Back to School with Distance Learning

Virtual learning sucks.  Now that we’ve got that out of the way it is the reality for millions of kids right now.  How can you make it a little less painless?  Well, you’ve got to have just enough organization in your life so that you won’t go crazy. What you won’t find with my system is perfection. What you will find is how you can make digital learning easier with just a little bit of planning beforehand. This is what I do to simultaneously make working from home and digital learning a little less painful.  

Step 1

How do I get online?  Relax?  To make life easier, I give step by step instructions and print them out.  I include screenshots of the sign-in page and their username/password.  The instructions are included in their learning caddies.  

Step 2

Classroom Caddy

Compartments to hold education items.

Space is at a premium at our home.  With that being understood, everything has to be portable and easy to store.  Keeping all of that in mind, I bought these classroom caddies.  I let my kids choose their color theme for the year.  Not so much so that it would look cute, but it will help them stay organized (without the arguments).  I coordinated the colors with all the school required folders, notebooks, and such.  Now they know whose stuff belongs to whom. 

Step 3

It’s annoying but I sign up for any alerts that notify me about assignments that my kids need to turn-in.  I hold both of my kids accountable for doing their work.  Therefore, since they are only in third grade, they might not know what needs to be turned-in and graded.

Step 4 

It’s five o’clock somewhere.

Wine.  Yes, wine, lots, and lots of wine.  Although, I save the wine for the weekend.  

These are my tips for getting through the virtual school year.  What are yours?  Make sure you share them below in the chat.  Make sure you are tuned into The Teacher Ces Podcast!  Click here to listen:  https://teacherces.libsyn.com/

 

Tips for the Side Hustling Entrepreneurs

Image of male entrepreneur walking on the road while carrying suitcase

We are all given the same twenty-four hours in one day.  If you ever found yourself saying that in a perfect world you would be a full-time entrepreneur, you are not alone.  Truthfully, I enjoy my full-time job yet I also find it fulfilling to work for myself as well.  Here’s another truth bomb, my full-time position offers great benefits so at this point in time I do not wish to leave my full-time job.

That being shared, I simply don’t have the time or know how to fulfill everything that I want to get done.  I have admitted to myself that DIY is a bad idea when it comes to building your website and brand.  I have bit the bullet and have become an advocate of hiring people to outsource the technical side of my entrepreneurial endeavors.

In the past, I would watch YouTube tutorials and try to emulate what I saw.  I have no IT background, so the result was usually, for a lack of a better word, a hot mess.  Fast forward to today.  I have a full-time job, husband, kids, and household to maintain.  So, I do not have the time nor the patients to work on something that will not get me the desired results.

I proudly admit to outsourcing.  I think that outsourcing should not be a dirty little secret.  I currently use onlinejobs.ph but in the past I have used Upwork, Fiveer, and (here’s a secret) eBay.  Yes, you can outsource on eBay too.  I will say that eBay isn’t as well known as the other websites listed so tread with caution, but it can be done.

What are some great outsourcing websites that are missing here?  Subscribe and comment below.

How to run a blog, business, raise a family, cook dinner, wash clothes, get plenty of exercise, and work full time in a 24 hour day!

Business people taking care of baby in office

This title is BS because I CAN’T DO ALL THIS IN A WEEK, MUCH LESS 24 HOURS.  What I can ask you to do is follow my blog if you are not doing so already.  It is appreciated as my colleagues who ignored the stain on my sweater all day when I spilled coffee in the car and didn’t have a clean shirt to change into.  Plus I have big plans for this page.  It would be a shame if you miss out on something cool.

Teacher Ces