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Distance Learning Educators: Why Your Kids’ Teachers are Falling Apart Right Now

Distance Learning Educators: Why Your Kids' Teachers are Falling Apart Right Now

Distance Learning Educators: What It’s Like

For many, the pandemic has slowed the pace of life.  Certainly millions of people have turned to unemployment relief as their jobs have literally evaporated.  But many of those who have maintained their jobs have seen a recalibration of expectations, a shift in what is expected, and, of course, a major downshift in travel.  So if you are “enjoying more time with your kids” or “have had time to pick up a new quarantine hobby,” please consider, for a moment the plight of your children’s teachers.

Just a few months ago, there were memes aplenty, calling for million dollar teacher salaries – and cases of wine alongside.  Now there are unrealistic expectations and a real risk that we will burn out our already shrinking cadre of educators.  

Teachers are social beings.  Even those who are introverts are accustomed to seeking feedback from their students, the vast majority of it non-verbal.

My very first year of teaching a colleague and mentor took me aside and let me know that the very best form of classroom management (with which I was struggling mightily) was an excellent lesson plan.

So began my commitment to plan and organize my way out of the chaos.  And while I was able to both find my sanity – and refocus on what I was supposed to be teaching anyway – the students benefited in ways I hadn’t anticipated.  The environment of my class became one of structure, of clearly anticipated benchmarks.  No surprises.  No “gotcha” tests or quizzes.  Just well-thought out, clearly organized lessons – and assignments.  

Though a social studies teacher by trade, I was teaching very scientifically.  The blueprint for standards-based grading that so many of my colleagues are moving to now was not available to me then, but I would have embraced it fully if it was on my radar.  

My husband, on the other hand, a science teacher, is an artist when it comes to teaching.  He strings ideas together to weave a compelling narrative, drawing on personal stories and connections to make his often abstract content as relevant as possible.  

Both styles of educators – and all those in between – are being negatively impacted by pandemic education.  Being distance learning educators is new for us all.

Seeking Feedback

Whether it’s your first year or your thirty-first year, in 2020 pretty much everyone feels like a new teacher.

In full distance learning, we try to gauge feedback from little blank Zoom squares, constantly wondering if it is more of an issue of glitchy technology, or of teen angst, that prevents them from hitting the video button.  

When screen sharing, it is nearly impossible to see them anyway, let alone read whatever might be coming through in the chat.

In places where schools have reopened fully in person, educators are walking on eggshells, trying to support and connect with kids from literally across the room – or gym, or field or tent.  Feeling committed to their students and yet their health – and that of their families – imperiled by every minute of in-person class time. 

Unless these schools are tiny, with stable cohorts, they are being shut down for quarantines, (as are many colleges and universities without aggressive testing plans).  We are used to being on the front lines of meeting our students academic and social needs – but to risk our health, and that of our communities to do so is unconscionable.  

The Double Whammy of the Hybrid Model

Which is why so many districts have moved toward the hybrid model, touting it as the best of both worlds.  But the hybrid model in typical public secondary school leaves teachers in the worst possible position.  Risking their physical health to teach the kids in front of them, and their mental health in keeping up with the ones at home.  Trying to teach live and via Zoom simultaneously, all with a mask and face shield obscuring their face and voice.  And planning the same content for both in-person and remote learners officially makes a hybrid two jobs in one – with no pay increase.  

In the spring, we were “building the plane while we were flying it” In the summer, we were waiting on pins and needles, for school boards and governors to determine our fate. And now, with no breather, we are here, hurtling through fall.  

Your kids’ teachers started this year tired and stretched thin.  If you want them to be able to function in the spring, or next fall, or for the next crop of kids, you need to take your foot off the gas – and put in on the brake.  

Julie Mason has done an incomparable job here making a case for why this year isn’t – and can’t be – normal.  Running our teachers into the ground shouldn’t be normal either.  

Educators are Overachievers

Most teachers are overachievers- the career that chose us, however, does not compensate us accordingly.  While we feed our hearts, minds and souls with our work, we often do so at the expense of the cash in our wallets, the hours of sleep we get, and our overall well/being. 

This is a profession that is dominated by women, many of whom still maintain a disproportionate responsibility for the day to day functioning of our homes.  And with utmost respect to our comrades in scrubs, save for that week of Million Dollar Teacher memes we have been somewhat invisible compared to nurses as we navigate this new landscape.  

We have been going above and beyond for so long that no one remembers what the baseline is – or should be.

As in all professional areas, there are a handful of individuals who are phoning it in – but they are the exception, not the rule.

The vast majority of educators are feeling the pressure of meeting an ever-increasing academic demand while simultaneously meeting the social-emotional needs of a diverse, often evolving, classroom population.  

Distance Learning Educators: Why Your Kids' Teachers are Falling Apart Right Now

Time for a Change

Though it was published in 2013, Amanda Ripley’s, The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way is still a seminal work is this area. Her findings continue to resonate today.

We “do” more school – and more homework than many other industrialized countries, particularly those with more highly ranked educational systems.  We want teens to master time management yet we offer few opportunities to practice that skill – instead they complain of boredom, “trapped” in class. We over-focus on standardized tests, at the wrong times, when it’s clear that students who are taught well do well on these tests as a byproduct of their learning, not the sole purpose of it.

Perhaps shorter days should be the new norm for elementary schools.  Perhaps fewer days of each class per week should be the model going forward for secondary schools.  Perhaps everyone should do – and therefore grade – less homework.

For years, we have heard “don’t sweat the small stuff,” for months we have heard “less is more,” but until we actually allow our educators the time and space to breathe and recalibrate our curriculum and , we will undoubtedly end up burning out many along the way.

Related Posts:

When Reopening Schools Hybrid Model is Not Sustainable: 6 Important Concerns

Work at Home Self Care: 5 Tips to Make Your Own Staff Lounge

Refresh Your Life: Lifestyle

6 Easy Appetizer Recipes – that You Can Serve Individually

Easy Appetizer Recipes - that You Can Serve Individually

Do you need easy appetizer recipes?

Are you ready to have a few people over for a physically distanced social gathering?  Do you want easy appetizer recipes to serve – ideally in individual portions?  Here are some easy appetizer recipes to share with friends and family – no matter the distance.  

