Classes in Orlando, and the rest of Orange County, Florida, are still on alert for COVID-19 cases, with some reopening while others keeping students home via remote learning. If you’re worried or stressed, you’re not alone. Having kids taking their classes from home can be hectic and bothersome. For one, you might not be a trained teacher, so chances are you might not know how to blend home and schooling, and two, there's going to be quite some cleaning to do. As you already know, kids can be messy.
But all is not lost. Like many informed parents, there are strategies that you can take to make the experience worth the time and effort. The following remote learning tips for parents will help you help your kids make the best of their homeschooling this fall.Â
Know the difference between homeschooling and distance learning
You need to familiarize yourself with the difference between homeschooling and distance learning. When it comes to homeschooling, it’s all about overseeing your kids' education. In distance learning, parents take a back seat and let the educators who oversee the learning process remotely.
Unlike homeschooling, with remote learning, you have to adhere to a strict eight to three o'clock schedule with a lunch break in-between. Try and come up with schedules at work or talk to your kids’ teachers so they can be with your kids helping them out with classes. This isn’t much of a problem with older students, like middle-school children or older, but it’s something to take in mind with elementary students or younger.Â
Familiarize yourself with the curriculum
Classes at home still require a lot of preparation, hard work, and time. It’s almost like you transfer the school to home. Although there will be teachers to guide both you and your children, there’s no way you won’t be asked to help out in some way with the curriculum. Unless you want to look and sound awkward to your student-kids, you have no option other than to get familiar with the curriculum of your kid’s academic grade. Don’t be scared though. Schools and teachers are still going to have to be in charge, mostly, virtually.Â
Carry out some curriculum-based research and go through the content in advance just so you can help out younger students any time a question comes up.Â
Get the basics of how to teach.
If you are not a trained educator, brush up on the basics. Being a parent and helping with schoolwork is not the same. Set boundaries on your kids and one way to do that is to act as a teacher a bit and insist on completing goals and paying attention (although don’t be strict. Kids are having a rough time with the pandemic as well). Also, don’t confuse teaching with telling or informing. While basic teaching skills will not transform you to teach like a pro, it will ensure you are at least doing things the right way.
Work towards your independence
If you have kids of different ages, you can train and allow the older ones to do their assignments by themselves without you having to supervise them constantly. This will free you to focus on the younger kids in the family.Â
Giving your kids that measure of freedom also gives them some control over what they learn and how they learn it. This way, the knowledge and skills they acquire make more sense to them.Â
Create a clean and conducive learning environment
Your kids need a conducive and clean environment to study. Ensure the study environment is free from clutter and distractions. Most importantly, it should be well ventilated and always sanitized. These measures will go a long way in not just making the environment learner-friendly but also help in keeping pathogens and viruses at bay.
How to have a Clean and Safe Home School Environment
Having a clean and safe environment amid the other preparations that you have to make can be a challenge both in time and effort. The good thing is that there's help you can turn to when it comes to residential cleaning. Get the services of credible and reliable and professional cleaning services with eMaids.
