Student Performance during a Pandemic
During the COVID-19 epidemic, schools worldwide were shut down, affecting over 1.6 billion children in almost 190 countries.
The shutting down of schools ended up forcing teachers, pupils, and parents to adapt to new homeschooling learning alternatives, with a huge emphasis on online learning.
While the long-term ramifications of this outage are yet to be seen, early data reveal immediate repercussions on student academic performance and well-being: great performance by some, and a worse performance by some students. Part of this is due to the lack of interaction with teachers and stems from students being forced to self-teach.
5 Tips for Success during the Pandemic: How to Cope
To be prepared for a pandemic, students or those with children should consider the following tips:
1. Find a Good Area to Learn at Home
This might include a desk and chair, as well as storage space. In many cases, school supplies like pens and paper will still be available in stores despite the COVID-19 outbreak, so stock up beforehand and plan for interruptions in supplies during the downtime.
2. Find an Online Source of Classwork
High School of America offers affordable, entertaining lessons on a wide range of subjects, including math, science, history, and foreign language. The coursework is currently available for students who are in junior and senior high school. Our self-paced learning classes provide an excellent substitute for traditional learning and help you or your child stay ahead of the curve.
3. Remain Positive through It All
It is common for students or teachers to become frustrated when faced with a pandemic. There will be setbacks in your academic studies but staying positive can help you in the long run by keeping you focused despite hardships.
4. Try to Maintain Contact with Your Teachers
Don’t be afraid to call or text your teachers during the pandemic. Some schools will still be open, so don’t worry about bothering them — they might even ask you to help spread the word about their continuing classes!
5. Try to Re-Integrate With Peers
Students will likely be bored with their studies during the pandemic. This can lead to social isolation, depression, and even anxiety. Stay active by getting together with peers for gaming or sports. Remember always to practice safe behavior, as you can contract COVID-19 from community exposure.
Tips for Success: Parental Involvement in Child Education during a Pandemic
To successfully prepare your child for homeschooling, you should consider the following tips:
1) Find an Educational Outlet for Your Child
Depending on what outlets your child is interested in, there are many affordable and exciting options. These may include programs like High School of America, which can help your child stay ahead of the curve.
2) Work on Communication with Teachers
There are many ways to keep in touch with teachers during a pandemic, including phone calls or text messages. Many teachers are working, so don’t worry about bothering them — they might even ask you to help spread the word about their continuing classes!
3) Remind Your Child to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Children need to keep up on their physical activity and nutrition during a pandemic. A healthy lifestyle can help reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 and allow your child to maintain his or her high energy levels.
4) Don’t Let Your Child Become Isolated
This is a common problem with an outbreak. There are many ways to help avoid this, including getting together with friends for gaming or socializing. Keeping your child active can help reduce the risk of depression or anxiety during this time — make sure he or she doesn’t isolate him- or herself!
Reasons to Consider Homeschooling
If you consider homeschooling your child during a pandemic, there are many reasons it might be the best option for your family. The following are some benefits of homeschooling during an outbreak:
1. Freedom to Decide How to Teach Your Child
As a parent, you may have some very personal ideas about how your child should be raised and educated. During a pandemic, it is easy to mix curricula from various sources available to create a personalized education for your child.
2. Avoid COVID-19 Exposure
Although homeschooled children can still contract COVID-19, the risk is much lower than those who attend school. By keeping your child at home during a pandemic outbreak, COVID-19 exposure can also be avoided.
3. Easier to Keep Track of Your Child’s Social Life
The school environment can be distracting, even dangerous, to your child’s social life. With homeschooling during a pandemic, you have the flexibility to schedule whatever events are necessary to keep your child satisfied and engaged with peers.
4. Freedom to Work with Your Child’s Teachers
It is easy for you and your child’s teachers to coordinate the most effective way to keep your child up-to-date on the curriculum in a homeschooling situation. By working together, the process is easier and more productive.
5. Increase Learning Opportunities
During a pandemic, many educational opportunities are lost. This doesn’t need to be the case when you homeschool your child, though. Your children can take advantage of educational opportunities like field trips and museum visits to make sure they stay engaged in learning activities.
By keeping your child at home during a pandemic outbreak, COVID-19 exposure can also be avoided.
6. Reduced Stress for the Entire Family
During a pandemic, there are many sources of stress, including tiredness due to lost sleep and the need to alter your daily routine to keep up with homeschooling. By keeping your child at home during this time, you can allow him or her to rest and recover more efficiently.
The decision to keep your child at home during a pandemic is often the best option for many families. It allows them to have more control over their daily lives and maintain a certain level of normalcy in the face of a difficult situation. Through homeschooling, you can give your child the education he or she needs while still keeping him or her happy and satisfied.
How Do You Know If Your Child Is Ready to Be Home-Schooled?
Before you decide to homeschool your child, it’s essential to consider the pros and cons of the decision. Is your child truly ready for a change in his or her educational experience? Or, will home-schooling create more stress than necessary?
As a parent, you might want to consider a few different things before making a final decision.
1) Is Your Child Prepared and Engaged?
Homeschooling during a pandemic is likely to be different from homeschooling for any other reason. It’s crucial to make sure that your child understands the reasons why he or she won’t be going back to school, as well as what will happen instead (if you’re not sure, there are great resources out there that can help). If your child is successfully engaged with school and motivated to learn, this may be a good time for him or her to learn new strategies for staying engaged.
2) How Will Your Child React to the Loss of Social Interaction?
Many children look forward to attending school. Entering a new social environment can be exciting, which is why it’s essential to make sure your child is prepared for a change in his or her usual routine. While homeschooling might create more opportunities for socialization with peers, it can also be a source of anxiety for a child who is used to interacting with his or her peers daily. By making sure your child has some time before the decision to homeschool becomes effective, you’ll have the chance to ensure he or she is ready.
3) Can Your Child Handle Working Independently?
It can be challenging to adjust if you’re used to working as a team with your child’s teachers. For some students, the change in a pace associated with going back and forth between independence and collaboration can make homeschooling stressful or even uncomfortable during a pandemic.
It’s essential to make sure your child will work independently before you decide to homeschool him or her.
4) Will Your Child Have Access to All Necessary Materials?
It may be difficult for you and your child’s teachers to coordinate the materials that he or she is used to having access to during school time. Without a routine to follow, it can be challenging to ensure your child has access to the resources required for learning.
Once you have considered these questions, you should have a better idea of whether homeschooling is right for your family during a pandemic outbreak.
High School of America’s Online Courses
High School of America offers a wide range of online classes to help students achieve their academic goals! Whether you’re looking for an AP class to get ahead or a college prep course to make sure you’re ready when it’s time to apply, we have the online courses you need.
To facilitate a smooth transition, we offer an online orientation that familiarizes you with our course and registration information and how it will work.
Each of the courses at High School of America is taught by certified teachers who can help if you’re stuck or confused about something – all you need to do is ask!
Affordable Online Courses for Class Credit
High School of America’s online classes are designed to help students achieve academic success. If you’re looking to boost your GPA, get ahead in class, or take the next step in pursuing a college degree, our affordable online courses can help you do it!
Ready to take your career or education goals to the next level? Browse our course catalog and start taking online courses today.