7 Approaches To Managing the School Year in a Time of COVID and How to Make Them Work

There is one thing on my mind all the time right now: the school year. Like any parent, I was excited about kindergarten. Now, like every parent, I’m trying to figure out how to make the school year work for us. Here in North Carolina, schools are doing different things. As I wrote recently, Wake Schools had said they were going to be on for one week, off for two. Now, that’s changed, and we’re all remote — at least to start. More than half of parents have signed up for Virtual Academy. Under that plan, even if students return to classrooms later in 2020, your child will remain home learning online. 

The decisions parents are making aren’t easy. I was wowed by a friend of mine, a project manager, who created a spreadsheet to organize her thoughts to make a decision. She put her children’s school options along the top, and considerations/concerns along the side in priority order. An example of a consideration is “not getting COVID-19.” She added weights, so the higher priorities counted more, and then rated the options on a 1-5 scale. Whew. The result looks great and helped her make the right decision for her family. 

The Options

Not all of us are that organized, but most parents are considering a range of options. Here are some of the ideas I’ve seen discussed: 

1. Quit your job. Yes, some parents are quitting their jobs to manage their children’s education this fall. While not ideal, it is one possible way to make it work. On the plus side, you know your kids will be appropriately supervised and cared for. Aside from the financial downside, your career track may take a hit if you’re out of work for four months.
2. Hire a nanny. If you can afford it, a full-time nanny would undoubtedly enable you and/or your partner to continue working while providing your kids with school help and supervision.
3. Hire a tutor. Many parents are collaborating with neighbors and schoolmates to hire part-time tutors in small groups of 2-4 kids. The tutor could work via online or in-person to assist with schoolwork. While you’re not entirely isolated from risk in this situation, it does provide some social interaction for your kids and a break for parents trying to get work done.
4. Ask relatives for help. Yes, this is an excellent option if you’re not worried about older relatives catching COVID. Your parent or whoever can assist with childcare and overseeing homework, giving you a chance to work.
5. Private schools and camps. I’m reading a lot of parents turning to pop-up options. My concern here is safety. If we’re all supposed to stay at home to prevent the spread, isn’t a camp going to pose the same issues? However, some camps, daycares, and private schools offer a variety of safety measures, and of course, we all have different tolerances for risk. Another downside is the cost.
6. Keep your K-level kid back in preschool. One parent I know is doing this. Her son’s birthday falls just before the cutoff anyway, and for them, this was the best plan.
7. Homeschool. This is a big commitment, but one some parents feel is better than Virtual Academy and still offers the same safety.

Most parents I’ve talked to seem to be merging a few of these and adjusting their work schedules, too. What options have you heard that I missed? 

Making it Work for Your Kids 

Of course, parents will trudge forward with their choice and find a way to make it work based on their situation. But here are some organizational thoughts to guide you as you navigate your path for school this year: 

• Space – Do you have a workspace for your children to do their homework or sit in front of the computer during online learning? The dining room table may suit, but it might not. Try to choose a chair he/she can sit in for at least two hours. If your house has extra room, such as a bonus room or playroom, you might convert part of that to the “school area.” Mentally, your kids might find it helps them focus if they go to a separate place to do schoolwork each day. I don’t have such a room in my house right now, but I may mark a corner of the dining room for this purpose.
  
• Supplies – If you haven’t yet bought school supplies, I don’t blame you. After all, we were waiting to hear whether we’d need them. I’m still not sure, but if you do buy some, where will you store them? Typically, they would find a home at your child’s school. But with school now at home, you may want to get a cubby or rolling cart for all school supplies. 

• Weekly Schedule – I’ve created a spreadsheet for this, though it’s not as impressive as the one my friend created for her decision. Mine has the dates listed in the first column, with each row containing one week like: 8/17-8/21. Across the top, I’ve listed out the days, Monday through Friday. I put in there holidays and teacher workdays. Now, I’m filling in the holes. For example, I’m committing to not work on Fridays. That’s my day to supervise my daughter and oversee her schoolwork. My husband will also choose one day per week. His parents will get another day, ideally the same day of the week each time. We’re looking for a tutor to help with one or two days. I am filling in the blocks as we figure things out.

• Daily Schedule – Whether you, a tutor, a relative, or a nanny is taking charge, he/she/you will likely find it useful to create a school day schedule. I’m creating one that breaks time into half-hour increments. I include wake-up time, meals, breaks, time for a walk, or some other physical activity (sort of like recess or gym class), and some free play. Yes, there will probably be an hour a day when she can watch TV. But with a schedule, I know that screens aren’t making up her whole day and that we’re balancing things as best we can. I can’t finalize this until the school year starts, and I see what type of assignments we get, especially in kindergarten. But I am also researching ideas, worksheets, info from homeschooling parents, etc. to help. (I noticed a lot of the homeschool books are out of stock!) 

Making it Work for You  

So your kids are all set, but what about you? If you’re a parent who plans to work from home while this is going on, I’m with you. Some ideas to retain your sanity and keep your job: 

• Think about your workspace. My husband and I just got matching desks, and I’m very excited about them. They are the motorized kind that work for standing up or sitting down. Our new office chairs are on backorder, unfortunately. The desks fit better in our office and give us each some elbow room. Yay! Where will you work all day while your child is “at school”? Is it optimized for switching between “work brain” and “parent brain”? 
• Set some expectations. This is happening to everyone, so your colleagues with children will likely understand. Discuss changes in hours, workloads, etc. If you work in something client-facing, how can you set expectations with your clients? Schedule video/phone calls on days when you have better or more help for your kids. 
  • Be sure to set expectations with your kids, tutors, nannies, or relatives as well. You might create a rule such as “If the office door is closed, do not enter.” 
• Take a break. Finding time to take five for yourself hasn’t been easy and won’t be. I’ve started taking an early-morning walk. It is more comfortable on these hot July days in North Carolina and gives me time alone and some exercise. How can you find time for yourself? 

Just like last time, this post is only scratching the surface. What tips have worked for you in all this, or what ideas will you try this semester?