Flavored Popcorn

Start with easy, DIY microwave popcorn, by combining a quarter cup of popcorn kernels with one teaspoon of olive oil in a brown paper bag (lunch sized).  Fold down the top and microwave on “popcorn” setting until popping slows to once every few seconds, being careful not to overcook it.  Remove from microwave and toss with additional olive oil and toppings of your choice – consider cinnamon and sugar or Everything But the Bagel Seasoning.  Want something a little MORE different?  Try Everything But the Elote Seasoning or Japanese Furikake (a seaweed-sesame blend) instead.  

To Serve Individually:  Scoop flavored popcorn into clean brown bags, large cups, wooden or plastic bowls, or almost any other containers you have.  

Boursin + Veggies (or bread or crackers – or a spoon!)

Boursin cheese is basically a culinary wonder-item.  (If you haven’t tried it in mashed potatoes, stirred into pasta or on a burger, you are really missing out!).  But at its most basic, it is a spread, equally at home on a piece of celery or a wedge of bread.  

To Serve Individually:  Portion the Boursin cheese into small ramekins or other dishes and serve with any vegetable, cracker or bread that you like.  

Pepper Jelly + Cream Cheese

A dip that is significantly more than the sum of its parts, a block of cream cheese enrobed in pepper jelly is an old-school “dip” that is worth revisiting.  I prefer the Trader Joe’s versions of both ingredients, but you can whatever brands are most readily available to you.  Simply place the block of cream cheese in a shallow bowl and cover with pepper jelly.

To Serve Individually:  Divide the block of cream cheese into small ramekins or bowls and top each with pepper jelly.  Serve with crackers of choice.  

Easy Appetizer Recipes - that You Can Serve Individually

Oven-Roasted Salsa

Toss almost any combination of tomatoes, tomatillos, onions, garlic, sweet peppers and chiles with Omnivore Salt on a baking sheet and roast in a 375 degree oven until tender and slightly charred.  Cool and remove peels/skins and place in a food processor (or blender), adding a fistful of cilantro (or parsley) and the juice of lime (or lemon).  Season with additional Omnivore Salt as needed.  

To Serve Individually:  Place a ramekin in a salad or soup bowl.  Fill the ramekin with salsa and the outer bowl with chips (or other dippers).  

Artichoke Dip

This dip is a long-time family favorite, and one that is definitely a crowd pleaser.  Heighten the nostalgia by serving with woven wheat crackers, or thick corn chips, but nearly any chip or cracker will do.  

To Serve Individually:  Prepare dip mixture and scoop into individual oven-safe dishes or ramekins.  Place the ramekins on a baking tray and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.  

Onion Dip

Another old school dip, reinvented with fresh ingredients.  This dip benefits from the addition of Omnivore salt, alongside plenty of slow-roasted onions.  After slicing the onions, the roasting process requires only occasional stirring. Once cooled, chop the roasted onions and combine with the other ingredients for a tasty, satisfying dip.

To Serve Individually:  After dip has been chilled, to allow flavors to meld, stir well and scoop into small bowls (or endive leaves).  Serve with vegetables, crackers, or, if available, ridged, salt-and-pepper potato chips.  

Slow Roasted Onion Dip

Gluten-free and oh-so-tasty this recipe means you won't even THINK about making onion dip from a mix again. Adapted from:  https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/slow-roasted-onion-dip
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 50 mins
Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 pounds mixed onions
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbps Omnivore salt or to taste, divided use
  • 1 1/2 cups plain whole milk yogurt (try the one from Straus)
  • 2 tsp lime juice

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400º.
  • Peel and trim ends off the onions. Cut in half lengthwise. Place halves cut side down on cutting board, then thinly slice.
  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss onion and garlic cloves with oil and water until evenly coated. Season with Omnivore salt and toss again until well coated.
  • Bake, tossing and stirring onions every 10 minutes, until all onions are golden brown and softened, 40–50 minutes total (some onions will brown more than others but that’s okay!). Let cool.
  • Transfer onions and garlic to a cutting board and squeeze out garlic cloves from peel. Using the flat side of a chef’s knife, smash garlic cloves to a paste. Transfer to a medium bowl.
  • Finely chop caramelized onions and transfer to bowl with garlic.
  • Add yogurt and lime juice; season with more Omnivore salt.  Stir to combine. 

Notes

Serve with ruffled potato chips – and some celery or carrot sticks if you like.
Keyword celebrations, snack

What are your favorite easy appetizer recipes? Share in the comments.

For more recipe ideas, follow me on Pinterest.  

Easy Appetizer Recipes - that You Can Serve Individually

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Work at Home Self Care: 5 Tips to Make your Own Staff Lounge

Work at Home Self Care: 5 Tips to Make your Own Staff Lounge

Do you need to make time for some work at home self care?

While many professionals have long had the opportunity to occasionally – or even regularly – work from home, the work at home world is new to most K-12 educators.  Unless you work at an online school or alternative program, then your work has likely compelled you to be in a school building, governed by bells. 

Until now. 

While your learning curve with technology, the strength of the wifi signal, and your school’s virtual schedule are not controllable, try your best to control the time you are off-screen by taking a few minutes to make your own staff lounge.

I know you feel swamped.  I know you may be thinking it’s not worth the time to do this (remember in March, when we thought we’d be home for a long “spring break”?)  But it is.  Your body and mind deserve – in fact, require – a break from the screen and some alternative input.  

Are you among the thousands of educators in need of some work at home self care right now? Take a few minutes to make your own teacher lounge.  

Comfy Seating

This can be anything, really, that’s not the chair or stool where you are teaching or working for the majority of the day.  If you have a really comfy work at home chair (and if you do, I’m jealous!) then try moving it to different spot in your home, just to have a change of scenery.  

A plant – or some flowers

Weather permitting, of course, you can make your teacher lounge outdoors – in your yard, on your patio or lani, or on your balcony or deck.  But when heat, cold, rain, or wind make that less-than-desirable, then bring some “nature” to your indoor space with a plant or a bouquet of cut flowers.  

(I have a notoriously hard time keeping anything alive (a total brown thumb!) so I was thrilled when I was able to coax the nearly-dead orchid from my office window shelf to bloom at home.  The blooms became a steady quarantine companion, lasting from the end of March through early July!)  

Candle or diffuser- or both

Refresh your sense of smell with either a scented candle, an essential oil diffuser, or both.  I tend toward bright, citrusy scents for both candles and oils – and just a few minutes enjoying either can help reset my mood and improve my day.  

