Tips for those who are studying in an online school and working parents
Check out these 5 tips for those studying in an online school and working parents, no matter if they work full time. Online school offers numerous benefits for K-12 programs students, including flexible scheduling, personalized learning, and a safe learning environment.
For working parents, these benefits may seem inaccessible to their students as they worry about balancing work responsibilities with online education. How do working parents manage online learning?
Don’t worry. Achieving success in online school requires balance, patience, and commitment for all families. And while each family has to find what works for them, working parents can take advantage of the flexibility and other online school benefits.
The first to understand is how online school works and the parent’s role in supporting virtual learning.
What is a learning coach?
A crucial role at MGM Academy is the learning coach, a parent or guardian who sets the weekly school schedule, tracks attendance, communicates with teachers, and supports your student as they develop their schoolwork.
As a parent, you know your child best and understand what and doesn’t work to keep them motivated and engaged in learning. Whatever your situation, you may wonder how parents can help with virtual learning and maintain their role as tutors and educational coaches while balancing their other obligations, including a full-time job.
We even support children with learning disabilities in our special education programs, thus helping and supporting many parents. Read on and find out how!
How do you balance time and support between online school and working parents?
Something that helps working parents is having more than one learning coach stationed to help distribute homework. A trusted adult can help your child with classes and keep them on track while you work, and you handle some administrative tasks when you’re not working.
Many parents with different work schedules enjoy success with this arrangement, where a designated learning coach assists your child in the morning and another in the afternoon.
If you can’t change this type of arrangement, there are still ways working parents can manage online school by being a little creative. Here are five tips for online school and working parents:
1. Take advantage of flexible online school scheduling
Plan your child’s learning schedule around your work schedule. Be sure the activities that require the most support happen when you are available to help. Designate your work hours for independent reading and topics that your child can more easily understand.
2. Keep your child focused with to-do lists
Without a defined list of things to accomplish, your child may be more prone to get distracted or stray from schoolwork. Leave clear instructions to your child when you are away from home, and make sure they complete their homework and any other activities on the to-do list as needed to meet school deadlines.
3. Use planning tools
Online school helps working parents manage homework with planning tools that can include your family’s calendar, your work schedule, and your student’s virtual lesson and class scheduler. Make your child learn to manage the planner early in the school year. This way, your child becomes independent and will never miss scheduled online class sessions or their teachers’ virtual office hours.
4. Stay flexible and make adjustments
Sometimes your child may not complete their virtual lessons without your support, and that’s okay! The pace of online school helps students spend more time on classes where they may need extra support. Set aside another time to work on that homework and encourage your child to continue working on easier things for them when you’re not available.
For full-time working parents, evenings and weekends are often the best times to play your role as a hands-on learning coach – homework assignments online can be done any time, even at night!
Don’t forget to plan to have time off from work for things like school social activities and field trips that would benefit your child and help them socialize with their classmates.
5. Take advantage of teachers and peers
One of the advantages of online school is that teachers can spend more time working one-on-one with your child and you to develop an individualized learning plan and provide additional assistance with scheduling to help working parents manage the school.
Take advantage of this resource and encourage your child to contact their teacher if they need extra help. It will also help your child form a strong bond with their teacher and learn the valuable skill of asking for help.
School forums, classroom conversations, and email communications are good ways for your child to interact with other students. If you are not there to help, encourage your child to use these methods to solve a problem or perform a difficult task.
Online learning can work for working parents
The shared goal between the online school and working parents is to help children achieve success in their learning journey while enjoying the online school experience. By working together on scheduling issues, parents can play an active role in their children’s learning while balancing work responsibilities.
At MGM Academy, we encourage working parents to consider an online school for their children to give it a try. Visit our website here to learn more about our virtual private school and discover if it’s right for you and your family.