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It’s a Balancing Act: Virtual Learning Tips for Parents

by | Managing Life Transitions, Uncategorized

woman in pink shirt sitting by the table while smiling

In these unprecedented times, COVID-19 has provided the opportunity for all of us to reevaluate how
we live. In doing so, families have had to make important decisions to adjust, manage, and restructure
both their family lives as well as their work environments. Many parents find that they also need to be
a virtual learning support coach in order to help their children stay engaged while learning from home.
So, how exactly do parents balance work and virtual learning?

Childcare can be a very costly, stressful, and frankly scary thing to navigate when parents have to work
during a pandemic. A few ideas to consider

  1. Small groups of parents and/or families could create community learning circles (using safe
    distancing guidelines), to help share the burden of childcare.
  2. Parent(s) could check into the Family Leave options at their job, and if doable arrange to take
    some time off to care for the kids.
  3. A last resort would be for a parent to extend their leave or quit their job altogether. Only if
    you can afford to do so.

Here are a few Dos and Don’ts for parents to help ensure your child’s virtual learning success:

DO

  • Establish a daily routine: Eat Healthily, Drink Plenty of Water, Exercise, and Get 7-8 Hours of
  • Restorative Sleep.
  • Provide a quiet learning space in the house with limited distractions and background noises.
  • Ensure your student is on time to virtual school!
  • Make sure that your child dresses appropriately for virtual school.
  • Communicate with the teacher(s) in advance to get the details of the information and resources
  • your child will need for each class, including homework.
  • Be sure to review the virtual learning etiquette guidelines, provided by the school, with your
  • child(ren).
  • Express high expectations and standards for your child’s learning.
  • Encourage your student to participate in extra-curricular activities, if available.


DON’T

  • Don’t interrupt the virtual learning sessions. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to the teacher via email. (Remember: This is a special time for students to meet with their teachers and classmates, so it is vital that the adults at home be quiet observers.)

We know that this pandemic won’t last forever. In the meantime, parents are challenged with the task
to be a virtual learning coach while their kids learn from home. But, with help from school districts, the community, and employers, parents will be able to balance work and virtual learning.