Dear parents that are homeschooling,
Going online has reminded me, as a secondary teacher, about what my job truly means. We know that you are not teachers and we know that you may not be able to do these things as we can, and we don’t expect you do. So here are some thoughts on how to manage.
It is our job as teachers to read a child’s face and know when they do not understand something. This is a skill that teachers instinctively have. We do not expect you to have this skill. When you and your child are engaging in online learning, you need to develop is a way of communicating constructively between the two of you when your child needs help. Have strategies in place for your child when they feel they are struggling.
It is our job as teachers to provide structure for 6 whole hours of the day. This is something that administration staff and teachers spend hours preparing, and you have not had the luxury of practice. When you and your child need to be working in the same place at the same time, model for them routine in your own work. That is the key to how we do things at school. Even if it just includes getting up at a normal time, eating breakfast, having a shower and then getting on to the work that needs to be done. This structure is familiar and will help bring calm into the home-school-work environment.
It is our job as teachers to teach children, even though many say that our job is to teach the curriculum. The curriculum is a complex set of documents that teachers spend way too much time fussing over. When your child is doing online learning, the teachers are no longer teaching children, we are teaching the curriculum through a computer. We do not expect you to teach your child, we are hoping that you are able to facilitate some type of learning at home. The child is the most important part of the process. If nothing else, teach your child about how to be a human.
It is our job as teachers to be present for our children for 6 hours a day. This is often a challenge for us when we have our own personal battles or are genuinely sick. When you and your child are engaging in online learning, please do not spend 6 hours a day doing this. It is not sustainable, you have your own life and job to do. We just ask that you allow the child to be exposed to some learning in this time and do the best you can. If you are not feeling well, please do not try and push it like teachers do when they are sick.
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