Grade-level expectations and academic achievement took a backseat to \u201ctreading water\u201d after March 13, 2020, according to my colleagues in K12. It was hard enough to move to virtual learning, much less ensure completion of grade-level knowledge and skills.<\/p>\n
We have learned that our children didn\u2019t learn enough last year, or in the years before that.<\/p>\n
Our daughters came from a difficult place, earlier in life. But, they\u2019ve been with us since preschool. Their educations have been our responsibility from the start.<\/p>\n
We anticipated struggles. The youngest was late to speak, for example. They both have some challenges that required special supports.<\/p>\n
Yet, we know the girls can meet grade-level goals. They just need extra time and practice.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t a problem solved with yet more technology, or even better-designed technology.<\/p>\n
In the end, grade-level mastery of knowledge and skills requires doing the work.<\/p>\n
It isn\u2019t a popular truth among some teachers, but the reality is that to become good at anything you do need to practice and do the drills. This really does mean memorizing some knowledge until it becomes automatic.<\/p>\n
Basic mathematics needs to be drilled. You can use games only so much. Eventually, a student has to memorize the multiplication table. Everyone hates worksheets, just as they hate musical scales, but that practice helps later in life.<\/p>\n
Our daughters are not where they need to be, and they aren\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re discovering they need to practice math until basic addition and subtraction are automatic. Counting on fingers is a good problem-solving technique before second or third grade. When you\u2019re trying to do multiplication and division, single-digit addition needs to be memorized for instant recall.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re using some games (Math versus Zombies, School Zone Math), some flashcards, and some old-fashioned worksheets to reinforce those basic skills that slipped out of our eight-year-old daughter\u2019s mind. She needs repetition, as so most children. If you don\u2019t use it, you really do lose it. That\u2019s definitely true of math.<\/p>\n
The oldest struggles with English skills. She\u2019s an excellent reader, but reading isn\u2019t comprehension. She can read a paragraph perfectly, and then fail to identify the main idea or the theme of the paragraph. It takes time to develop comprehension skills. It also takes time. Teachers need to discuss readings with students, guiding the young minds towards an understanding of how to decode a text.<\/p>\n
I have used the checklists for the Texas and Common Core grade-level expectations. The girls\u2019 abilities align with the middle of the 2019-20 academic year, and we\u2019re now starting the 2020 school year. Even working all summer on review and reinforcement, they remain behind expectations.<\/p>\n
As parents, we know the schools did what they could. Still, we are extremely concerned that our girls need to catch up and get back on track this year.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re going to use a lot of paper worksheets and workbooks. We\u2019re not going to use technology as often as the schools do.<\/p>\n
We need to make up entire years of science and geography. Why? Because those simply weren\u2019t the focus of the schools. I don\u2019t know if this is because only math and English are tested; some teachers have complained that other subjects are neglected to make room for test preparation.<\/p>\n
It isn\u2019t just academics. Our daughters cannot run. They cannot skip. Watching them throw and catch a ball is painful. It turns out, physical education didn\u2019t really do enough physical activity. How is that possible?<\/p>\n
Our oldest informed us that the P.E. teacher allowed students to walk around the track.<\/p>\n
She needed to be running. She dangles her arms, instead of swinging them. She stumbles and falls. This is a child who had physical therapy and occupational therapy to develop body strength and coordination. We assumed the school was providing daily activity, which is essential.<\/p>\n
We have a scheduled school day, and have since March. It includes English and math at the start. We also added social studies, science, and physical education. We will incorporate art and music, too.<\/p>\n
The homeschooling and virtual learning situation illuminates how much our daughters need to accomplish this year. We\u2019re disappointed they didn\u2019t make more progress within the public schools, even before the coronavirus pandemic interrupted their school routines.<\/p>\n
Teachers with 20 to 25 students couldn\u2019t focus on the needs of our daughters. The girls aren\u2019t that far behind and they aren\u2019t that disruptive. The girls faded into the system.<\/p>\n
Homeschooling would not have been our choice. Now, we\u2019ve discovered it might be the best way to teach what wasn\u2019t learned during the previous three or four years.<\/p>\n
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Grade-level expectations and academic achievement took a backseat to \u201ctreading water\u201d after March 13, 2020, according to my colleagues in K12. It was hard enough…<\/p>\n