​How we respond to life is a choice, my friends, one of the few choices we may feel like we have so take hold, take charge, flip the script, choose how to respond, and go for it!!

For many of us, staying home, and schooling at home does not come naturally.  There is a rather large learning curve that goes along with figuring out how to navigate a "new normal" way of daily life where kids are being educated at home by parents who did not choose to educate them at home.  When you are supporting  a student who is struggling to learn, this is even more the case. 

So often I get asked the question- How do I know what to work on at home with my child who struggles to learn?  My simple answer is: whatever it is that you are doing for students for whom learning may not be a challenge.  Of course the details will look different, in many cases, but the overarching themes should be the same. 

If you are supporting Language Arts for another student, then this student should be no different.  If PE is on the agenda, then add it to everyone's schedule.  If it is a mental health day then make it so for everyone.

Instead of taking time to analyze whether or not we should be focusing on this or that, let's, instead, take that precious time to focus on what is important:

Accessibility

It is not the what we want to cover, but how we make it accessible as an opportunity to show growth, over time, that needs our time, our attention, our creativity, and our support. 

So- take the first step- streamline the "what" am I covering? and take that "saved" time to focus on the details that make this something worth focusing on, for all of our kids, especially those that struggle to learn. 

​For Sevi, social distancing is his worst nightmare.  A socially motivated kid, by nature, he is a true product of his experiences and the people who have touched his life.  The only thing better about Sevi’s smile are Sevi’s hugs, and if you are in his “in-crowd” his hugs are plentiful.
 
At first, I was not sure how this was going to go.  I mean- for a kid who is a born minimalist, who delights in sharing time and laughter with others even more than he enjoys frozen yogurt, how do you navigate a world in which you not only need to stay 6- ft apart but you have to stay home?
 
My mind started to go down the rabbit-hole of despair, and then I remembered- I have been here before.  I do not need to despair because I have lived the gratitude of receiving a diagnosis for my son in a time where technology allows things that just years ago I could not have imagined.  This has applied to his health, his education, and his dreams.  It has been a daily gratefulness that I have never forgotten. 
 
So instead of despair, I just need to remember, that we live in a time that allows us to physically isolate in our homes, without forcing us from our social connectedness. 
 
We have so very much available to us that will allow even the most social of us to get our connected- fix, and if he needs a hug- well then guess who gets to receive a few extra of those?  Not a bad place to be at all.
 
How you are staying connected these days?