Mini day spa

Take advantage of the fact that for the first time in your career you aren’t waiting in line for the faculty restroom (or worse, jockeying for space in the one the kids use!)  Take a minute in your bathroom to put on a fresh coat of lip gloss, apply a scented hand lotion, (or take 10 minutes and give yourself a Color Street manicure!).  

An easy, tasty homemade treat

It’s like staff appreciation for yourself – and you don’t have to share (unless, like me, your partner is also an educator, in which case, you really should save at least one to share).  And as much as I miss sharing food with others, there are some definite benefits to pulling a loaf of banana bread out of the oven when I would typically be driving to school and to popping a batch of cookies in the oven instead of facing my afternoon commute.  

This is a recipe I’ve worked on for months.  It started early in quarantine, when some of our favorite treats, like Trader Joe’s chocolate mints, were hard to find on store shelves.  I started tinkering with recipes to recreate them at home.  I started with the mint patty recipe that was shared here.  But similarly to my feelings about rolling “buckeyes,” I tired of rolling and dipping each one individually.  

So I modified the recipe to something like my buckeye bites, but found the bottoms to be too sticky to be enjoyed easily.  Next, I took a page from the early 80’s, when my mom first started making these double-frosted brownies, and layered them atop a molten brownie recipe, baked in muffin tins.  Baking brownies in muffin tins is exceptionally helpful for portion control, plus it dramatically increases the coveted “edges” of each brownie batch.  And when we are someday ready to share food again, they are perfectly shareable.  

Until then, we’ll stick to sharing recipes.  What’s your favorite teacher lounge treat? 

Mint Chocolate Brownie Bites

Inspired by these brownies: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/molten-chocolate-chunk-brownies and these mint patties: https://butterwithasideofbread.com/homemade-peppermint-patties/ My family loves chocolate and mint – so I thought I'd combine these homemade treats into something more than the sum of their parts. A dressed up version of brownies, that doesn't involve the somewhat tedious step of forming patties and dipping them by hand.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Cooling Time 40 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • muffin tin
  • mixer

Ingredients
  

Brownie Bites

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup cocoa
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar or 9 Tablespoons sugar and 3 Tablespoons molasses
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar superfine if available
  • ¾ cup 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

Mint Topping

  • 1/4 cup softened butter
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1-2 tsp peppermint or mint extract
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate Topping

  • 2 cups dark chocolate chopped (or chips)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Instructions
 

Brownie Bites

  • Place the flour, cocoa, both the sugars, the butter, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl and mix until smooth.
  • Add the chocolate chips/chunks and stir to combine.
  • Preheat oven to 325°F.
  • Lightly grease a muffin tin.
  • Divide the mixture evenly into the tin.
  • Bake for about 30 minutes or until the brownie is set.
  • Allow to cool before proceeding. Remove brownie bites from tin.

Mint Chocolate Topping

  • Combine butter, honey, extract and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes, until ingredients are well combined and are holding together.
  • Spread about 2-3 Tablespoons of mint topping on each brownie bite. Chill until set, about 20 minutes.
  • Melt chocolate and coconut oil in microwave for about 1 minute, in 20 second intervals. Stir at each interval until fully melted.
  • Pour chocolate topping over mint layer and chill until set.

Notes

Once set, may be stored up to a week in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Serve chilled or bring to room temperature.
Keyword celebrations, sweet treats

Related Posts:

3 Fall Treats: Your New Favorites

Educator Experience: A Collection of Educator Perspectives on School Reopening and Distance Learning

Refresh Your Life: Lifestyle

Trader Joe’s Fall Favorites 2020: Pumpkin Treats and More

Trader Joe's Fall Favorites 2020

What are your Trader Joe’s fall favorites?  Do you stalk the “new” section like I do, using it as a starting point around which to build the rest of your cart?  The new item section at Trader Joe’s tends to explode with options in the fall and winter – making it one of the most interesting times to shop there.  In most aspects of life, I gravitate toward the sun, warm weather, the beach – preferring spring and summer to fall and winter.  But when it comes to food, I have a definite soft spot for fall and winter treats, both savory and sweet.  

While the dominant flavor profile in the fall is pumpkin, there are numerous options for items featuring squash, apples, warm spice blends, and maple as well.

Trader Joe’s Fall Favorites: Pumpkin

Pumpkin Flavored Joe-Joe’s

If these were around in previous falls, I must have missed them.  I’ve already bought two boxes this season – and so should you, if you enjoy warm spices and creamy pumpkin filling in a Joe-Joe format (Trader’s Joes’ version of sandwich cookies for the uninitiated).  

Pumpkin Waffles

These toasted up nicely and paired well with maple syrup for a tasty fall breakfast.  An interesting way of including a bit more vegetables in your family’s meals.  

Organic Pumpkin

A perennial favorite, stir into soups or curries, or baked into pie.  If you haven’t made pumpkin bread, then here’s the recipe you should try.  

Pumpkin Spice Pretzel Slims

I was a bit skeptical about these- I thought there might be too much going on.  In fact, these are a pumpkin-party-in-your-mouth – with the salty pretzel balancing the sweet, pumpkin-spiced coating, and an extra bit of crunch from the crushed pumpkin seeds.  

Mini Hold the Cone Pumpkin Ginger Ice Cream Cones

These mini cones- in all flavors – are great for portion control (an extra bonus when you are trying – somewhat – to limit dairy intake as well).  Pumpkin ice cream with warm spices in a crispy cone.  Perfect for fall days that end up a little warmer than you thought.  

Petite Pumpkin Spice Cookies

A fall-inspired version of the once-ubiquitous pink-and-white-animal-cookies, these tasty nibbles are great paired with a cup of tea or cider.

Mini Spicy Pumpkin Samosas

I was a little skeptical, but I found this to be a tasty alternative to traditional samosas, with a nice kick and just the right amount of creamy pumpkin filling in a crisp shell.

What Missed the Mark:

Pumpkin Butternut Squash Bisque

The only true disappointment in the first round of tasting this fall, we had high hopes for the refrigerated soup option.  Unlike many prepared soups, it has a relatively short list of real ingredients.  

