You might be like me, constantly searching online for keywords like “community updates”, “engaging with students online”, or “how to stay sane while working from home.” Working from home under our current conditions is a new and often uncomfortable reality. Add to that, many others are working from home, most of the students we serve are staying home, and the families we serve are struggling through this time. Given all of this, finding the right resources online can be daunting. There is an abundance of online help-guides, tools, and resources that were built for the education community and navigating those can be time-consuming and, at times, frustrating.

You may have taken a look at our resource page – a guide meant to help navigate these changes – and weren’t sure where to start. There are so many tools at our fingertips that it can be hard to choose one. It’s like standing in a grocery store and trying to pick body wash (I personally smell each one   and 20 minutes later, I get the same one I got last time  ). 

This blog is to help you find a starting point. In this blog post, I’ll select a handful of resources and explain a little about how they might help you and those with whom you work.

For your families
The communities we work in are more challenged than ever. I’m saying this on a very personal note – I was a GEAR UP student and grew up in a place where internet is still a luxury that many can’t afford.

Helping families find the community resources they need to support their children can be tough when most places are locked down. However, there are ways to find internet and computers in your area. Even if you aren’t able to help families access the resources, you can at least call to check in and see what they need. GEAR UP 4 LA provided a bilingual (English & Spanish) call script here (1 & 2) and even more resources and advice were posted in Betty Paugh Ortiz‍'s blog last week. If this is a focus for you, I recommend starting with these resources.

For your students
The majority of links on our resource page are meant for students or teachers and include direct learning or curriculum-building tools. There are a lot, so you might want to start at the top of the page, where there is a list of what other GEAR UP programs are using.

If you scroll down further, there are quite a few online resources that are great for direct student learning. One great resource, Brain Pop, teaches students about the Coronavirus (along with other health & SEL topics) in a virtual interactive environment. For students who can download reading materials at home, Libby is also great option; with just a library card, a student can download books and other online resources to learn. NCCEP’s Career & College Clubs also has four activities that have been adapted for individual students – you can access those for free. Check out Kelly Pappas‍'s blog for more insights about engaging students online with a focus on the why and what of your interactions.

For those of you working with seniors, there are College Access and Readiness resources that you can access to stay up to date on what is being offered by other organizations. Places like NACAC will keep you updated on college admissions policies, which are constantly shifting with our changing reality. To help your students, particularly seniors, check in on these resources regularly. Another great starting point is April Bell‍'s blog on working with seniors – it’s a comprehensive overview of resources at your fingertips.

For your team
Let’s talk about two tools for teamwork. The first is Zoom. Many of you might be used to seeing your team face-to-face every day, and Zoom is a great platform to keep doing just that. They have great resources during this challenging time and can help you continue to feel connected to your team. This is a something we regularly use as an NCCEP team and our calls feel more engaging (bonus: you can keep your pajama pants on, as people will only see your presentable shirt and messy bun).

The second tool is to help keep the team organized. One resource is Slack, if you don’t already have a tool you use to stay organized (we regularly use Office 365 features like Teams, SharePoint, and our shared calendars). The point is to have a tool and use it. It can be easy to lose touch when you don’t have regular face-to-face check ins, so having a place where you can keep track of each other’s work and leave brief messages will help you keep stay up-to-pace with team projects and workloads. For more tips on working from home with your team, you can see Lauren Carlson‍'s blog post.

Just for you
Madeline Mason, a fellow educator, created a ten-day Teacher Wellness & Mindfulness video series on YouTube that guides you through ten days of mindfulness. For ten minutes each day, she talks through a mindful check-in to keep you centered as you enter your day. While you might feel that you can’t spare ten minutes in an action-packed day at home (especially if you have a lot going on in your house), this practice could prove to keep you focused, calm, and could be something that you continue even after you head back to the office!

If you have time for self-paced learning, you can also check out NCCEP’s Study Lab. These courses were built specifically for you, as a GEAR UP professional, and focus on the knowledge and abilities you need to be successful in your role. 

Regardless of what you choose for you, make sure you take that time for your own well-being. You may have read Betty Paugh Ortiz‍'s blog post in which she mentions that she often puts others’ needs before her own – something that many of us can absolutely relate to, particularly right now. But don’t forget that it’s a lot harder to help others if you aren’t healthy.

In conclusion…
There is no one answer when it comes to picking a resource (or a work-from-home-style, for that matter). The key is to test a few things out and see what is best for you as an individual and what is best for the people with whom you work.

So, explore the resources, ask others what they’re doing, follow us on Twitter and Instagram for tips and tricks, and keep an eye on our blog series (hint: you can get email updates when new blog posts go up by clicking the “Follow” button next to “About this channel” in the gray box on the right-side of your screen   ). 

Lastly, stay healthy, reach out to those you care about and who care about you, and stay strong in the knowledge that we will get through this. Together.