Figuring "This" Out Together

Everyone is figuring "this" out. How do students and teachers learn and teach from a distance while managing our personal struggles and unique situations.  Parents are figuring out how to parent under some of the most stressful situations ever while balancing their own professional commitments.  I wish I had "the" answers.  I do know that each family and teacher is absolutely trying their best to make "this" work.  Have we seen some successes?  For sure.  Are some days more of a struggle than others?  Absolutely.

I have been privileged to participate in many online class Zoom meetings with teachers and students where our staff is listening and supporting kids.  I've also spoken with many parents from my building who are working through this new reality.  Some days are clearly better than others for all of us, but for our students I believe the tone we set in this new environment is just as important as what is being taught and learned.

Our local newspaper interviewed several professionals from our district and they offered tips for parents.  You can read that article here.

In addition, a teacher shared the email below with her parents following an online Zoom session with her students.  (She gave me permission to share here.)  While the details might not be grade-specific for your family, it sets the tone we most need to hear.

We are definitely traveling new roads together during this crisis, and I am grateful for good days--and even the tough days--as long as we agree to work through them together.  Our kids deserve and need that.

Thank you!





We had a super big talk this morning about the lessons coming home. I wanted to recap what we had talked about this morning. We had several big points:

• Doing school this way is hard. We do not normally learn this way. At school, we do examples, work in groups, brainstorm with partners, pause and ask questions and more. We do not learn alone. Now we are asking our kids to learn independently and it is not easy. 

• It's okay to try it and move on.  I gave them permission to try each lesson, but if it isn't working, they can skip it and do an iReady lesson instead. We had a really tough reading lesson on Tuesday this week. We talked about if we had done the lesson together, we could have talked it out and brainstormed ideas. Doing it by ourselves was super hard and caused major frustration. They have my permission if a lesson is too hard and they have tried it, they can replace it with an iReady lesson. 

• Prioritizing is key. I told the kids today, it is okay to pick and choose. I told them math is priority number one and they agreed. We talked about if you have time to watch the science movie and do the activity, but not time to read the pages, that's okay. If you have to skip social studies, but do writing, that's okay. We do not want any kid to be at a breaking point with schoolwork. We talked about how parents and kids can choose what fits best for that day or that week. Sometimes less is more. 

• Together is better. It is okay for them to Zoom or call a friend and do their homework together. As I said before, in school, we learn from each other. Doing work together actually helps the kids because they are verbalizing their learning. If they want to get a "study buddy" and work in groups of 2, 3 or 4, we are totally fine with that and in fact, encourage it! 

• Keep in contact! It's okay to email me and say your child is having a tough week. It's okay to let me know that you'll be taking the week off. We don't want anyone stressing out over some school assignments. The main thing is that your child's heart is happy and they are thinking and keeping their brain active. That's it!

We are all new at this. We are growing and learning together. It's okay to adjust as needed and do what's best for your child. You 100% have my permission!

Lastly, one of the biggest bumps for many students relates to challenges with technology. We are happy to share that the Oakland Schools Helpdesk has some support to offer.  Please read the OS excerpt below:

Technology Services are available to parents/guardians whose district provided technology is not functioning properly or their student can’t remember their password.  Parents/guardians can also contact the Oakland Schools Service Desk.  Please let the parents/guardians know that the Service Desk will not be taking calls directly from students however, but only from parents and guardians.  Parents or guardians can grant approval for the service desk staff to speak directly to their student as long as the parent remains present during the entirety of the conversation.
Email: osservicedesk@oakland.k12.mi.us.  

 If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the Oakland Schools Service Desk by creating a service ticket or by calling 248.209.2060.   

Oakland Schools Service Desk

Phone: (248)209-2060