Distance Education–The 3 Fundamental Elements

Certain moments in life are pivotal to who we are and who we will become. Certain things are so important we should not let them simply pass us by. One of those thing is our children’s right to learn. To be taught, to understand, and see the way this world works is a fundamental right and privilege. Someone without knowledge has no freedom. To be truly free is the ability to recognize the world around us and the way it change and shape it.

As parents it is our priority to see that our children gain this ability. We must: 

Advocate for…

Believe in…

Dream with… Our children

Fight with…

Invest in…

We, as parents, are the ones who hold the responsibility to teach our children. Schools act as a support to facilitate in this crucial and important work. I have been the child who needed help and the parent who gave the help to my own children when they needed it. Parents cannot be passive bystanders in our children’s education, because we know them, love them, and understand them. Furthermore, they trust us, they are our children and our responsibility. A child can have a dozen teachers in their lifetime, but only you are their parents.

That said, we can’t push our agendas on them, and make them do what we think they should. When we teach our children or help make school decisions, we must do so by putting our own interests aside and looking at our child as their own individual self. One with desires, dislikes, wants, needs, and dreams. We must be looking for our child’s true joy. In doing this, we will also be able to find our own joy.

Keep an open mind to what children want and find how they need to learn. Each child is different, so it is important that we pay attention. This way we don’t miss ideal teaching opportunities that may arise, even if it is an inconvenient time for us. Things may go very differently than anything we have ever imagined, but as the parents we grow and become better people when we take the time to learn; communicate with; and teach our children.

As parents we have the privilege to help shape and uncover who they truly are. So long as, we:

• stop to take the time 

• get to know them 

• help them reach their goals 

• put our personal agendas aside 

I personally have found that I have learned so much from my own children by how they have learned and who they have become.

Right now is an especially challenging time for all you parents with kids in school. Of course, every situation is incomprehensibly unique, but if there is one thing I do know is that risking a gap in a young persons education, especially early on could prove detrimental. If my children were still in school, I would enrol them in distance learning for at least one year in these uncertain times, as I know many of you are doing. 

If you have any sort of learning difference (as I do) and you end up with a gap in your education, for any reason, it becomes nearly impossible to catch up. My gaps were due to extended hospital stays that could not be avoided. Having these gaps are now almost always unnecessary since there are so many options to help parents and children right now, but of course options doesn’t mean it’s easy. 

When my children started having problems in school I brought them home and enrolled them in distance education so I could work with them more closely at home to help them overcome any roadblocks or challenges they faced. I did this for my children, because I was their parent and felt it was my responsibility to teach and care for them. I also knew that the education system today is overrun and underfunded. It’s so easy for someone to fall through the cracks and I didn’t want that for my daughters. Once they felt ready to enrol again in public school it went amazingly well for both of them. I don’t regret the time and effort I put into those years with them even when it felt impossible.

These are the “3 Fundamental Things” I did when I had my children in distance education: 

1) I set up a space that was specifically for learning. Everything they needed was in this space. I put pictures on the walls that they liked and helped them feel calm and comfortable. I also was sure that I had plenty of art supplies and books for them when they needed time to decompress and take some quiet time to themselves.

2) I had set time to start each day. We had a schedule that we kept to, this included breaks for lunch and snacks. However, if they didn’t get the work done during the day that they needed to do we would cross over into ‘homework’ hours and plan extra time to get this work done before the day was over. The most important part of this is is that I would still take the time to work with them and didn’t make them do this work on their own. In doing this I found that a lot of the time when my children procrastinated doing the work it was because they were struggling to understand something. So when I gave extra time to help I was able to identify this problem and help them work around it. 

3) I made sure learning was a positive experience. In my experience I believe that having fun with your children is the key to a successful learning environment. Look over what they are learning and do something with them so that you can get them actively involved. Wether it be science, or art, or any other subject take the time a few times a week to do something that’s off book. Doing these activities with your children will get them actively involved in their own learning. This will not only help them remember and understand what they are learning better but it will also be a wonderful opportunity for you to spend quality bonding time with your children. You can also involve as many of your children in this as you have (in my case I had two) even if its only the work of just one of them. I remember this one time we did paper mashie masks of both my children’s faces. It was only applied to one of my children’s assignment but it was still fun for them to do together.

The most important thing is to be there for your children. As their parents, you know them the very best, so do what is right for them; put their needs and wants before your own. Most of all,

believe in ourself as a parent

You can be there for your children and teach them and help them find their way. It doesn’t matter if your perfect, all that matters is that you try your best. That’s what your children will remember in the end. Being a parent is a joy and a privilege, let’s make the most of it while we still have the time.