As there are no indicators that the Covid-19 situation gets significantly better in the nearest months, parents have to continue adapting their kids’ education to a new reality.
Adjusting to homeschooling is a multi-construct process — one cannot approach it from one side only.
Here is a brief and concise guide on adjusting to homeschooling during Covid-19:
Common Mistakes in Adjusting to Homeschooling to Avoid
It is logical to start with the most common mistakes, as even simply avoiding them, you will already receive some results.
They say that you have to minimize hazards first, and later introduce improvements.
So, it is exactly what you should do — check if you make any of these mistakes, and only later move to our “how-to” list.
Waking Up Much Later
Though it is a great pleasure to sleep in a little longer, the keyword should remain “a little.”
The idea is simple — no matter the chronotype, it is better not to change waking hours dramatically. The maximum desirable change — from 30 to 40 minutes.
This way, the brain will relax a little, but at the same time, the habit created earlier won’t be ruined.
Homeschooling is not forever, and you don’t want to lose important patterns created in years.
Having More Snacks Than Usual
You know this. Staying at home means willing to snack all the time, with more or less healthy food. It can be an apple, chips, a bowl of cereal, left-over pizza.
Even if you only snack with healthy greens, it won’t work. You need to give your body time to process food and forget about it, focusing solely on cognitive function.
While, when exhausted, the brain wants something sweet, it doesn’t mean you need to send it on a carbohydrates rollercoaster.
Having Long Breaks After a Heavy Lunch
While it is completely normal to rest for some time after lunch, many students and professionals note that it is hard to estimate time properly, and they can use up to 2 hours of productive work.
The solution consists of two parts — not having a heavy meal for lunch and not lying in bed after it.
How to Make Adjustments to Homeschooling Easier
1. Make a Schedule for Every Day
When you go to school or college, or your kid goes there, overall scheduling is done by someone else. Someone else decides when and which lessons will start, when breaks will finish and when it is time to do some physical activities.
When it comes to homeschooling, the boundaries begin to fade, and it affects academic progress. You have to have a general schedule and everyday schedule based on it.
For example, in the general schedule, you plan “windows” — from 9 am to 11 am this, from 11.30 to 13.30 that. Lunch at 13.30.
This schedule should be fixed for all workdays, and it should not be compromised “just because.”
When you have it, start planning specific days.
If you have online classes — write them in, if you know which homework exactly you need to finish tomorrow — add it to the plan. This way, you feel predefined slots with new information and stay on track.
2. Plan Realistically
If you think we are done with planning, you don’t understand how meaningful it is in terms of adjusting to homeschooling. You have to learn or teach your kid how to plan activities realistically.
The key problem is, when you plan the day, you need to leave “blank” periods for emergencies and events you cannot predict now.
If you know that research for an essay will realistically take two hours, you need to plan at least three.
Otherwise, someone will call, someone will send you a link to funny kittens, you will get stuck in social media, and your “tight” plan will be ruined.
3. Ask for Help When Necessary
It is quite obvious that students receive much less help from teachers during Covid-19. Schools and colleges do their best to make this situation better, but it is not that easy.
That is why you need to look for alternative sources of academic assistance along professional services which provide custom essays written from scratch.
Only you decide in which form you later use the ordered essay, but it is a great way to see in detail how to approach a specific topic, where to look for relevant sources, and how to structure the paper according to the professor’s requirements.
4. Create a Supporting Atmosphere
While it may seem that homeschooling makes students’ life easier, it also brings stress, anxiety, the necessity to plan everything, and new challenges to discipline and will power.
You should be ready that it won’t go smoothly and plan different distracting and calming activities in advance.
Of course, you cannot predict every bump in this way, but you can be psychologically ready for them. It is necessary, as your reactions should not make things worse.
We can’t promise that the Covid-19 situation clears soon, or that in a week or two, homeschooling will feel even remotely natural, but if you employ at least some of these tips, you will get there faster and with less stress.