Did you know the average person speaks 7,000 words in a day?
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Did you know the average person speaks 7,000 words in a day?
Read MoreSummer is fading away, and leaves will begin to change colors as fall approaches. One of my favorite memories from childhood is crunching the acorns as they fell to the ground. The days will begin to feel crisp and cool as the blazing hot temperatures fade away. Homework is probably becoming a part of a steady routine as school resumes, whether your school is distance learning or learning on site.
For many parents, even the prospect of helping kids with math homework fills them with dread. Because at the opposite end of math competitions and Mensa clubs lies mathematical anxiety, a very real phenomenon.
Stereognosis is a term used to describe a person’s ability to identify and recognize an object just by touch/feel, in the absence of visual identification. A simple example would be sticking your hand into a purse and pulling out the car keys after feeling around for them.
“Learn from home” has become the new “work from home” and many parents have been left wondering how to establish an effective home workspace for their child during distance learning. One quick internet search can lead you down a rabbit hole of picture-perfect modernized mini-desks with no dust bunnies or wayward materials in sight. But unless your child is a robot, this is not only impractical; it’s also likely to induce a pressure cooker of anxiety at hot-pot speed.
I found myself homeschooling unexpectedly and suddenly about three years ago. I didn’t know how long I would be doing it, and I was absolutely terrified of messing it up. Even as an educator (I was a full-time college professor), I felt unequipped to take on the task, which felt endless. There were so many subjects to cover. There was so much outside of the actual educational material to recreate. It was all overwhelming.
So, I have a unique understanding of the situation many people are facing right now as they choose to homeschool in the face of uncertainty due to the pandemic. My “crisis schooling” situation was individual rather than collective, but I definitely understand the feelings of panic and insecurities that can rise up.
Staying home with a 3.5-year-old since March has proven to be tough especially in the area of connectivity. Tessa was halfway into her second year of preschool and just coming out of her shell in terms of developing social relationships and forming friendships. While she has had plenty of toys, activities, and small adventures around the house and neighborhood, they have all been with me (her mom) and she has been itching to connect with her peers.
