Changing It Up

Let's face it - this quarantine has us all having to make significant changes to our daily lives. Closed schools, remote work hours, no in-person friends, no fro-yo trips. Honestly, it kind of sucks. But we're going to have to muddle through and do the best we can.

One of the things we're changing at ATYP to make this situation work for everyone is the way we run our blog. Instead of general thoughts about gifted topics, we (or I, Ms. Nan here) are going to talk very specifically about what you, our ATYP students and families, can be doing to stay socially, emotionally, and academically strong during this time. 

We're also going to use this blog to be in community with each other. To share ideas on how we're making it work, to support each other, and just to be together. One of ATYP's strengths over the years has been its ability to help you find friends and like-minded peers, and we're going to rely on that strength now. So I hope that you will not only read this blog but comment, make suggestions, and contribute in meaningful ways.

I'm going to start by talking about structuring your day while you're home. First, let's be clear - some people are good at being productive without any structure, and you may be one of those people. Most of us are not. I personally find that if I don't have a pretty firm plan for the day I don't accomplish very much. What should have been a day where I got things done turns into a day of games on my phone, watching YouTube videos of cats, and eating M & Ms by the handful. So the first thing you have to do is BE HONEST with yourself. Don't just tell yourself you're good with a free-flowing type of day, really think about it. Consult with the adults in your house. And then think about creating a plan.

 

Everyone's plan will be different. Some families have already created a daily schedule to help keep themselves sane. Here is a sample one I found from the Today Show. If your family has already adopted this schedule, and it's working for you, you can probably skip the rest of this post. If you're 100% sure you don't need a schedule, you can probably also ignore the rest. But for everyone else, let's think about what should be on the to-do list.

What do you need to do on any given day? We'll use my day as an example. I am working 20 hours per week at home, and I do that over four days, so I need to plan for at least five hours of work time four days per week. Since I am getting my masters degree, I also need to allow time for my online class (Thursday mornings) and homework. I have a long research paper due in the middle of April, so that is a significant chunk. I also have meals to cook, laundry to do, and a house to keep reasonably clean (luckily all of my children are adults and there are only two of us here to mess it up). I also need some time to exercise - definitely not burning many calories sitting at my computer and not having to walk over to Sangren Hall once or twice per day. And I have some projects I can now work on in my free time.

What do you need to think about when you set up a schedule? Do your parents need you to help watch younger siblings during the day? You might have to schedule your work time at night. Are there many people using all of your bandwidth at once? Maybe schedule reading/non-internet work while they're working, and do research, etc., at night when there are fewer people online. Are you better at your homework in the morning? In the afternoon? In the evening? How much time do you need for your homework? Do you want to have most of your homework done in time for Sunday help session so you can ask questions? When does your family eat together? When can you exercise? Really give it some thought.

Option 1

Here you'll see three different ways I set up my schedule that I think might work for me. In each example, the yellow blocks are work time, the red block is classroom time, the blue blocks are homework, the purple blocks are cooking and meals, and the green blocks are free time. My work time and classroom time are fairly set, but the rest I can play with.

In the first example, I have tried to do most of my homework in the afternoons (except for Saturday morning). My thought here is that then my husband and I will both be free in the evenings to do stuff together, and I can make it so I have at least one or two days when I don't do any homework at all. In the second example, I have split up my homework between

Option 2

afternoons and evenings, thinking I might like smaller blocks of time at homework so my brain can have a breather. And I still get days off. The third example has me spreading out the homework over the course of the whole week. I wouldn't get as many full days off, but I have to commit to fewer hours per day. Which one should I choose?

Option 3

These schedules are not perfect. I should have broken out my exercise time. I could have put in specific time for meditation or some other de-stressing activity. But you can see what I thought about as I moved things around. If my husband and I start driving each other crazy being at home together all day, I may have to make my free time during the day and do homework at night! And yes, it will need to be flexible - just because I created structure doesn't mean that things won't come up. For instance, this afternoon I am going to give blood, so no homework in its regular time slot. I will have to make it up at a different (previously free) time.

So all of you who are playing along - what does your schedule look like? You can draw one like mine, with lots of colors, or you can simply make a daily list, or come up with some other visual you would like to share, and then post pictures below. Maybe your schedule will help another student who is struggling to figure this all out. If you have questions or suggestions, you can also post them below. BE CREATIVE AND HAVE FUN!

Until next time!

Ms. Nan