Check the nightly list

Begin the morning session with a check of the list from the day before. Is the learner waiting on an email from a teacher? See if it was answered. Is there a group project that needs input from other members? If the information did not show up, follow up with another email to the student and possibly to the teacher. Was there an assignment that needed to be finished? Finish that up before starting the new material. You may also need to look at doing an analysis of why the assignment was not completed. Look for any assignments that teachers returned to make changes. Lastly, check scheduled meetings.

Morning List

Create a morning list that shows all of the work that needs to be accomplished for the day. Some school districts present live or synchronous sessions, meaning teachers expect students to be online and take part in class from home. Other districts provide asynchronous lessons, lessons are created using recorded videos. Finally, some classes are held in hybrid or Hyflex. This means that students receive the lessons from teachers in different formats. The format could depend on scheduling some students at school and some virtually.

Regardless of the format, create a work plan based on:

When do synchronous lessons occur?

Which assignments are due first?

Which assignments can be completed independently?

What will the student need help doing?

How do you Eat an Elephant?

One bite at a time…

The next step is starting. I have read several self-help books that say get started ½ hour earlier than the day before. This is great for me as a 40 year old, but as a teen, I am not sure that getting up early works. So, my suggestion is this…be up at least one hour before something is required or no later than 9 am. Then, expect to work for 5-6 hours on school activities. Remember this time includes both the time at school and homework time.

Second bite…create the checklist.

Third bite…

Pick something to do. Some people prefer to get the hardest thing out of the way and then the rest of the day is easy. Others need a warm-up with something easy. Finally, sometimes there is a required starting point…Zoom meeting at 10:00 for Algebra II.

Final bite…

If you need help getting this set-up. Let me know how I can help. As a special education teacher, I frequently ask these questions, leaving parents out of the middle of the conflict at the beginning.

Get a Personalized Response

I read an article today regarding how to develop successful virtual learners. It noted that those that had consistent parental support succeeded more frequently than those that did not have this advantage. Yet, most households do not have stay at home parents. Further, depending on the student’s grade, parents may not be able to help, even if time was not a limiting factor. I am not talking just about high school calculus. I know parents that do not understand some of the ways that teachers do elementary math. How does a parent provide that support?

1. Help student help themselves

Sometimes verbalizing steps activates the memory of how to do something. “How did the teacher do this” “Can you show me an example that the teacher did or on a different assignment?” “What is the first thing you do when…?”

2. Allow the child to be the teacher

If this does not spark the child’s memory, try watching the learning video with them and make the child the expert. “Teach me how to do this assignment.” This is especially useful with younger children. From my experience this not only increases the ability to recall the information, but also triggers increased interest and effort.

3. Peer Support

Reach out to a classmate. Research shows that peer to peer assistance provides a great resource for not only academic information, but also to maintain social connections. And opportunities for socialization decrease as students work online.

4. Communicate with the teacher

Also reach out to the teacher regarding the class. In my experience teachers reply to request for help with additional supports, examples, and/or individualized videos or meetings. Just like in class, ASK THE TEACHER!

5. Internet supports

If all else fails use some of the great online resources out there including Khan Academy for Math, Purdue Owl for writing papers, and many more resources exist with a simple search.

6. Virtual Education Consultant

Finally, hire a virtual education consultant. What is this? This is me, a paid consultant relieves the stress of being the bad guy. As a special education teacher, I frequently contact students regarding missing, late, or otherwise unacceptable work. I work as a support between the teacher, student, and family to provide organization strategies to help with work completion, scheduling to help with turning work on time, and support on many subjects that need a different method of explanation.

These are my favorite quotes from students:

“I wouldn’t have graduated high school without Mrs. R; she believed in me when no one else did.”

“You are the main reason I will graduate high school on time.”

Those students and many more needed a bit more personalized attention, than other students. They needed another layer of accountability, not just parents complaining that they did not get their work completed.

Whatever the barrier, I would like to provide personalized support and to help develop a plan for success.

If you are ready to learn more. Click the button below to sign up for my email list and a personalized response.