Can I say that online school is tough? Not to rant, but I didn’t expect to be the I.T. guy, assistant teacher, and nanny for Tikoy all at the same time.
Perhaps it’s difficult for moms with small kids (who are incidentally managing a home and are trying to keep a job on the side). I kid you not. I was exhausted and anxious after our first day!
Later on, though, we discovered a routine and learned how to make our schedules work. Most involved forgoing a few chores (because they can wait) and using reliable apps and tools.
1. ClassDojo
I learned about this app in Tikoy’s school. It allows teachers and parents to keep track of students’ progress, announcements and keep all school-related things in one place. It’s cute, too!
2. Alexa
Amazon’s Alexa was such a worthy investment for the home. We use it with everything from setting timers for cooking to quick searches on the internet when you can’t do a Google search yourself. We have yet to set it up to control household appliances, but that should be a load off our backs!
3. Google Translate
Tikoy has a couple of foreign language classes delivered in their respective tongues with very minimal English instructions! I know I shouldn’t worry about my Kinder-1 student, but it keeps me at ease when I understand what Lǎoshī is talking about. After all, I’m the assistant teacher, right? So, I leave this app in transcribe mode the whole time. It’s also helpful when we practice speaking. We let it capture our words and see if we pronounced them right. Duo-lingo works, too!
4. Google Keep
I like having all my apps integrated, so Google Keep has been one of my most-used tools in the whole suite. It’s not just for taking notes and grocery lists but also for pinning important and frequent references. It allows collaborators, and you can even set reminders in them and have your tasks reflected on your Google Calendar!
5. Spotify
Other than listening to music, I use Spotify to listen to Solid Joys Daily Devotional. My quiet time usually takes the back seat with all the things on my plate, so I found that listening to a daily devotional gives me a window of reflection before Tikoy’s online class starts. My son, amazingly, cooperates and joins in a short prayer afterward. I found that doing this also inspires prayer and meditation in me throughout the day.
How’s your Happy Home Schooling journey so far? Care to share your tips?
Abi is one of Mommy Mundo’s storytellers for 2021 where she writes relevant posts in line with Mommy Mundo’s advocacy to promote active and conscious living and mindfulness to mothers and the community.
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Mark x Abi 