Teresa Wiedrick figured out years ago what many parents are only now beginning to understand 91裸聊视频� a home is not a school.

But that doesn91裸聊视频檛 mean kids can91裸聊视频檛 learn at home just as well as they might in a classroom. Wiedrick, who has homeschooled her own four children, says that begins by changing expectations placed on kids as well as with predetermined ideas of what education has to look like.

91裸聊视频淚f it91裸聊视频檚 a really academic child then no, they are happy to have that really strict routine. I have that child and she was asking for academics early on,91裸聊视频� says Wiedrick.

91裸聊视频淎nd then I91裸聊视频檝e also got the child who was like, let me do whatever I want, I91裸聊视频檒l be fine if I just read a magazine and put Taylor Swift lyrics up on my wall. And yet she91裸聊视频檚 the one who right now is going for a Masters degree, so go figure.91裸聊视频�

Wiedrick has plenty of advice for those trying to balance the new parenting reality. The Nelson resident is the president of the BC Home Educators91裸聊视频� Association, which advocates for the rights of at-home teachers and their families. She91裸聊视频檚 also written a book about home schooling, hosts a podcast on the topic and maintains a blog on life as a mother-teacher.

Homeschooling is having a moment right now, albeit one born of necessity. Kitchen tables, bedrooms and front yards are the new classrooms for students unable to attend B.C. public schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic after in-class learning was suspended last month.

The Ministry of Education meanwhile launched an to assist parents while also directing its 60 school districts to continue classes through digital options such as the video conferencing app Zoom.

But as parents are finding out, education via the internet isn91裸聊视频檛 easily done.

91裸聊视频淥ften they have more than one child and have tons of appointments for their kids, but most of them have either just lost a job or they are also trying to work at home or having to create their own businesses at home and all of that together they are also supposed to manage their kids education,91裸聊视频� says Wiedrick.

91裸聊视频淥h and by the way, there91裸聊视频檚 a pandemic.91裸聊视频�

Wiedrick has homeschooled her kids for 12 years, and what she91裸聊视频檚 figured out during that time is how key the relationship between a parent and child is to making the situation work. The actual school work? That91裸聊视频檚 the easy part.

91裸聊视频淣obody believes that until they91裸聊视频檝e homeschooled and been with their kids long enough and recognized that an education isn91裸聊视频檛 because a teacher gives a child stuff to learn. It91裸聊视频檚 because we as humans are learning animals and we91裸聊视频檙e interested in learning.91裸聊视频�

Practically, that means understanding who a child really is and what their passions are before looking for what Wiedrick calls learning opportunities.

A walk outside to find and study a frog? That91裸聊视频檚 science class. Online guitar lessons? That91裸聊视频檚 music class. Wiedrick says one of her kids is taking an online class on human anatomy through Yale University. Another started a YouTube channel and plays online chess with friends.

The key, she says, is to consider ways children can be taught even when the textbook is closed. 91裸聊视频淵ou can think about subjects in more of a loose learning kind of way.91裸聊视频�

Wiedrick also advises against setting a strict schedule for children, which she says can negatively change how kids feel at home.

91裸聊视频淚 did that for sure in the beginning of my home school years and realized we91裸聊视频檙e not trying to create a school in our homes,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚f we do that, we cross that teacher-parent role and we really make it challenging for ourselves and for them to relate to each other.91裸聊视频�

As for parents turning to screens to educate and watch their kids, Wiedrick advises screen time is effective if limited and used with a purpose.

That includes giving parents a break. For people trying to work at home, Wiedrick suggests a communal time during the day when everyone is expected to do a quiet activity. Another easy idea for people with older children is to set an alarm clock outside a closed door. When it goes off, the kids have their parent91裸聊视频檚 undivided attention.

Which, in the end, is what she says will matter most.

91裸聊视频淵ou have an opportunity right now to reshape your perspective of family and really your purpose in life as well. 91裸聊视频� You are going to be able to watch how your kids are learning, you get to learn about learning, you get to learn about their interests, their challenges, their aptitudes, you get to reconsider what is an education.91裸聊视频�

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tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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