Pumpkin Spice Batons

Crispy cookie tubes with perfectly pleasant pumpkin filling, these were a bit lacking in flavor and did not compete with either the pumpkin Joe-Joe’s or pumpkin pretzel slims.  

Spicy Pumpkin Curry Simmer Sauce

Warm spices, but not too hot, this was a creamy curry sauce you could pair with just about anything.  It was fine, but not an item my family is seeking out again.  

Butternut Squash Zig-Zags

The package makes these out to be a quick-cooking side dish, but I roasted them at 400 degrees (with my favorite Omnivore Salt, of course!) for close to 30 minutes before they were ready to eat.  They were fine, but nothing special.  

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookie Mix

Pumpkin and chocolate are typically a winning combination, and these certainly weren’t bad. But they weren’t my family’s favorite, either.

Fall Zucchette Pasta

The good news – these are adorable, squash-shaped pasta. The bad news? They disintegrated upon cooking and lacked any discernible squash flavor (which, to be fair, was preferred by my picky eaters). Unfortunately, a miss.

Beyond the Pumpkin Patch:

Apple Cider Donuts

These tasty fall treats were even better with a 15-second warm up in the microwave.  Coated in cinnamon-sugar these apple-y cake-style donuts are a great breakfast or dessert treat.  

Maple and Sea Salt Kettle Corn

This was a sleeper hit in our house.  I almost didn’t grab the bag – but now I’m going back for a cartful.  Maple + sea salt + kettle corn = delicious!

Honeycrisp Apple Scented Candle

I have a love-hate relationship with Trader Joe’s candles.  The ones that are scented like fruits – like grapefruit and mango tangerine – I tend to love.  The ones that are supposed to be the smell of baked goods – like lemon cookie and gingerbread – are just not my jam.  The Honeycrisp Apple candle is by far my favorite seasonal candle offering.  It smells so good you actually want to eat it – and in a “real” way, without a hint of fake apple-ness about it.  

Halloween Joe Joe’s Cookies

Joe Joe’s chocolatey goodness paired with a festive orange colored (vanilla flavored) filling and a cute little jack-o-lantern cut-out on the cookie.  What more can you ask for? 

Fall Sips

Spiced Cider

This is a fall favorite that I stockpile each year, trying to stretch the stash to last us through the last chilly days in February and March. The only hot beverage that my entire family enjoys equally, it is great for breakfast, cozy afternoons, or after dinner.

Organic Blood Orange Rooibos Herbal Tea Blend (Caffeine Free)

I am picky about my teas.  I mostly prefer herbal ones, as I don’t touch caffeine after noon.  Some are too mild, and taste like little more than water after steeping for minutes.  Others are too bold, over-steeping in a matter of moments and tasting almost bitter. The Organic Blood Orange Rooibos Herbal Tea blend strikes just the right balance and is a delicious to sip all day in the briskness of fall.

Trader Joe's Fall Favorites 2020

Pumpkin Spice Cream Liqueur

You can splash this in your coffee, or enjoy straight, over ice. I am sure combining it with vanilla ice cream would also be a fantastic idea.

Autumn Maple Coffee

This lightly roasted, ground coffee brings warm fall vibes to your morning joe, without sugar or calories. A delightful way to spice up your fall coffee routine.

What are your Trader Joe’s fall favorites? Comment below, or tag me on Instagram.

Related Posts:

20 Top Trader Joe’s Picks

3 Fall Treats: Your New Favorites

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When Reopening Schools Hybrid Model is Not Sustainable: 6 Important Concerns

When Reopening Schools Hybrid Model is not Sustainable is part of an occasional series including educator perspectives on distance learning and reopening schools.

When Reopening Schools Hybrid Model is Not Sustainable

A Hybrid Model of Reopening Schools is Not Sustainable

Let me be clear, distance learning is not ideal.  I do not know a single educator who has spent their training or career desiring to teach TK-12 students remotely.  (Pre-2020, there were a handful of folks who chose this pathway, often instructing students with medical conditions, or in rural areas I just don’t know any personally, nor are they close to being a majority of educators nationwide.)  

In March and April 2020, in the first weeks of at-home learning and pandemic-related lockdowns, social media feeds were filled to the brim with memes and videos advocating for million dollar teacher salaries, and admitting copious day-drinking on the part of a new breed of parent-teachers.  Just six months later, teachers are front-line workers, being advised to buy scrubs (news flash:  we didn’t choose to attend medical school, nor are we compensated the same as our friends who did), mask up, and get behind plexiglass shields.  

Reopening schools prematurely means putting at risk not only staff and students, but also those with whom they all live, creating a much more precarious situation.  But “children and teens need social interaction,” you say.  True, they do, but short of full school reopening, this interaction can come in the form of affinity groups meeting, with voluntary supervision, to practice debate, or soccer, or music, ideally outdoors.  This moment requires creativity and innovation.

Consider this, for grade cohorts with a primary teacher, the hybrid model is only a viable option if staffing permits true “bubble cohorts” of 16 individuals, including the teacher. If a teacher is engaged in in-person instruction of more than one cohort, the bubble is broken from the beginning.

And for secondary schools with students seeing multiple teachers daily, the concerns grow. There are safety concerns if students continue to switch classes, and there are pedagogical ones if they are grouped, or have access to live instruction only once per week per class. As we see more TK-8 campuses opening classes, there will be a cry for secondary schools to return as well. Here is why should hold off.

Safety

Common practices (and why they won’t work)

Temperature checks at the door?  This is a possibility for self-contained buildings – but an absolute nightmare for campuses with numerous points of access – a reality in many warmer climates, especially in the western US.  

Masks: they won’t wear them with fidelity (or can’t) – just ask a science teacher how many times per class period they have to say “goggles on” during a lab – and multiply this times 6-7 classes a day, 180 days a year.   (There are also mask concerns for staff: we won’t want to wear them for several hours a day straight – plus how/where will we safely eat/drink?  Most of us barely do those things at healthy levels during a typical school day anyway, let alone with our mouths covered much of the day.)

Hand washing: most public schools don’t have enough sinks – for staff or students – and few, if any, have hot water.  

Bathrooms: see above.

Hand sanitizer: do we have access to the gallons upon gallons necessary to send millions of youth back to school?

Wipes: If each wipe can wipe one desk, and each classroom has 30 desks and 5 classes per day – you do the math.  And with more than 75 millions students in school in the US, not only would the cost would be prohibitive, but I don’t even think that many wipes exist.  Not to mention the long-term environmental impact.

