Cultivate… HOPE During Distance Learning for Working Parents

We know that working families are experiencing some challenging times right now and we hope that our posts may become useful to families who are trying to plan for the school year. But the big question is: how can we make working from home and virtual school work? We understand that many working families are still figuring out how to juggle both their job responsibilities and also their kids’ distance learning plans but to have a successful school and work balance, it’ll require some patience and flexibility.

So how do we tackle the situation to ensure that our families are successful at their jobs and schools? Here are a few ideas from an article written by Peggy Barnholt from the Connections Academy:

• Plan your child’s learning schedule around your work schedule and designate your working hours for independent school activities (ex. reading) that your child can do by themselves.
• Utilize to-do lists and include clear instructions for the times you are working and to make sure all school/work assignments are completed.
• Utilize planning tools such as a calendar or an agenda to help integrate your family activities/work assignments with your students lesson plan. Pro-tip – If your child is old enough, get him or her their own planner so that they can practice managing the planner early!
• Be flexible. We understand not many families have flexibility with their jobs. Evenings and weekends are usually the best time to dedicate to help your child with their school assignments.
• Take advantage of teachers’ and peers’ support. If your child’s teacher offers one-on-one sessions, take advantage of this resource and encourage your child to contact their teach for additional assistance with their school assignments. School discussion boards, real-time classroom conversations and email communication may also be offered by the teacher for students to interact with each other. Encourage your child to also reach out to their peers for additional support with school assignments.

For more information, visit https://www.connectionsacademy.com/support/resources/article/virtual-school-and-working-parents-ways-to-make-it-work.