First published in The Grey Collection by Oyemaja;
By The Oyemaja Foundation, a division of The Oyemaja Group.
The world as we know it is rapidly changing due to the recent rise of the novel COVID-19 that has hit the globe and there have been numerous attempts to contain the virus which has been declared by the World Health Organization as a ‘global pandemic’. One of which is the closure of shopping malls, restaurants, and educational institutions by government in countries all around the globe. While a number of people are at odds over the closure of schools, especially for children at elementary level, most agree that taking this precaution is essential for the safety of these children.
As a matter of necessity, parents have been compelled to learn how to school their children at home so that it does not feel like they have lost out on so much when they eventually resume school.
Here are a few tips we think would help in effectively homeschooling your kids:
1. Take the Pressure Off: You might be a businessperson, financial analyst, programmer, or any other profession. You should understand that while you can be great at your regular job, you might do horrible as a teacher especially during the first few days and THAT IS OKAY! You were not trained as an educator but your child’s teacher was and so it is expected that the teacher does better than you. It would be unwise for you to compare yourself to your child’s teacher and in the process feel like you are a complete failure for not doing as good. I am pretty sure if the teacher was asked to straighten up some data, he or she would know next to nothing. However, like almost every other thing, you can learn proper homeschooling tips and you can work on it. So while you should be particular about doing your best as your child needs this, you should not put so much pressure on yourself if you do not do great in the first few days.
2. Build a Routine: It is amazing that your child now gets to be home all day and so you might think that you can just randomly fix classes to teach whenever you are chanced. It is even more tempting to want to do this when you also have more responsibilities and have to work from home as well. However, this is not a good idea. There is a reason why schools have structures and timetables. Your child needs to understand that they are not on an extended holiday but rather still in school that is just in a different location. It might be a good idea to research and imitate the routine normally used at your child’s school but there is a need to also be flexible. After all, this is your child and you know what times he or she best assimilates. Check the progress and adjust the routine as necessary.
3. The Curriculum: The whole point of homeschooling your child would be missed if you end up teaching the wrong things. This is why it is of utmost importance that you read up what and how your child should be learning at this time. You need to find the homeschool curriculum that best fits your child. There are a couple of ways to go about this. First you could explore the school’s website for resources or contact your child’s teacher for guidance. While using these resources you should also take into consideration your child’s learning styles. If the child prefers pictorial representations to words, let your curriculum be mostly videos and pictures. If the child prefers to read in order learn, let your curriculum be book-based. Some children would rather prefer practical, you try to work with that as well by having toys or workbooks that will help your child the most.
Sometimes, life happens and we have to improvise like these times however it is important to always remember that you can choose to not allow circumstances affect your child’s learning. Education is dynamic not location based. Whether your child is at home or in school, he or she can still have access to quality education.
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