Many industries and sectors were affected when the pandemic emerged. One of the sectors that have taken a significant blow is education. 

Because face-to-face classes are prohibited, and quarantine protocols are in place, many parents were forced to continue their child’s education through homeschooling. 

Homeschooling is very different from going to school or university, which sets some unease in both the students and the parents. With that said, here are the things you should know about homeschooling during this time of the pandemic.

1. The first thing that you should know is that despite being in a different environment and having a different methodology for learning, homeschooling is not bad for your child’s education. 

Sure there may be many benefits to going to school or the university. Still, homeschooling covers pretty much all of the basics. 

Many universities have adopted homeschooling, and they have seen promising results. Despite being at home, homeschooling still promotes good learning.

2. It is essential to understand that learning in a classroom and learning at home is very different. For one, being in the company of fellow peers improves social skills. One of the critical mistakes parents make is that they try to emulate methods done in the classroom. It is way better to create a personalized lesson plan tailored specifically to your kid’s strengths and weaknesses.

3. Another critical thing to note and something parents often mess up is the amount of time spent in homeschooling. Ideally, the session should only last about 3-4 hours. 

Some parents make the mistake of making their child study for the same amount of time as in a classroom. It is essential to understand that at school, the methods are catered to managing several students. This means that the actual learning time is not shorter than the amount of time your child is at school. In homeschooling, you only need to manage your child or children, in some cases. 

The learning periods are much more condensed since almost little to no time is spent on logistics or managing. 

Homeschooling Plan

Now that you already know the essentials of homeschooling and how it differs from learning in a classroom, it is now time to make a homeschooling plan.

First, pick a schedule that works best for you and your child. You can choose any 3-hour timeframe that works best for your schedule. You can do it as a 3-hour straight session, or you can split them into different periods during the day.

It is easy to get distracted at home with so many possible distractions such as TV, the internet, other siblings, etc. To counter this, you need to set some ground rules. Your child should be well aware of what is allowed during study time and what isn’t allowed. This way, you can separate your child’s learning time from their playing time or leisure time. 

Set the subjects to your child’s strengths and weaknesses. You know your child well, so you should have no trouble making your child’s lesson plan. You can spend more time on a subject your child is not so good at to make up for lagging lessons, and you can lessen the time spent on a topic your child quickly catches on to. 

The best thing about homeschooling is its flexibility. You should take advantage of this. Despite not being in school, homeschooling does not compromise learning if done the right way.