What does you pacing calendar look like?

What are we communicating to parents? I have encountered so many parents (family members included) who are stressed out trying to help their children complete all of the school work that is being assigned. Many parents are teaching their young children how to use the standard algorithm in grades K-3. The same standard algorithm many of us have been working hard to move kids away from.

Perhaps parents are teaching their kids how to add and subtract using the standard algorithm because they are most familiar with it, it’s efficient, and they are trying to quickly complete pages and pages of worksheets. This approach makes sense. When you have a lot to do, you often try to move through it as quickly as possible.

So what if, we didn’t assign tons and tons of math problems and math worksheets? What if we gave families 1, 2, 3, or 4 problems to work on a day or a week as opposed to the 5 pages or a day I have seen some students receive (yes, the lesson in the book is 5 pages long, but does that mean students should be at home completing it without trained professionals hand)?

What if we took these strange times to do something different i.e., slow down and allow for the learning to really sink in as opposed to pushing through the curriculum because of “the test”? There is no test this year. There is no need to rush. There is no need to move on because the pacing chart says so. This is the prime opportunity to move at the pace of your students. What do you know they need more time with? What do you know will benefit students the most? Now is your chance. Your parents and your students will appreciate it for years to come.