Stop trying to be something you are not! Moms, most of you are not prepared to be school teachers. Be the many other things you are supposed to be, mother to your children most importantly, and demand that your school does the teaching in this time of remote education. Manage how your children engage in their remote learning, don’t try to be their teacher.
I write this as an educator and parent. Also, as a realist. Even in the time of COVID, two WI statutes prevail. Parents are responsible for the education of their children and school boards are responsible for the provision of a free and appropriate education for all children. These are stated in the WI Constitution and there has been recision of these statutes.
The following may not pertain to homeschooling parents. By choice and necessity, they have and are working out the challenges of parenting and teaching. For all other parents, please consider the following.
The verbs matter. Parents are responsible for the education of their children means that parents enroll their children in an educational program – public, private, charter, home, it doesn’t matter which – and guide their children to engage in education until the child is 18 years of age. Enroll and guide in engagement. That’s it. Parents are not responsible for teaching.
School boards are responsible for providing educational programs for all children that comply with mandates for equity and equality. School boards employ teachers to implement these programs. That’s it. Teachers are responsible for teaching.
The educator tells me that we, all of us, can find and implement strategies that will keep all children learning while schools are closed and the provision of education is required to continue. I write the following by addressing Moms, because they are the traditional go-to person at home. This applies to all parents.
- Moms, don’t guilt yourself if your children do not understand or know how to do a remote lesson. Instead, contact their teacher. It is up to the teacher to find another way for children to understand or complete the lesson. Not you.
- Moms, don’t fret that your children cannot finish a lesson. It is a fact that many children do not finish lessons when sitting in class. Let it go. The lesson will be there later or tomorrow.
- Moms, do not worry that you cannot remember your Algebra or the words of the Preamble to the Constitution. You aren’t expected to dredge these out of your memory. If your child has questions about math or any other lesson, contact the teacher.
- Moms, if your child cannot understand how to do an assignment and after you read it you also have questions, contact the teacher. Every direction needs to be written so that a child can understand what to do. Directions should not require your interpretation.
- Moms, if you always wanted to be your child’s teacher and have the disposition, dispositions of patience, calmness, and smiley-face are essential, and the time to be a home school teacher, then go for it! If you don’t aspire to this, don’t.
- In every instance when your child confronts a question or problem in an assignment that you cannot easily answer, stop and go to another assignment. Don’t worry about it – contact your teacher so that the teacher can do the teaching.
- Mom, if the Internet is inadequate to engage in online assignments, contact your child’s teacher and request all assignments be mailed or available for drive-by pick up. It is the school’s responsibility to provide instruction in a variety of formats.
Social isolation presents enough problems for children and parents to resolve. Those are your natural responsibility. Remote education is the school’s responsibility. If you have opened your home to receive remote education, you have fulfilled your responsibility. Make your schools do the work they are responsible for doing. Last point. If you cannot find satisfaction with your child’s teacher, immediately contact a principal or superintendent. The entire school organization is responsible for providing your child’s continuing education.