According to Education Week, at least 104,000 public and private schools in America are closed now. With at least 47.9 million school students staying at home, parents find themselves struggling to cope with 24/7 on-duty challenges.
Experts suggest defining routines and schedules that work for the whole family. This research claims that children benefit greatly from consistent routines that give a sense of security and stability.
After the California Governor ordered nearly 40 million residents to stay at home today, a challenging period has started for many families. “Many are working from home, those in critical functions who still commute to work will practice social distancing measures at their work, and sadly, many have lost jobs,” said Whitehead in an interview with Bored Panda.
Whitehead believes that it’s quite a change for many to spend so much additional time in close quarters with their children and significant other(s). “One approach is to meet our loved ones where they are, in terms of supporting their needs for alone time, group games and activities, and digital and on-line play, for example.” But the director of Homeschool Association assured us that “there is no one-size-fits-all solution.”
It’s important to understand that there’s no one right way for a family to homeschool. Whitehead suggests “checking in with themselves and their families to informally or formally find out what everyone needs and wants and then crawl, walk, run, fly to approaches that work for the entire family.” But if something doesn’t work, try the next big thing.
Most importantly, remember that we are not alone. “We all belong to larger networks of families working through the same problems and challenges.” Whitehead explains: “Our biggest resource is each other, and we can reach out to our neighbors, friends, clubs, churches, synagogues, mosques, elected officials and other resources on-line and by phone.”
