Happy St. Patrick's Day week! For most, it's also happy Spring Break week!
In honor of that, I wanted to share the article from my most recent newsletter. If you haven't received the whole newsletter in your inbox, yet, send me an email at: acecookietutoring@gmail.com, and I'll send it right away!
Thanks to Dove Copywriting for writing this great article for our February 2021 newsletter:
Spring Break 2021 is fast approaching, and with luck you have good plans in the works. Travel sites are mentioning hotels that are reopening and places available to visit.
One travel writer mentioned that you should invest in travel insurance depending on the type of trip you're taking, and she also mentioned maybe you wanted to consider Airbnb to rent a home instead of a hotel. There might be less exposure to the virus if you aren’t in a busy hotel lobby or restaurant.
Last year was the spring break that kept going and going. It was when we entered into pandemic mode. Schools scrambled to try and organize online learning, and parents tried to find ways to take care of kids who wouldn't be returning to their schools.
What have we learned in a year?
1. Masks matter. They can be uncomfortable sometimes and just plain irritating, but for now we need to wear them. Get a few different kinds. Disposable ones are nice to have on hand, but get some fabric ones as well. When ears get sore, wear one that ties around the back of your head instead.
2. For online learning to work, you must hold your children accountable. (Check out our video replay about student accountability here: https://youtu.be/4816QfWJjA4). Your kids have to be prepared to work. If they are home with you, take away their phones while they're "in class." As a parent, keep track of your child's grades. See if assignments are missing. Recently a student was failing his art class. He was doing the assignments in his sketchbook, but he didn't realize he had to photograph and email the sketches to get credit. Don't wait until the end of a quarter or semester to figure out something that easy.
3. Enrichment and tutoring can help increase learning. You are smart. You've graduated from high school, so you know you can help your child in a class. But, it's not going well, and you are both frustrated. One answer is to hire a tutor. The right tutor loves working with students and has the skills and knowledge to help a student learn the content.
That same tutor can help with enrichment. Students need to learn more than just the assignment. Ideally, there are games or interesting facts to gain their attention. One student learned to play Hangman with a tutor. The tutor helped the student find ways to beat grandpa at Hangman. Now the student was willingly working on her spelling not only with her tutor but with grandpa too. (Visit acecookietutoring.com/intakeform , and we'll tell you the tutor's trick.)
4. Some students are attending school in a hybrid fashion and others may be returning to BAM soon. This may sound silly, but make sure your student has the materials and equipment he needs. Recently a student mentioned he had scissors in his backpack now because his teacher never seemed to have them. A short investigation revealed the teacher wasn't sharing scissors in class because of COVID. Students need to have their own supplies. This means pens, pencils, rulers, calculators, headphones, etc. (Check out our video about transitioning to in-person learning here: https://youtu.be/l520xLY7fCE)
5. Learning cannot stop. No matter how your student is being educated, keep learning. Sing songs. Plant flowers. Do puzzles. Read books. Make cookies. Paint pictures. Build something.
Happy Spring Break 2021! Go someplace. See something new. Buy some new sidewalk chalk, and cover your entire driveway with art. Take the time to smile.
Just the other day, I went live about Spring Break 2021 on my YouTube channel. Check out the replay here: https://youtu.be/M2kunaQKhqk
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