When Reopening Schools Hybrid Model is Not Sustainable

Scheduling

Split schedule – in a high school, this still means some level of changing classes (which brings us back to the wipes).

Students stay in one group all day – if anyone can argue that keeping the same group of high school students in the same room all day for in-person instruction ALL subjects would be beneficial for their learning OR their social interaction, then you clearly have not set foot in a typical American high school in quite awhile.  

Students change classes not for the exercise of doing so, but to access classes that meet their interest and ability levels – and to not spend all day grating on each other in some sort of endless Breakfast Club scenario.  

Staffing

Parent voices often raise many opinions about the qualifications of their students’ teachers. Which do they want, expertise or babysitting?

Most hybrid models rest on a foundation of one cohort of students learning in person, while the other learns remotely.  The other days (or week) depending on the model, the cohorts switch.  Which means that teachers must now plan each of their lessons twice- once for students who will learn it in-person, with the ability to ask questions (albeit through masks and plexiglass) AND that exact same lesson must be recorded and posted and provided to students to learn without direct instruction and without the ability to ask in-the-moment questions.  

Which means in order for a hybrid model to happen with any sort of pedagogical fidelity, we need at least twice the teaching staff – one teacher for each cohort.  Increasing staffing would address both safety concerns (if a teacher is in contact with multiple cohorts, he or she can potentially be a carrier between the groups) and pedagogical ones (teachers are live with their cohort AND available to help when they are at home).  However, the financial cost of doubling (or tripling) staffing is untenable, never mind there aren’t enough teachers as it is.  

And returning teachers to in-person schools will increase the need for substitutes – already a category of school employee typically in short supply. In many parts of the country, substitute pools are almost entirely comprised of retired teachers, which puts many of them in a higher-risk category for covid. And if a suitable substitute is identified, there is still the issue of introducing a new individual to the cohort. If a teacher is out for 14 days (or more) due to a covid diagnosis or quarantine, then the likelihood of finding a sub willing and able to cover that entire time diminishes even further.

Sustainability

A wake-up call for those of you who are supporting distance learning with your class of one or two or even four kids at home – you may be working hard, but your kids’ teachers are working harder.  We are already facing a teacher shortage as a cohort of teachers near retirement age; pressuring staff to return too soon will cause others to choose early retirement.  

There are educators with compromised immune systems.  There are educators who care for aging parents.  There are educators who are juggling their own kids’ complex schedules while trying to do their jobs.  And there are our new teachers.  A cohort of recent graduates who are launching their careers in a surreal world of Zoom and Loom and Peardeck, without a literal shoulder to cry on – or next door neighbor to have lunch with – which every rookie educator desperately needs.  And they are doing this without the benefit of tenure to protect them from sometimes draconian administrative directives.  That does nothing to encourage these new teachers into a long-term career.

We have long been in an age of teacher martyrdom – an implicit (or sometimes explicit) competition of who can work longer hours, grade more papers, or be more devoted. This must end. Educators must learn to – and be given grace to – walk the walk with everything we implore our students to do. We preach balance, self-care, and not sweating the small stuff, yet our professional cohort is under-slept, overworked, and mired down in the minutiae of tracking Zoom attendance on multiple platforms. Our current health crisis has pushed our nation’s educators to the brink. There just does not seem to be a pathway to opening American schools without burning out our supply of one our most precious resources:  our educators. 

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Refresh Your Life: Lifestyle

Rethinking Self Care: 4 Dimensions to Reimagine

It’s time to be rethinking self care – something that frequently lands at the bottom of educators’ to-do lists, and even more so during our current health crisis. Part of an occasional series featuring educator perspectives on school reopening and distance learning.

Jennifer Hettel is a school psychologist and intervention counselor at Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton,  CA. As a New Jersey native, she has been missing bagels every weekend for the past five years. However, she hasn’t worn a winter hat or a pair of gloves in the same amount of time and therefore, has accepted sourdough is a decent substitute. She can be found on Facebook and reached at jenniferhettel@gmail.com.

Rethinking Self Care: 4 Dimensions to Reimagine

Back to School, 2020 Style

It’s time to rethink self-care. I imagine we are all feeling inundated with emails and responsibilities and wondering when and how life will ever be the same. 

Even without my Dumbarton commute, I am back to that place where meetings consume my week and I am left with a long to-do list at 4pm. And this is primarily because my first grader started school last week and needs a great deal of help. 

Side note, I wish I could record one of their zoom sessions because it seriously captures every issue one has experienced in a virtual meeting. It’s great comedy, but time consuming and distracting. My friend Ming had to remind me to schedule lunch into my day as I was late to meeting so I could eat some food…

Anyway, I realized that one of the things I have so enjoyed about being at home is that I can spend more time with my boys in the morning and finally take care of the sleep deficit I have been dealing with since March 2014 (when my older son was born).

The other day, I was over-caffeinated; a feeling I haven’t experienced since my barista days at Borders. I felt liberated and now I only need one travel mug’s worth of coffee to start my day. However, I am writing this at 6:00 a.m., because this is the only time I have now and I have to start waking up super early again just to take care of the work I cannot get done during the day. And that’s why this post is so long, sorry….I don’t want to touch those emails….because sharing this is more important!

Rethinking Self Care

What does this all have to do with self-care, and how is this helping me, you ask? Well, I read this article from the Crisis and Trauma Research Institute and it made me realize that I have to look at self-care differently during this time. Self-care for me was always exercise. If I was getting exercise, I was feeling like I was taking care of myself and if I wasn’t then I would feel like a failure.  That’s it. Forget about trying to set work boundaries and not take on too much…still working on that…

So, let’s take a look at the different areas of self-care so you can either: 1) Realize that you are taking care of yourself in some ways without you knowing it or 2) Help you to realize that you can focus on some other things that will have the same effect. 

