How can I Make Sure That my Child Will Stay Current With Their Work During Virtual Distance Learning?

Schools have been closed all around the country until the end of the school year in June because of COVID-19 and the shut in mandates. 

This has created challenges for students, and parents, that were unanticipated and unprecedented. Parents and students are now feeling the pressure to cope with and to adapt to home based virtual learning.

In my tutoring practice I am getting feedback that many students are struggling to adjust to this instructional style and presentation and it is difficult, in many cases, for parents to become de-facto teachers so they can help their children.

For parents, here are strategies for helping children focused and productive so they will be successful and avoid falling behind with the curriculum.

Keeping Your Child on Schedule With Their Schoolwork

Typically, when some extenuating circumstance has forced local schools to close, most people go into a ‘snow day’ mentality. Where students, parents and teachers treat it as if it were just a regular day off from school. For many, the first week of quarantine was thought of as an extended snow day, a vacation of sorts, as we all became more aware of the severity of the situation, everyone had to accept the new 'normal' and focus on doing what we all need to do to maintain personal success. Click here to set up a personalized learning plan for your family.

Negotiated a Schedule 

First, create a schedule. Encourage your children to have an active role in deciding what hours of the day they will be working. This will give them a greater feeling of control and 'buy in'. When is 'school in' and 'school out'? When is 'recess'? When is lunch time? More importantly, once you have a schedule worked out, make sure you stick to it so they don’t fall out of habit.

Keep Them Social

Next, kids work best in social environments. Being with friends helps encourage them to focus, stay on task, and keep up with the curriculum. Therefore, try to encourage them to get in touch with their friends over the internet and, when appropriate, work on assignments together and encourage group study.  

Make Time For Leisure

Children to do associate their homes with school. They consider home as the place where they can unwind so having to complete all of their schoolwork at home will likely feel odd to them. At times, let them have enough fun so that they don’t feel imprisoned in their own homes. You should not put education on the back burner, but when planning the schedule be sure to allow time for snacks, exercise, playtime, electronics and TV (in other words - their usual day at home).

 How to Help Them Rebound if They Fall Behind

Be sure to keep up with school work and do not allow your child to fall behind. When a child has numerous outstanding / late assignments it creates a stressful situation. It also requires extra time and effort to catch up and get par. This is also way having a daily routine / schedule and following the schedule are so important.

Contact Their Teachers

Communicate with teachers by email or other channel. Let them know if your child is not doing well, or is struggling to stay pace with the assignments, or if they are challenged to learn by the online instructional style. You can ask if their teacher(s) can offer an extension on due dates, one-on-one lessons, clarifications on the curriculum, or any additional resources that might be useful. More often teachers are will help when you reach out and ask because they will try to do what they can to help their students succeed.

Get Them Organized 

What do your notebooks look like? Can you find all the papers you need when you need them? This is a good time to get organized and to create a system moving forward. Be sure that you have a system of managing the work that you need to do.  I recommend the Maximum Education system which I have taught to thousands of students. 

It’s chaotic these days and it may stay this way for some time. It is a huge adjustment for students. Home based education is something that children and parents was unexpected and sudden and something everyone was not prepared for. The transition may be difficult but is facilitated by having a consistent plan and working that plan every day. With the right strategy and a little cooperation between children and their parents everyone can succeed so Click here to set up a personalized learning plan for your family.