anything left behind last year all in one day and school started a few days later. Overall the experience hasn’t been too bad. We were expecting an online start and planning to be flexible and it paid off.
We were concerned about schedule a few days prior to getting information from school. Luckily my husband and I work from home because we could get our schedules and implement them in a few days. We got our teacher assignments on a Tuesday, had an orientation with our new teachers on Thursday where we were given class times and online expectations and school started Friday. Not much notice for a working parent, but thankfully due to the pandemic our schedules are pretty lax at the moment.
My daughter started first grade and is expected to have 230 minutes of learning a day. My son in kindergarten is expected to have 180 minutes a day. This is a district standard and I have also seen it be true for surrounding districts. At first I was concerned they would be stuck to a lap top or device that entire time. Thankfully our teachers are wonderful and knew that would be challenging for our ages, we have a significant portion of online instruction and can do some independent work as well.
What Our School Day Looks Like
Anderson my Kindergartner is required to have 180 minutes of learning each day which is roughly 8 am – 11 am. There have been a few hiccups for the kindergartners in our school, more on that in a bit. His schedule this first week was very simple. He didn’t have any online instruction the first two days and then we started an hour of online Zoom calls. He starts his day at 8 am with a Zoom class led by his teacher. His teacher takes roll, they sing a welcome song and then talk about rules and expectations. They also talk about the calendar, observe the weather, practice counting and letter sounds. When he is done online we progress through some independent work sent home from the teacher. We read a book, focus on a letter while practicing reading and writing and learn one high frequency word. We also work from a few math text books, practice counting out loud, on our fingers and objects in the house. We take breaks as needed and end the day with practicing some fine motor skills and gross motor skills. Our kindergarten day is over just before lunch.
Eleanor stated first grade and is required 230 minutes a day and her teacher has broken up their schedule accordingly. They are starting off slowly and the first week wasn’t too much work load. Our teacher introduced new apps they will be using this year, practiced in a few text books and showed the students the basics of the class structure. Eleanor starts the day at 8 am by getting her materials ready, reading quietly and playing some learning games on the school apps. Next week we will add spelling practice at this time as well. She starts a Zoom call with her class and teacher at 9 am where they break the ice with a drawing activity while waiting for students to log in and the teacher takes attendance. She participates in class for about an hour where they work on letter sounds, reading and their English portion of the day. She is assigned a few assignments and then continues to work on them after her call ends. Eleanor has always been a quick worker so she doesn’t quite fill in the allotted time, but I imagine she will take more time as they learn more and pass the review stage of the first week of school.
Eleanor has one more zoom call at noon. This class session is a bit shorter but her favorite because it is math. She practices her math assignment with her class and then is assigned more work to do independently after the Zoom time is over. She usually finishes this work quickly and is done with school around 1 pm completing her 230 minutes of class time.
We are fortunate that our Zoom class times are not overlapping, so the kids aren’t trying to talk and listen over the other and I can help with independent work when needed. Independent work for Anderson is basically me leading and teaching him, while Eleanor is working based on instructions already given by her teacher. She can mostly work independently and only needs help with spelling from time to time.
Flexibility and Environment for Distance Learning
The most important preparation you can make is to be flexible! Distance learning this year is a little different than the end of the school year was for us last year. Teachers are taking roll this time, attendance is counted, work is being turned in and graded. We are taking school work more seriously this time around and in order to meet the requirements we have had to be flexible in other areas. I have shifted my own schedule and expectations around to prioritize our school schedule.
We have had to be flexible with our school as well. Our kindergartners were supposed to receive an iPad for their class work but unfortunately the have been backordered and are expected to come in a few weeks. This means Anderson and his classmates are having to use personal devices or borrow when needed. We had a device available and it hasn’t been much trouble for us but there are a few students who haven’t been able to join online yet and our teacher has been very accommodating to all situations. Due to the devices not being in we didn’t meet online for the first few days and instead had private calls with the teacher to make introductions and see what materials and options each family has available.
Environment is also important to think about when preparing for distance learning. Prepare a quiet environment for your student to work in. Our kids are working at the dining room table so I make sure to have the TV off and toys out away to help them focus and shift into a school mindset. If you remember we also have Oliver (2 years), and cousins Dominic (2 years) and Thomas (2 months) with us in the house. We do our best to keep the little ones separate from our “school area” during school time so our students can focus. This means the little ones play at the park or upstairs in the kids bedroom. The quieter environment goes along way. My kids tend to get frustrated when the background is too loud and they cannot hear their teacher giving instructions. Even when its me preparing a snack or bottle!
Distance Learning Work Area Ideas
We are currently working in the dining room on the table. I have Eleanor sit a the head of the table, she mostly works independently and only needs minor assistance from time to time. I sit to her left and next to Anderson. Anderson and I sit side by side as I walk him through his lessons and work. Having them not facing each other has been great so they aren’t distracted by each other when on Zoom classes but can still chat and encourage one another when both are working independently.
We didn’t have an area where we could set up desks for each child so the table works for us. I have seen quite a few moms set up designated desks for students and I love that idea. A place to work will be very helpful for students. Since my children need to move their materials on and off the dining room table I have given them both a basket to put their things in that lives in a cabinet when we are not doing school. Part of their responsibility is to clean up after themselves and put school work away. They also each have a place in the basket for pencils, erasers, scissors, crayons and anything else they will need for class. This helps them be prepared durning class and ready to work.
So far my kids are loving being back in school and the distance learning format. They miss seeing friends and teachers in person, but I think we all really missing human interaction right now. We are hopeful when school resumes they can all go back at the same time and not need to stager.
I had been hopeful that I would be able to get a little work done while supervising my kids in school. So far that has not been possible due to the nature of teaching a kindergartener. He needs more guidance and assistance than I was thinking. Which is probably the norm for kids his age and younger. We will see how that progresses in the future! Have you started school yet? What are your experiences? Are you waiting to start, what are you curious about?