From the article:

Helpers are often focused on the results they are achieving with and for others. Self-care involves focusing on yourself and taking time to rest, reflect, replenish, and renew. Self-care includes taking stock of your own needs, goals, health, and accomplishments; taking time to nourish and nurture all of who you are. Imagine your self-care in four key dimensions of well-being: mind (mental/psychological), body (physical), heart (emotional), and spirit (spiritual/essence). 

https://ca.ctrinstitute.com/blog/4-key-dimensions-self-care/

Four Dimensions of Self Care

Physical also means taking time away from screens and the news cycle. Emotional is not exclusive to setting boundaries; it can be giving kindness to others and giving love. Psychological doesn’t just mean understanding your feelings through self-introspection, it can be developing self-awareness by seeking help from others through supervision or asking for feedback. And Spiritual doesn’t mean just prayer or meditation, it can be just taking a moment to consider what is meaningful to you and spending some time in nature (when the air is clear.)

Because I am someone who desperately needs structure and a schedule, I can then easily get stuck in routines. So, once my time was taken over by 1st grade I resisted losing my morning time with my boys, but was acutely aware it had to come to an end and I had to go back to spending time with them after school.

Instead of making dinner the other day, I went outside with my 6-year-old and found my husband playing tag with our neighborhood kids (we live in a condo community with a green belt and lots of kids, so many kids.) They convinced me to join them and we spent the next hour running around and then playing capture the flag (bike helmet).

I ran through trees, ran through little pathways I didn’t know existed and snuck around buildings, My boys and our neighborhood kids were ecstatic we were playing with them. I felt more alive and in the moment than I have felt in a very long time. That one hour was so restorative that it was okay that toys were left out overnight, I didn’t make a normal dinner, and didn’t watch any news. 

So, How are You Rethinking Self Care?

In short, self care can be re-imagined to fit what is right for you right now. Part of self care is being kind to ourselves, but also being reflective about what is working and not working as the events in our lives change beyond our control. 

Hopefully you are in more of a routine and the day-to-day is becoming a little more regular. If so, perhaps you can think about what you can do to take care of yourself a little more so you don’t start to quickly burn out.

If you are still feeling overwhelmed by it all, reach out for help! You are surrounded by people who truly care about you and want you to support you, but…not sub for you because really, what would that even be like? The horror… 

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Educator Experience: A Collection of Educator Perspectives on School Reopening and Distance Learning

Refresh Your Life: Lifestyle

Hot Weather Dinner Ideas: 5 Simple Ideas to Rethink Heatwave Meals

Hot Weather Dinner Ideas: 5 Simple Ideas to Rethink Heatwave Meals

Do you need hot weather dinner ideas?

Here are some ways to get dinner on the table – without heating up your kitchen. Late summer heatwaves can zap your energy, and make it hard to think about eating, let alone cooking.  But unless you live alone – in which case, you can embrace the heatwave weight loss plan – you will probably need to get some meals on the table. 

Here’s a tip: Try not to think about what would work if you wanted to turn on your oven or stand over your stove for any amount of time.  Instead, focus on what you CAN do in the kitchen that avoids (or minimizes) oven and stove use.  

Another tip for hot weather dinner ideas, albeit not a “last minute” strategy – use your freezer. Make dinner building blocks in advance to make meals come together more quickly.

And if your schedule permits, prepare and eat dinner a bit later. Perhaps that will allow for a square of shade to shield part of your outdoor space, or for you to open up a few more windows to capture some type of evening breeze.

But as far as the meals themselves, just rethink the concept of “cooking” and think about using some other kitchen verbs to feed yourself and your family. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Chop:

Salads are among the most quintessential hot weather dinner ideas. But think creatively. A salad can be loosely defined- particularly with end-of-summer-produce on hand.  Tomatoes and stone fruit? Sure.  Watermelon and feta? Absolutely.  Lettuce with berries?  Delicious. 

Make a dressing, or simply drizzle with olive oil, vinegar of your choice (cider, champagne, red, balsamic – all are good), and a pinch of Omnivore salt, my go-to all purpose seasoning. 

Need something more substantial? Picky kids won’t eat greens? The close sibling of a salad is a charcuterie board. These were becoming of the darling of the catering and entertaining world just as we were forced to stop hosting gatherings. That doesn’t mean you need to skip the trend at home. Chop those raw (or grilled) veggies. Add some eggs, hard cooked in your Instapot, or sliced deli meats and/or cheeses.  Support a local bakery to get fresh bread without turning on your oven.  

Slice:

A few slices of filling between a couple slices of bread – and you are ready to eat.  My summer sandwich of choice is always a BLT, or more precisely, a BLAT – Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato sandwich.  Cook the bacon in the air fryer and you don’t have to worry about turning on your oven or babysitting a pan of spattering slices.  But you can have whatever kind of sandwich you’d like – egg salad, ham and Swiss, or grilled veggies and hummus.

Microwave:

A little forethought can mean you have your own “takeout” ready to go after a few minutes to reheat.  Curries and other “saucy” mains freeze well and reheat beautifully.  You can also freeze cooked samosas or portions of lasagna and heat those up as needed.  

Grill:

Grilling is often a go-to for hot weather dinner ideas, and summer meals on the grill are a simple option. In a heatwave, however, stay away from foods that need to be tended to constantly, like fish or skewers.   Instead think about chicken thighs or grilled pizza, which allow you to close the lid and walk away for a few minutes.  

Pressure Cook:

Don’t underestimate the power of pressure cooking for a hands-off meal that won’t overheat your kitchen.  Taco fillings are an easy option (bonus if you have frozen some of your last batch of tortillas!), as are these mix-and-match options.  But for a little island twist to your meal, try this Kalua Pork recipe adapted for the Instapot by Nom Nom Paleo.   

The bacon adds smokiness, without needing liquid smoke.  The Hawaiian salt is authentic, but use what you have on hand.  The pull-apart tender meat can be used in sandwiches, to fill tacos, to top nachos or served with rice and macaroni salad.  

Instapot Kalua Pork

Adapted from Nom Nom Paleo.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 45 mins
Total Time 1 hr 55 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • Instapot

Ingredients
  

  • 3 bacon slices
  • 5 pounds bone-in pork shoulder roast
  • 1½ tablespoons coarse sea salt or ~1 tablespoon fine sea salt Hawaiian, if available
  • 6 peeled garlic cloves
  • 1 cup water

Instructions
 

  • Line your Instapot with the bacon slices, and set to saute. Wait about one minute for bacon to start sizzling.
  • Slice the pork roast into three equal pieces. Make two slits in each piece and tuck in a peeled garlic clove in each slit.
  • Check your bacon- flip the slices and then turn off the Instapot when evenly browned.
  • Evenly salt the pork, and then layer on top of the crisped bacon.
  • Pour in the water. (Use more if you have a larger Instapot to avoid the "burn" error.)
  • Lock your instapot and pressure cook for 90 minutes.
  • After 90 minutes, speed up the "natural release" by pressing the "keep warm button.
  • After the pressure is released, you do need to check that the meat is tender – if not, pressure cook for 5-10 additional minutes.
  • Shred the pork, pile it on nachos, wrap in tortillas, fill Hawaiian rolls, or serve with rice and mac salad.
Keyword celebrations, instapot inspiration, make ahead meal

I would love to know what are some of your top hot weather dinner ideas.  Please share in the comments.  

