April 27, 2020: What to do when lonely or bored
The Monday Letter, April 27, 2020
Greetings Parents of A2T students!
Thank you for your ongoing support. I've appreciated the comments, suggestions, and positive messages.
We spent more time than I had initially planned on harmonic modeling and transformations to sine graphs, but that time was well spent. The evaluations at the end of the unit gave me confidence that your children understand these periodic functions and can apply them. Their faces of surprise (and dare I say delight?) when they discovered (and modeled) sinusoids in the mustard on a hot dog, furniture in their bedroom, daily temperature data, and on motocross ramps were priceless.
Now deep into the algebra of manipulating trig expressions, these students have discovered a strength. They are understanding these ideas more swiftly and with greater ease than I had anticipated (and better than the graphical analysis of harmonic modeling); I guess this all evens out in the end.
Perhaps their challenges or lack thereof on a topic reflects the strengths and weaknesses of on-line learning. The increased awareness of the benefits and detriments of on-line learning will benefit everyone as we all move into this new world.
My thoughts this week lean towards how we all can keep ourselves happy and growing people as we isolate. I've been asking the students what they do for fun or what plans they have. I get lots of soft smiles or silence with a sigh. I think some kids are lonely, tired, and bored. Some of them look unmotivated to do much moving. This could be a time when we learn something new or when we dust off some unused paintbrushes or musical instruments. Here are some ideas to gently help your children at a time when they may be lonely or bored.
Art. While there are art groups that charge money, there are also free options. We may have laughed at Bob Ross back-in-the-day, but I've taken great pleasure in following some of his old TV programs. Here's a link to one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh5p5f5_-7A While you could go all-out and get canvases and fancy paints, there are also less expensive supplies limited only by your creative ideas.
Music. The day before our shut-down, my son bought a Ukulele with the intention of learning while isolating. I've seen ads for "make your own" Ukuleles inexpensively. He's found several sites for lessons. If you are so lucky to have access to some kind of keyboard, there's free piano lessons on line, found by a search. I'm sure the same is true for recorders or any other instruments.
Video and YouTube channel creation. Speaking of 20th-century skills, now may be a good time to learn to make a short video. And if this appeals to you, then make your own channel. Some of your kids have made creative and wonderful tick-tocks (did I spell that correctly?). Why not take it to a new level?
A new interest. With so many of us sheltering in, many towns have seen animals traveling more on the streets and in neighborhoods. Photographing these could be fun. Bird-watching is the new 'stamp collecting' that was so popular in my youth. Baking and cooking, particularly with limited supplies is a valuable skill ('Food52' out of New York City offers short videos and good information; the creative employees there are my personal favorite.)
Improving writing skills. Setting up a blog is easier than anyone thinks. People who had me in class last year already have a blog set up (I didn't do this with my classes this year.) "blogspot" is my go-to resource and simply recording events and ideas in a blog has helped me improve my writing and has been fun.
Yoga or athletics of any kind. Many "classes" on line are free (you just have to tolerate an ad or two sometimes). I end with this suggestion because it may be one of the more important things we could do. Keeping moving keeps us strong and better fit, which of course improves our health.
Other? If you have other ideas of how to keep mentally and physically healthy during this time, please share! I'm interested and could always use new ideas.
During these days of self-paced learning in my classroom, I find myself working one-on-one with your children, and that is a fine gift to me. Sometimes, we go through the material more swiftly and sometimes more slowly, but we pace our work together. As long as they make regular progress and move toward finishing the curriculum I've set up for them in canvas, it's all good. Self-pacing is a new concept to many of us, and when they ask about how to pace themselves, I say, "Keep on keepin' on." And that's become a phrase that has resonated strongly with me these last few weeks as we meet new daily challenges.
So I offer the same to you: Keep on keepin' on.
Best and Warmest Regards,
Jean
Greetings Parents of A2T students!
Thank you for your ongoing support. I've appreciated the comments, suggestions, and positive messages.
We spent more time than I had initially planned on harmonic modeling and transformations to sine graphs, but that time was well spent. The evaluations at the end of the unit gave me confidence that your children understand these periodic functions and can apply them. Their faces of surprise (and dare I say delight?) when they discovered (and modeled) sinusoids in the mustard on a hot dog, furniture in their bedroom, daily temperature data, and on motocross ramps were priceless.
Now deep into the algebra of manipulating trig expressions, these students have discovered a strength. They are understanding these ideas more swiftly and with greater ease than I had anticipated (and better than the graphical analysis of harmonic modeling); I guess this all evens out in the end.
Perhaps their challenges or lack thereof on a topic reflects the strengths and weaknesses of on-line learning. The increased awareness of the benefits and detriments of on-line learning will benefit everyone as we all move into this new world.
My thoughts this week lean towards how we all can keep ourselves happy and growing people as we isolate. I've been asking the students what they do for fun or what plans they have. I get lots of soft smiles or silence with a sigh. I think some kids are lonely, tired, and bored. Some of them look unmotivated to do much moving. This could be a time when we learn something new or when we dust off some unused paintbrushes or musical instruments. Here are some ideas to gently help your children at a time when they may be lonely or bored.
Art. While there are art groups that charge money, there are also free options. We may have laughed at Bob Ross back-in-the-day, but I've taken great pleasure in following some of his old TV programs. Here's a link to one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh5p5f5_-7A While you could go all-out and get canvases and fancy paints, there are also less expensive supplies limited only by your creative ideas.
Music. The day before our shut-down, my son bought a Ukulele with the intention of learning while isolating. I've seen ads for "make your own" Ukuleles inexpensively. He's found several sites for lessons. If you are so lucky to have access to some kind of keyboard, there's free piano lessons on line, found by a search. I'm sure the same is true for recorders or any other instruments.
Video and YouTube channel creation. Speaking of 20th-century skills, now may be a good time to learn to make a short video. And if this appeals to you, then make your own channel. Some of your kids have made creative and wonderful tick-tocks (did I spell that correctly?). Why not take it to a new level?
A new interest. With so many of us sheltering in, many towns have seen animals traveling more on the streets and in neighborhoods. Photographing these could be fun. Bird-watching is the new 'stamp collecting' that was so popular in my youth. Baking and cooking, particularly with limited supplies is a valuable skill ('Food52' out of New York City offers short videos and good information; the creative employees there are my personal favorite.)
Improving writing skills. Setting up a blog is easier than anyone thinks. People who had me in class last year already have a blog set up (I didn't do this with my classes this year.) "blogspot" is my go-to resource and simply recording events and ideas in a blog has helped me improve my writing and has been fun.
Yoga or athletics of any kind. Many "classes" on line are free (you just have to tolerate an ad or two sometimes). I end with this suggestion because it may be one of the more important things we could do. Keeping moving keeps us strong and better fit, which of course improves our health.
Other? If you have other ideas of how to keep mentally and physically healthy during this time, please share! I'm interested and could always use new ideas.
During these days of self-paced learning in my classroom, I find myself working one-on-one with your children, and that is a fine gift to me. Sometimes, we go through the material more swiftly and sometimes more slowly, but we pace our work together. As long as they make regular progress and move toward finishing the curriculum I've set up for them in canvas, it's all good. Self-pacing is a new concept to many of us, and when they ask about how to pace themselves, I say, "Keep on keepin' on." And that's become a phrase that has resonated strongly with me these last few weeks as we meet new daily challenges.
So I offer the same to you: Keep on keepin' on.
Best and Warmest Regards,
Jean
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