FAQ
How do we sign up?
Semester sign-up forms are distributed in select communities online. If you’ve heard about this class from a different source, please forward your Davidson Exchange email along with a request for a sign-up form to dyshomerooms (at) gmail.com.
We can’t make it work in our schedule five days a week. Can my student attend three or four days?
A three to four day option is offered on a consistent basis due to scheduling issues, but then the price becomes $11/class. Please reach out about any special concerns regarding your schedule.
If you are interested in a once a week Gifted Homeroom (not DYS specific), check out Michelle on Outschool.
I found out we can use funds from our charter school to pay for Outschool classes. I’ve seen you also teach on Outschool. If there was a way to get the charter to provide funds that would be great for us. Any ideas?
I’m sorry this class isn’t on Outschool to make that an easier process for you. While I also teach on Outschool, this is a private business.
I have had other DYS parents simply request a copy of my transcript and diploma. They also use my invoices (and possibly proof of my class structure from the blog) to obtain funds. Please contact the charter school to ask them about this option. I would imagine an educational entity is an educational entity and they wouldn’t only provide reimbursement to Outschool? I hope this works. Please let me know if you need anything specific from me.
How can I convince my child to get on board with “social-emotional learning?”
My child has said a few things like, “I don’t want to talk about my feelings or myself in front of strangers. I don’t want to have to share things about myself.” I think my child zeroed in on the “social-emotional” skill building part of the class description. While this is what they need more than anything, it’s also the last thing they want to have to deal with! Any recommendations on how I can convince them or bring them on board?
Your child is not the only one who has been reluctant about the social-emotional needs component in this class. As you stated, many parents request this, while the students who need it most seem to have the most energy for rejecting it. (By the way, the parent above who sent the sample question ended up having a student who LOVES this class and plans to come back next year.)
I find it helps to frame it as a learning opportunity connected to philosophy and psychology. For example, we talk about psychological theories (gifted psychology in-particular and how the gifted brain works). This often involves new vocabulary terms and exposure to fascinating facts/research. Under no circumstance is anyone pressured to share anything personal. Some students take the ideas further and journal about the topic of the week privately and a few even email me ideas or share their ideas with others, but it’s very casual. In addition, given the schedule with project sharing on Monday and games on Friday, these mini-lessons total to less than 45 minutes a week after the daily check-in. When it’s framed as “45 minutes to learn about the brain,” the social-emotional needs component often becomes less of a hang-up.
How intense is the project sharing on Monday? My student is afraid they will have nothing to share.
Concerning project-sharing, it is very flexible. Today, for instance, was a project sharing day. One student talked about a puzzle they built over spring break while another student talked about helping a friend build a game, and yet another provided a short video of a recent piano recital. One student even made a birthday cake for their dad and talked about the process. It's quite fun. Anyone without a project simply discussed classes they were taking or what they did over the weekend. We work on a spectrum, and we keep it low key with little pressure. I present question prompts as a guide. Of course, students are never expected to answer every single one of these questions. They simply serve as prompts to get conversations going between students.
Do you have other classes?
I have met with several DYS students for on-going private lessons. I've also facilitated small classes with two students. I love getting to know learners better through one-on-one interactions and partner classes!
Outside of the homerooms, I primarily provide:
Sometimes students request to meet with one other student to deepen a friendship, tackle a music project, write a book together, play games, etc. I strive to accommodate this in my schedule and facilitate scheduling with the other family. The price for this is $30 per 25-30 minute session as it requires significant overhead work, but it's excellent once we get a schedule in place and a sense of direction for a project.
I also teach a few other “one-time” group classes on Outschool related to creativity.
My DYS student is twice-exceptional. Reading over the policy, I am now wondering if they are going to be able to participate without interrupting. Have you had any kids on the spectrum in DYS Homeroom? Would it be better if we didn’t join because of this? OR would you rather we try it and if it doesn’t work out then leave the group?
I have had numerous situations where twice-exceptional students on the spectrum joined our homeroom. I fully welcome 2e students. Some of these situations went (and are still going!) incredibly well. One situation did become an area of concern. With a lot of communication, a parent decided after a month it was not a good fit. I’m completely willing to give it a try as long as your student demonstrates a general tendency to participate well in online classes. I have found what helps this situation is if the student is not left unattended, depending on how aggressive or misperceived their interruptions may be. Sometimes a parent nearby simply helps regulate the student’s behavior.
We normally live part-time in another country (but we are in the USA for the next several months). Because of the possibility of us leaving the group before the semester is over, do you want us to join OR would it be better to not start given we may not finish the semester? Also, are you open to us switching classrooms as we travel across the US and need the start time accommodated?
As long as the class numbers are stable overall, I am OK if you join and have to leave later in the semester due to travel. I prefer that any change to a new homeroom happens after the fall break or the spring break for a formal sense of introductions. I’m flexible and will communicate with you about your individual situation.
My student doesn’t actually have an email address yet but he probably needs one soon. What will it be used for?
Good question. It will certainly work if a student doesn’t have an email account this year. Last year, I sent a weekly summary of our class lesson to both parents and students via email, but this year I have the blog. Students would occasionally respond to me privately via email, but now they can leave a comment on the blog (as long as they are OK with everyone else seeing it). Otherwise, if they have an email account, they can always message me privately this year with any reactions to the week’s lesson.
What if Zoom has a worldwide outage?
If Zoom is down in a major outage, students have been instructed to watch their inbox/email for a Google Hangout invite. If your student doesn’t have an email, I will be sending the invite to you as a parent/caregiver. If class is unable to be coordinated in time, students are welcome to join other sessions meeting later in the day in order to have the mini-lesson (if their schedule allows).
Classes meet at:
- DYS Homeroom 1 (9:30am EST / 8:30am CST / 7:30am MST/ 6:30am PST)
- DYS Homeroom 2 (10:00am EST / 9:00am CST / 8:00am MST/ 7:00am PST)
- DYS Homeroom 3 (11:00am EST / 10:00am CST / 9:00am MST / 8:00am PST)
- DYS Homeroom 4 (11:30am EST / 10:30am CST / 9:30am MST / 8:30am PST)
- DYS Homeroom 5 (12:00am EST / 11:00am CST/ 10:00am MST / 9:00am PST)
What Zoom tools should my student know how to use?
While class can certainly be held in an enjoyable manner without the following tools, students have enjoyed increasing their level of participation with:
Chat/Reactions/Annotation/Screen-Sharing
Please feel free to practice using these tools with your student outside of class to make sure they are not focused on figuring out the technology during our sessions.
For all other questions, please take a close look at the classroom policy.
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