COVID-19 has impacted almost every aspect of our lives, including school for children as young as preschool to our adult college kids At the end of the last school year, all students were forced to finish virtually for the protection of everyone. For a lot of families that sudden change was difficult to get through, but they made it work. Parents were able to stay home more with their kids because their jobs were switched to telecommuting themselves or they were temporarily laid off. The new school year has a lot of parents concerned. Education is extremely important for your child, and by law, they have to have it, but so is their health. What are some of the options that are being looked into for this new school year starting in just a few short weeks?
What kind of schooling is there?
- Traditional schooling is where the student goes to a school where teachers, teacher’s aides, and other staff members teach and guide the students through their education. Typically, the student is at this institute around 7 to 8 hours a day depending on the age for 5 days a week.
- Homeschooling is where the student stays home to learn the curriculum. They can be in a similar situation with traditional schooling where they are learning and working on assignments for 7 to 8 hours a day with a teacher. The main difference is that they are at home and they are having video chats with the teacher and the rest of the class. Another form is that the parent is helping teach the child the curriculum at their own pace. It can be a more relaxed setting for the child and the parent.
- Hybrid schooling is a combination of the two. For a couple of days a week, the child is attending school in the traditional style, while the rest of the week, school is conducted at home.
How is school going to change for the upcoming year?
Many school districts are still up in the air about what they want to do. Some are switching to strictly homeschooling students while others are looking at more of a hybrid solution. The biggest issue educators are going to run into is that students must maintain the CDC guidelines of staying six feet apart and wearing their masks throughout the school day.
It comes down to the age of the student as well. The older students understand and can maintain their education at home whether they are switching to homeschooling or the hybrid schedule. Younger students who are Elementary age are at risk of falling behind if they get switched. At that age sometimes their attention span isn’t the best and they could get easily distracted at home. The other issue school districts understand is Elementary students are not old enough to be left home alone if they’re being homeschooled or hybrid schooled. Parents who have returned to work will have to make arrangements with their jobs or hiring a babysitter to look after their children.
At this point, everyone is just trying to work together for the good of the student and parent alike. It’s going to be a brand new way of schooling, but no matter what we will all get through it.
