The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust moms and dads across the country and around the world into roles they might never have otherwise chosen: that of homeschool parents. Whether teaching their children directly or supervising school assignments in the absence of an outside classroom setting, more and more families are preparing to homeschool in some way during the 2020-2021 school year.
Certified teacher, author, conference speaker and education expert Erin Weidemann offers her top advice to parents who may be struggling with homeschool challenges in this episode of the Family Matters podcast series on Charisma News. “I think the biggest thing is just that that you don’t need to panic. This is a time to stay calm and understand,” says the creator of the “Heroic Homeschooler” six-week mentorship series, available at truthbecomesher.com/homeschool.
“Probably the best thing you could do early on in this journey is to just let go of your own preconceived notions for how the school day, the traditional school day, is supposed to go,” she tells host Marti Pieper. “Your job as their parent in this season is not to try to replicate their bell schedule, or all the different things that they’re used to doing. But really, I tell parents to just sit down with each of their kids and talk out what this season is going to look like and find out the way that your kids are going to work best with you.
“Remember, they’re not used to having you in this education role, necessarily. You’ve taught them many things over the course of their lives, but you sent them off to school to learn from somebody else,” Weidemann says. “So this is really a time to pull the reins back and get everybody into a meeting and just say, ‘OK, here’s what our family is facing. Let’s talk through it together.’ … You can really invite your kids into a conversation where you honor the way that they want to learn, that will help them think through the best way to get their work done. And just to work together as a team. I think that’s what it’s really all about.”
For these and more practical tips on how to confront the challenges of homeschooling with faith and not fear, whether for the short term or the long haul, listen to the entire podcast here. {eoa}
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