Family safety worth the challenges of online homeschooling

Family safety worth the challenges of online homeschooling

By Irish Mae Silvestre
The Philippine Reporter

Standing two meters apart, washing our hands properly and only going out when necessary. These are just some of the adjustments that are now very much a part of our new routines. And with classes going virtual, parents and their children find themselves navigating new territory. As schools scrambled to put together online curriculums, families are experiencing the benefits and challenges of homeschooling.

Rechie Valdez with her children Cassidy and Kyle.
(Photo by @sincerelyimage

A learning curve

Before online classes started, Rechie Valdez said that the school sent out emails, while teachers contacted parents.

“It allowed me to mentally prepare for this,” she said, adding that optional classes helped parents who were struggling or aren’t as tech-savvy.
Valdez is a creative business coach and mother to Kyle Valdez, 11 years old, who’s in grade five, and Cassidy, 5 years old, who’s in junior kindergarten, both of whom attend catholic school. So far, their experience has been positive.

“It’s really flexible and high-tech and you can quickly jump from your classroom onto a YouTube video and bounce back,” said Valdez. “How funky and sophisticated and fun is that?”

For Abby Benneth Liwag, an art teacher and behavioral interventionist, homeschooling makes her feel more involved in her children’s education.

“I’m around to comfort my kids when they’re frustrated with schoolwork,” she said. Her children both attend public school and her son Eli Wolfgang, 8 years old, is in grade three, while Isaac Fox, 6 years old, is in grade one.

As their stand-in teacher, her children receive her undivided attention, which, she admitted, isn’t always a good thing.

“The lack of classmates heightens their frustrations and failures because they’re the main focus of the teacher,” she said. “They have more breakdowns at home than at school – I certainly hear more complaints when I’m teaching them. I’m guilty of pushing them too hard; must be the Filipina mom in me.”

Laila Saleh with her mother and son Jaden (Photo: Supplied)

For Laila Saleh, however, the initial challenges were more technical. Since she’s currently working from home as an administrator, while overseeing her son’s education, it was difficult to share one laptop.

“Google Classroom doesn’t work very well on a phone or iPad so my son found it hard to complete the work,” said Saleh. “He could only do his work on my laptop in the evenings or when I wasn’t on a conference call.”

After contacting the school, she said that a Chromebook laptop was sent to her home. Her son Jaden is 9 years old and is in grade three at a French immersion school. Saleh added that he also has ADHD and ODD, which makes it even more challenging for a single parent to manage.

Having gone from a three-week break to ten assignments due each week, Saleh said that it was a huge adjustment.

“Some assignments are sometimes impossible to do, like 125 pages of multiplication,” she said. “The workload is a bit too much. They need to understand that while half the population might have lost their jobs and are home, the other half are still working from home and might not be able to handle completing all the work on time.”

Abby Benneth Liwag with her family. (Photo: Supplied)

When it comes to homeschooling, the missing social aspect is one of the biggest adjustments.

Liwag’s concerned about her youngest who already has a tough time making friends. “I’m looking forward to Zoom classroom work so my kids can see their classmates and know that they’re also studying at home just like them,” she said.

Saleh admitted that although Jaden plays with friends online, “it isn’t the same.”

Valdez said that she encourages her son to connect with his best friend on Google Hangouts. “What’s really cool is that they’ve gotten into a routine where they do homework together,” she said.

Routine, according to the parents, is essential.

“Shut everything off, take away all distractions,” said Valdez. “Parents have to set their kids up for success so don’t let them sit on the couch or the bed – they have to do their homework at a table, upright. You can do what you have to do but you have to be present with them at all times. Since they’re on a device, it’s easy for them to just switch apps and then it’s over.”

Back to school

The parents said that they’re anxious about their children returning for the remaining school year.

“I’m not just thinking about our kids, I’m thinking about our whole family,” said Valdez. “Nothing is worth jeopardizing our health so I’m more than happy to continue homeschooling my kids.”

Although Saleh said she’d like her son to return to school, social distancing is an unrealistic expectation for young children. “There would be no way to keep children six meters apart from each other in a school setting,” she said.

As for Liwag, whose parents live with them, returning to school too soon just isn’t worth the risk. “I’d rather homeschool them for the remainder of this year to continue keeping their grandparents safe,” she said. “We’ve changed our lifestyle in such a short period that we can’t just go back to normal.”