Related Posts:

Back to School: 7 Nights of Easy Dinners

Mix and Match Instapot Recipes: 5 Ideas, Endless Tempting Possibilities

Refresh Yourself: Recipes

Easy Vacation Meals: 5 Island-Style Dinners

Easy Vacation Meal Ideas

Easy Vacation Meals: Enjoy At Home or Away

When you travel as a family, it can be expensive to eat out for every meal. If you choose to stay in a vacation home, you typically have access to a full kitchen which allows for meal preparation. But while you want to save money, you certainly don’t want to forget where you are, so consider using local ingredients to make those meals more special.

With travel limited right now, many families are looking for ways to experience other cultures without actually flying. These island-inspired easy vacation meals are for you, too. Many of these ingredients are becoming easier to find on the mainland, meaning you can enjoy these easy vacation meals when you are in staycation mode as well.

Sweet Bread French Toast

In Hawai’i, sweetbread is ubiquitous, the result of Portuguese immigrants bringing over their family recipes generations ago.  Indeed, the Big Island is where Robert Taira first started what is now King’s Hawaiian Bakery.  On island, you have your choice of purveyors of sweet bread, including Punalu’u, the bakery that is the southernmost in the US.  Punalu’u breads may be ordered online and shipped.  

On the mainland, the market is dominated by King’s.  Regardless, if you haven’t used this soft, sweet bread as the base for French toast, you are missing out.  Dip 6 thick-cut slices of sweet bread in a mixture of 4 beaten eggs, ¾ cup whole milk, a shake of cinnamon and a splash of vanilla.  Allow each slice to rest for a minute or two before pan-frying in a combination of 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons neutral oil.  Serve with bananas, or other fruit of your choice, and coconut syrup.  

Portuguese Sausage Pizza

If you haven’t tried grilling your pizza, then here’s why you should give it a try.  At home, you can use part of your Tartine bread dough to make pizza, but on vacation I think you’ll find the no-knead pizza dough from Jim Lahey to be the easiest.  Top with lightly pan-fried Hawaiian-style Portuguese sausage, if you can find it (try near the kielbasa and other packaged sausages in larger or specialty markets). Use sliced ham and fresh or frozen pineapple if you can’t find it.

Teriyaki Tacos

It’s a twist on Taco Tuesday when you put sliced grilled flank steak in your homemade tortillas.  Skip the cheese this week, and instead, top with pineapple or mango salsa for an island-inspired treat.  Want an even simpler option? Chop the cooked and rested steak into small bite-sized pieces and serve on nachos instead.

Shoyu Chicken

Swap shoyu for the soy sauce in your flank steak marinade, use boneless, skinless chicken thighs and you can have a delicious dinner coming off the grill at home or away.  Serve with Japanese-style rice (see below) and some simple mac salad.  

Island Bowl

In Hawai’i – and certain coastal areas of the mainland – you can buy great poke, or fresh fish to make your own.  Cook up some premium Japanese rice in your instapot (gently rinse 2 cups of rice, drain, then cover with water up to the first knuckle on your finger; allow to rest in the instapot; pressure cook on high for 4 minutes), add a shake or two of furikake, and you are set.  If getting your hands on fish fresh enough to eat raw poses a problem, then try this island-inspired sweet potato bowl with mango salsa.  

The list of ingredients is a bit long, but many of them are seasonings. The components can be made separately, and can be made ahead. That means you can assemble to finished dish in minutes.

What are your favorite easy vacation meals? Share in the comments.

Want to stay in touch? Click here to join my email list and grab your free self-care survival guide.

Caribbean Sweet Potato Bowl

Caribbean Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans, Coconut Rice and Mango Salsa

Adapted from myrecipes.com, purplecarrot.com, and Cooking with Your Instant Pot Mini
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hr
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 2 hrs
Course Main Course
Cuisine Latin American

Equipment

  • Instapot
  • Rimmed Baking Sheet

Ingredients
  

Black Beans (may be made ahead)

  • 1 pound dry black beans
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ onion finely chopped
  • 1 T vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp salt

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp dried thyme
  • ¼ tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ⅛ tsp paprika
  • ⅛ tsp ground allspice
  • Pinch black pepper
  • Pinch cinnamon
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • Pinch red pepper flakes
  • 2 T olive oil or other oil
  • 1 pound sweet potatoes cut into 1-inch wedges

Mango Salsa

  • ½ onion finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 mango peeled and diced
  • ¼ bunch cilantro
  • 1 lime juiced, zest reserved for rice

Coconut Rice

  • 1 cup rice
  • 1 ½ cups coconut milk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ cup water

Instructions
 

Black Beans

  • Combine all ingredients with 5 cups of water in the instapot. Set to Bean/Chili mode for 30 minutes. Allow 10 minutes of natural release before manually releasing the rest of the pressure. Drain and serve immediately, or refrigerate or freeze in the liquid.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

  • Combine all seasonings. Toss sweet potatoes in oil and then seasonings. Roast at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Mango Salsa

  • Combine onion, garlic, mango, cilantro and lime juice with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to rest at room temperature.

Coconut Rice

  • Combine all ingredients in a medium pot with a lid, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.

Notes

To Serve:
Stir reserved lime zest and drained black beans into cooked rice. Top with sweet potato wedges and mango salsa.
Keyword make ahead meal, quick and easy dinner recipe

Related Posts:

The Big Game, Big Island Style: 5 Recipes to Try

5 Dinners Without Thinking – or a Recipe

Refresh Yourself: Recipes

Color Street Fall 2020: Focus on the Positive

The Color Street Fall 2020 Catalog is here. This year has been unprecedented. If you’re at all like me, it feels like a deluge of challenges and changes that have just not stopped coming at you. In the midst of the chaos, I have found that taking a few minutes out for self-care has helped me to regain some sense of control. This can be as quick and as simple as a few deep breaths, or a gentle neck stretch. But every week or so, I carve out time for an at-home manicure – and so can you.

