17 tips for Helping Your Child with eLearning

 eLearning is back or here to stay for so many families.  It is hard, it can be frustrating, and sometimes it can be the least of your worries.  Teachers and parents are all asking one thing: how do we make this work?   Sadly I do not have a magic wand, but I do have 12 years experience in virtual education and I am now at school where we are in the heart of eLearning. 

​Virtual education is very different than eLearning in many ways (online school programs, resources sent to homes for families, everyone has the tools they need, platforms designed for parents to the teacher, and so much more), but the tips for success cross over between both.  

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Here is my list of tips for helping your child navigate eLearning.

1. Find a schedule.  Routines are just as important with eLearning as they are at school.   You don't need to be rigid about following your schedule, but more you can stick to one the smoother your days will flow.
2. Create a learning space.  Find a designated routine for getting started with learning at home.  It can be hard for students (especially younger students) to understand that they have to behave differently at home during school time.
3. Get dressed.  Your students do not have to be fancy and this might be an unpopular opinion, but I don't care if they're rocking their jammies or the same outfit as yesterday, but make sure they're covered.  Boy moms, I'm looking at you.  Shirts required.
4. Don't transform your home.  You don't have to turn your home into a classroom for your student to learn.  Work with what you've got.  I personally bought a science fair board to put out for my son.  I printed some posters, printed his logins for dad, and that's how we turned on school time at home.  Once it was up the rules changed!
5. Talk about it.  You know your kid best, if he or she needs clear rules for learning time, make some together. If you just need to have a quick talk about expectations, do that!
6. Communicate with your teacher. We are here and we want to help.  I always tell my families to contact me before they reach their frustration point--I might have the answer at my finger tips or know just who to contact. I would rather families contact me often than wait until everyone is upset.  
7. Communicate with your teacher more.  Missing a class? Send a quick message. It doesn't have to be miles of excuses, just something simple: We can't make it. How can we make it up?
8. Ask for help. Are you seeing a trend? If you need help teaching a topic let us know! We have piles of curriculum and a tool box full of activities for teaching various topics.  This is our area of expertise.  
9. Make your child write.  One thing that I have noticed teaching online is that many students tell their grown ups the answers to everything (it is so much easier and quicker) but they get out of the habit of writing.  Encourage your student of all ages to journal daily with pictures, letters, and words.
10. We can hear you tell the answers.  We can.  It's awkward.  We want you to stop but we don't want to tell an adult what to do.  
11. Live classes are not a quiz. This piggybacks off of 10.  It is not an issue if your child doesn't know the answer--this happens all the time face-to-face.  What is an issue is if we think the students know something because they're getting help with answers and then we move forward! If the students knew everything we covered they wouldn't need our class! If students look like they know something very well we might not offer much needed help and that would be a disservice to everyone.
12. Speaking of quizzes...let them show what they know.  It's hard to watch your child struggle, I get it. Practice saying "take a deep breath, make your best guess and keep going."
13. Testing stinks. We agree, but sometimes its just required.   That's really it here.  We know it feels like a lot, but this is mandated above our heads. 
14. Your attitude = your child's attitude.  This is hard. This is not what you choose.  Sometimes it is not ideal.  Deal with your adult stuff as much as you can without projecting it on your kiddo--the little sponges pick up on so much.
15. Tiny humans have tiny attention spans.  Many schools are requiring them to sit at their devices way longer than they can.   As a teacher sometimes I start a new activity just by moving to the rug, to a special corner for calendar, or even under our desks.  These little transitions reset their attention span.  Try these at home. During reading you sit at the table, during math you lay on the floor, then we have a dance party...you get the idea.  Also, if the teacher shares brain break dances or activities encourage your little to get up and do it!
16. Read for fun daily.  Just read.  If you can only do one thing please do this.
17. Give yourself grace.   Maya Angelou says this better than I ever could, "Do the best you can until you know better, then do better."  We've got this!