Tips from a Private Irvine Tutor: Surviving Sick Days
At some point, every student will need to take a sick day. Once the flu starts to go around the school, it seems like no child is immune. However, students have to worry about more than just their health when it comes to dealing with cold and flu season. Once they get back to the classroom, they have to deal with all the make-up work waiting for them – a private Irvine tutor will help you catch up on your schoolwork. This can be a challenge for a kid who is getting over feeling under the weather, but it’s essential that they’re able to keep up, so the rest of the year is low stress and academically productive. So, if a student is going to be out for more than a day or so what should they do to survive their sick days?
1. Ask the teacher
The first thing students should do is keep in consistent communication with their teacher. Older students will be able to do this on their own while younger kids may need help from a parent. In many cases, a teacher can modify an assignment for a student so they’ll still get the benefit of reaching the learning objective. Alternately, the teacher can send homework so students who are well enough can do it at home. Additionally, keeping in touch with the teacher means that students and parents will know of any last minute changes occurring in the classroom. Perhaps the science project has been delayed but the math test is being pushed up to an earlier date, for instance.
2. Keep up with reading
Whether a student is assigned a chapter book or they need to read sections of their textbook, it’s really important to keep up with reading assignments at home. When kids get too far behind in their reading comprehension, it can become overwhelming or even impossible to get caught up. Reading one chapter a night isn’t so bad but trying to read eight or nine chapters can be way too much. If kids are well enough, they can read their novel or textbook from the comfort of home and write down any questions they have about characters, plot points, new concepts, or vocabulary.
3. Discuss priorities
If a student is out sick, they may not be able to finish everything that was assigned at school. If this is the case, it’s important to discuss priorities with the classroom teacher. Some assignments are meant to help kids learn how to study or help them with an overall topic. Alternately, some assignments are essential building blocks of learning for the entire year. If students have to pick and choose what they’re going to make up in a timely manner, they should make sure they’re spending their energy in the right place.
4. Lots of rest
The most important thing for a student to do when they’re sick is to make sure they get a ton of rest and sleep. The more a person rests when they’re not feeling well; the more likely they are to be able to recover efficiently so their health is back to normal and they can get back to attending school. Of course, getting a ton of rest can come into conflict with studying so it may be necessary to make accommodations for assignments. Pretty much everything will seem easier once the student is well rested and feeling like them again.
5. Making modifications
It’s possible to modify an assignment so a student feeling under the weather can still get the educational benefit with a smaller energy output. For example, instead of reading a book the traditional way the student can listen to an audio download while resting on the couch. Students may be able to review familiar concepts when they’re not feeling well but may need to save newer concepts for later on. A teacher or tutor will probably have some great ideas as to which assignments can be modified and which need to be completed as is.
Had to take time off due to an illness? Catch up on your schoolwork with the help of a private Irvine academic tutor from TutorNerds.