So if you need a bright spot in your week, a little something to look forward to amidst the challenges piling up, then consider a new Color Street manicure. Here are Color Street Fall 2020 new additions to the catalog:

Color Street Fall 2020:  Solids

Three essential solids join the catalog for Fall 2020.  Wood You Rather is a hunter green creme shade.  Space Case is a teal shimmer, while How You Dune? Is a shimmery shade of warm terra cotta.  

Color Street Fall 2020:  Glitters

Four stunning glitter options join the Color Street catalog for fall 2020.  Jewel tones shine in Scot Topic (green) and Juneau the Drill (indigo).  Soho-Ver It is a dressy black shade, while Chelsea Ya Later is an elegant neutral color.  

Color Street Fall 2020:  Nail Art Designs

All Wild Up is a creme, animal print with neutral accents.  The other five nail art designs to join the Color Street Fall 2020 lineup are all shimmers.  More jewel tones featured in Snake my Day (green snake motif), Smoke’s on You (purple smoky design), and Suit Yourself (blue houndstooth).  Rustworthy and Wing it On are both rich, warm tones, one with speckles, the other with abstract butterfly wings.  

Color Street Fall 2020: Focus on the Positive

Color Street Fall 2020:  Glitter Designs

Sparkly glitter AND gorgeous designs?  It’s no surprise that these combos are always favorites.  The fall 2020 collection brings back a summer favorite, Flag Time Gal, which will help you honor our country on Patriot Day (9/11), Veteran’s Day (11/11) and any other day you choose.  Hiss and Make up is a sparkly take on snake skin.  And Plaid Reputation brings glitter to a black and grey plaid.

Color Street Fall 2020: Focus on the Positive

Ready to shop? Click here.

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Should You Homeschool in 2020?

Should you homeschool? More than any other year in recent memory this question is popping up in social media feeds, text threads, and Zoom meet-ups. Here are some thoughts on the topic from Heather Renfro, an experienced educator who chose to homeschool one of her children for several years. Connect with her at hrenfro@gmail.com. Part of an occasional series featuring educators’ perspectives on school reopening and distance learning.

Should You Homeschool in 2020?

Should you Homeschool?

With so many of our kids’ schools starting off online this fall and all the uncertainties about what school will be like this year, many parents are considering homeschooling.  We’re thinking, would it be better for our kids (and us) to take the reins and be in control of our kids’ curriculum instead of scrambling to keep up with whatever our school delivers?  If we’re at home with them and doing so much work with them anyway, should we just take the dive and become official homeschoolers? 

This is especially true for those of us who know our students won’t thrive with virtual school, and we’re wondering what we can do.  As a parent who has chosen homeschooling in the past for a child who learns differently, I’ve had some opportunities to learn about how it all works.  If you are wondering what “homeschooling” really means, and whether it might work for you, here are a few things to consider.

Consider Your State’s Laws About How to Homeschool Legally

In California, some homeschoolers enroll in a Charter School specifically for homeschoolers.  This grants the student some funds, but also requires regular check-ins with an assigned educational specialist, demonstration of work completed, and standardized testing.  Other families create their own school (even with a student body of 1) and file a “private school affidavit.”  This option provides more freedom in terms of what is taught and how it is assessed, but offers no curricular support.  Yet another option is to enroll in an online school (one that was originally designed to be online), where all the content is prepackaged, delivered and assessed online.

Your Child’s Age, and Re-Entry into Physical School

It is easier for elementary age students to re-enter school after a homeschooling stint, both because peer relationships are more flexible and curriculum is easier to cover.  If your student is a middle or high schooler and you plan for them to go back to a physical school, you’ll want to consider what classes and how many units they will need to cover so they can re-join their peers.  A highschool will require a transcript to make sure the student is given credit for the classes taken.

How Homeschooling Will Affect Your Relationship

Having our child’s education in our hands can make us worry that we’re not doing it “right,” or doing enough, and we’ll pass that anxiety on to our kids.  That can quickly become a negative spiral of doubt, nagging, resentment… not the things we envision for our homeschool adventure!  Consider how your child will respond to you as teacher or facilitator of classes, and whether they need some outside accountability.  (Or whether you need some outside assurance!) 

In our homeschooling, my child almost always had a separate teacher or curriculum, whether online or in person, and I could function as support.  Every parent – child dynamic is different, but preserving a positive relationship with your child should be a top priority, whatever schooling situation you choose.

What Stands to be Gained – and Lost

In the hours I’ve agonized over the choice to homeschool, or choose a private school, or our public school, I’ve tried hard to weigh the costs and benefits of each.  In the end, I could never predict as much as I wanted to.  I wanted so much to make the right choice for my child!   We have chosen all of those paths at different points over the past 10 years, and mostly let our gut feelings be our guide.  We chose what felt right at different stages.  With each decision, we gained some and we lost some. 

Homeschooling allowed us to take a step back and focus on developing fundamental skills and quell the anxiety of being in a classroom every day that wasn’t the right fit.  It also meant some losses: the extras at school (music, PE, art), the constant building of social skills, the relationships with those adults.  When we entered traditional school again, we were gaining those things back, but losing the autonomy to tailor a program to our needs.  There were stresses with each, just different ones.  That’s sure to be the case this year, too, when considering the “distance learning” that our schools provide or homeschooling.  

So, in 2020, consider all the potential gains and losses, what your child needs, and what options are possible.  With your child’s best interest at heart, one thing will start to feel more right than the others.  Whatever you choose, go in making sure your child knows you have their back, and try to enjoy the journey.  Those things will count for more in the end than any curriculum.

So, should YOU homeschool? It’s a tough decision, but hopefully you have more to consider as you make the choice.

Related Posts:

Rethink Distance Learning: Recalibrate Your Expectations

Distance Learning Special Education via The Piece of Mind Retreat

Educator Experience: A Collection of Educators’ Perspectives on School Reopening and Distance Learning

Refresh Your Life: Lifestyle

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I am a career educator, #autismmom and Color Street Independent Stylist. I help women refresh their style, their lives and themselves. Thanks for joining me here. Read More…

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