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As the coronavirus started to proliferate, schools immediately closed, shutting down facilities and moving classes online. This led to a lot of parents to play a new role – as a teacher.
With over 50,000 COVID-19 deaths in the United States, governments have implemented social distancing measures and stay-at-home guidelines. Some officials in the government have announced that schools will remain closed until spring, while others have already continued their summer classes online, anticipating the probability of remote instructions for the fall season. Amidst the pandemic, the necessity for children and adults to be educated at all levels persists.
Many families right now are assisting their kids’ homeschooling. With this, they must keep in touch with their current school. It is true, though, that not all schools are reasonably capable of providing remote learning, which may add to the challenges that parents are facing with their K-12 students. Also, some of these students do not have Internet access in their homes or to any electronic devices for homework.
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Bearing in mind the daunting situation that parents are now finding themselves in, they, along with some researchers, reached out to educators to better understand the different strategies to homeschool for the short and long terms.
Short-term Strategy
Educators agree that what students across the country are experiencing now is not the conventional homeschooling setup, and they would rather call it ‘schooling at home.’ Instead of abiding with the strategies created by parents, students are following the guidance from their corresponding schools via online learning, while lesson plans are brought home. But despite the guidance, managing the K-12 arena can be exasperating for parents. It does take a lot of patience, according to most parents that were interviewed about how they were doing and feeling about the whole thing. It is truly understandable, as they are not only parents, but they’ve also become substitute teachers.
Long-term Strategy
Parents who have been contemplating homeschooling after the pandemic has subsided must comprehend the tremendous commitment needed. In the first place, they must be willing to invest their time and effort, just as these are the virtues that you are asking from a private or public school teacher. What’s another important thing here? Organization.
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Josh, a student we will use as a sample, has a school schedule that starts at 6 AM, beginning with breakfast. He then starts his school with the math subject, with his mom concentrating on teaching the subject to him and his younger sister. His lessons would often get done by lunchtime. For supplementation, his parents enrolled him in activities like dancing and joining interesting clubs where he can interact with other students. Josh says that as long as his schoolwork and other classes are done, he can have the rest of the day all to himself.
This is a long-term approach for parents. Educators state that families must try to understand educational requirements and create a plan that encompasses several years of school. They also need to think about the outcomes and what they want their children to do after high school graduation. Parents should recognize their children’s strengths and weaknesses to encourage them to do better and pursue what they’re really best at.
Parents opt for homeschooling programs for several reasons. A study published last month revealed that in 2012, more than 90% of parents who homeschooled their children were anxious about the environment in terms of drugs, safety, or negative peer influence. Another 64% requested for more lessons on morals and religion. Other reasons had kids with disabilities or mental and emotional problems.
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These reasons reflect the unclear outcomes for homeschooling programs. It is possible, though opinions of both critics and the supporters are true. Some students do not succeed when they are homeschooled. Ultimately, the end game for providing their students with an effective and safe homeschool experience boils down to the parents’ commitment.
This huge transition in routine can take a massive toll on parents’ well-being, which online counseling apps like BetterHelp can address. They also have social media extensions, which both kids and parents can benefit from.
Homeschooling is also a job. If parents are willing to be the teacher and instructor, then they must make time to educate.