Homeschooling one’s own kids is a challenging endeavor that not everybody can take on. However, the school closures amidst the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns have left many parents no choice but to become teachers to their children for the first time.
And if that’s not a hard enough situation already, some working parents are finding themselves spread out too thin as their responsibilities further multiply. Those who have taken up this challenge will benefit greatly from following the following techniques to ensure a productive and educational quarantine for their kids.
Set Clear Goals
Of course, it makes sense to start a project, like homeschooling with some sort of plan. After all, it may take a couple more months before things come back to how they were before the pandemic hit.
It’s important that parents have some sense of direction when it comes to how they want their kids’ home study experience to go. Erin Aldrich Miller, a mom who has homeschooled before, advises her fellow parents to always keep the end goal in mind.
Luckily, this doesn’t necessarily entail mapping out a full education plan. Having a few key words to work with would suffice as guidance.
Don’t Overplan & Overmanage
While having a plan is encouraged, this doesn’t mean that one should run their household turned temporary school with the same rigidity as regular schools. Refrain from setting a strict and set schedule, especially without input from the kids.
It’s advisable for parents to be flexible. For example, they can let their older children come up with their own daily learning schedule.
Homeschooling mother Victoria Lazar-Breault had success using this technique wherein she also asked for her child’s feedback on the routine they came up with. After a couple of weeks, she and her student figured out what kind of setup works for them.
Group Effort
Similar to raising their kids, parents can get plenty of help from their family and friends when it comes to continuing their education at home. Since social distancing is the norm for the foreseeable future, first time homeschooling parents can utilize modern technology to get support from their loved ones.
For example, try a mystery reader event and invite people to talk using a telecommuting platform like Zoom. Just remember to call them ahead of time to see when they’d be available for a short storytime session with the kids.
