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All of these circumstances are of concern to both parents and schools: What happens if students are out of school for long periods of time? What if schools have to close? This article provides eight suggestions for parents to consider in light of these pressing questions and situations.
We all know from experience that it’s hard when learning stops and starts at a stuttering pace. Stopping for two weeks is a much bigger disruption to the learning process than it seems: beyond the lost class time, it takes time to speed up again, get organized, and resume. This article also provides eight ways parents can work to prepare their students, schools, and homes to reduce disruption to learning.
Of course, our highest priority is safety, health and well-being. Our medical professionals advise that we stay home when we are sick, so we don’t spread our illness and can recover more quickly. But once we or our children are getting better, instead of focusing on illness, isolation, boredom, or idle hands that can cause trouble, parents need a plan to help students pursue responsible learning. It doesn’t have to be overly rigorous, but it can help students keep learning, keep them connected to the content of the class, and keep them locked in the mindset of the school year. Following these eight steps should help with the transition and minimize lost time due to flu season or whatever!
1. Visit the school website for the latest news on policies, procedures, and status reports.
2. Talk to teachers about getting books, homework, instruction, and homework for your students if they have to miss school. Find out if the relevant policies are for the whole school or for a specific class.
3. Request that the policy and any other available information and plans be posted on the class website.
4. Institute or activate emergency phone call and text response systems to ensure you can be reached if your student needs to come home or if there are cancellations.
5. Ask if teachers can use the class website or other online management system to start posting daily class outlines (lesson plans), assignments, and assignments, even now. This is a good practice to encourage student responsibility, regardless of flu outbreaks.
6. Ask both the PTA and the school to discuss if laptops or computers can be loaned to students with financial need, who have to have involuntary extended absences (such as the flu). A security deposit may be required, but there may be a set policy and process.
7. Consider buying or borrowing an inexpensive netbook, laptop, or desktop computer for your student (