FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University’s Alumni Association is hosting weekly discussions on Facebook Live for parents, educators and administrators about successfully homeschooling children during this time of self-isolation.
Michael Alfano, dean of SHU’s Isabelle Farrington College of Education, moderates the talks with education professionals every Thursday at 11 a.m. on alumni’s Facebook page. Discussions will provide guidance and reassurance, as well as tips and strategies for educating children. This week’s chat features Albert Sackey, principal of Nathan Hale Middle School in Norwalk and Maureen Ruby, assistant superintendent in the Brookfield public schools.
Last week, Alfano hosted the first Facebook Live discussion, “We Are All Homeschooling Now,” with Fran Rabinowitz ’72, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, and Evelyn Russo, director of curriculum for Orange public schools. Both administrators answered questions from parents and educators who were looking for guidance about effectively teaching children at home.
Key takeaways from the talk:
- Develop a schedule and routine for children. Russo recommended setting up a place in the home that’s designated specifically for learning.
- Implement a buddy system. If there are older children in the household, let them help younger siblings with work, Russo said.
- Allow children to be independent learners and work on assignments on their own, Rabinowitz advised. “It’s important to let them struggle to find the answer,” she said.
- Have fun. Both administrators counseled parents to have the children use toys, watch educational TV shows and read books, saying these are all ways they can learn.
- Remember: “Perfect is the enemy of good,” Rabinowitz said throughout the chat. Teachers, students and parents are all in this together and learning as they go.
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 385 Colleges–2020 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 252 Business Schools–2019 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theater. www.sacredheart.edu