Dear Parents,

I realize you didn’t join to be a tutor. If you wanted to build that career, you would have done so before being secured up in your home with your children every day. Be that as it may, we are moving toward the beginning of the school year, and almost certainly, your kids will be participating in some distance learning design due to COVID-19. As a previous teacher turned entrepreneur and expert coordinator (and mother of two young ladies), I know what you’re shuffling now, and I realize it isn’t easy.

Highlighted below are five tips to keep your family composed of distance learning and clutch only a smidge of mental soundness.

TIP #1: Have an easily accessible home for everything and label it!

This incorporates curriculum materials, technological items, and supplies! And to the extent that you can, store those items where you use them.

Please don’t ignore the labeling step; we promise it’s the difference between your system holding up and cracking out fast. This is our preferred budget label maker, and if you want to spend extravagantly, we recommend this one.

Are you with limited space? If yes, we recommend using a mobile 3-tier rolling cart that can be stored and used anywhere in your home.

TIP #2: Create a short and long term easy filing system for papers.

Short Term: Use a small tabletop file box like this one or a stacking letter tray like this one. Create categories that make sense for YOUR family. Maybe that is “Reviewed/Graded, In Progress, To File,” or maybe it makes sense to break it up by subject, or maybe you need both.

Your short term papers should be things being worked on or referenced right now.

Long Term: We love making memory boxes to store special activities, work of art, or tasks that you need to keep long haul arranged by grade.

TIP #3: If your child is of age, involve them in the process of setting up their workspace, talking through a schedule, and creating the systems.

TIP 4: Build in the margin when planning your schedule and your child’s.

I think we can all safely assume things will take three times longer while we navigate the distance learning/working from a home model that has been sprung upon so many of us.

TIP #5: Ensure your communication and expectations are clear with your partner and children.

Are all adults working from home? Designate who is “available” for the kids at any given hour and who has “sacred work time” in order to preserve any quality work time and some sanity.

Are the expectations for your children clear? What should they do when they finish an assignment? When they don’t understand something, what should they do? Where should they keep the items when they’re through using them?

Clear expectations and communication are essential to ensuring that everyone in your family feels loved and supported

To learn more about staying organized with distance learning, contact Sam’s Cleaning and Hauling today.

We serve the Houston, TX, and its surrounding areas.