Virtual Learning...Sigh

 I have recently become annoyed with the term that all parents are using right now "Homeschool".

Pretty much everyone in Ontario is back to virtual learning. This means they log their children into a website each day where they watch their teacher teach the class.

That my friends is NOT homeschooling, this is virtual learning.

This might come as a surprise but homeschoolers do not log their children onto a website and have their children watch their teacher teach a class. Unless your children are attending an online high school where they have to attend some lectures online.

Homeschoolers plan, prep, and teach their children the lessons. They spend hundreds of hours a month getting things ready for their children's learning.

I know it may seem like I am being overly sensitive about something that really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

For me, the issue is that there is so much more to homeschooling children than logging them into a website.

Yes, it is hard right now for parents who are not used to having their children home suddenly having them home all day again. I 100% sympathize that it is a lot of work to have them home all day long, but it's still not homeschooling when someone else is doing the prep and teaching.

Deciding to homeschool was the best decision I could have ever made for my son and the girls in our care.

The girls have come leaps and bounds with their skills and learning and my son rocks being homeschooled where in a classroom he would regress from all of his senses being overwhelmed.

Homeschool isn't for everyone and it isn't for every child either. Virtual learning which is what schools in Ontario are doing right now isn't great. They apparently haven't had enough time to perfect it over the past 10 months, but it is what it is and most families are making due.

Being in a lockdown and stuck in the house while trying to navigate a broken system isn't fun for anyone at all and honestly, I would think doing workbooks and print out pages and other learning activities at home until school is allowed back in might be the better way to go for those who are really struggling with it.

Will it screw your kid up not doing the virtual learning while in the lockdown? NO!! I know lots of parents who "unschool" their children as their choice of homeschooling and they go onto lead full, productive and educated lives. "unschooling" means that there are math books, English books etc (unless the child wants them). They learn through real life experiences and all the things around them.

Our brains are built to learn and grow and adapt to the ever-changing world.

Will they be behind everyone else? Nope.

The school system is broken to start with and most children are "behind" because they don't teach in a way that each child can learn, they teach in one way only and for those who learn it great and for those who don't they are pretty much on their own.
Maybe them being home will show you where they actually are, where they need improvement and maybe you can figure out what works best for their learning styles.

Don't force your children. If they are fighting logging in to virtual learning, maybe talk to them about it. Ask them questions without judgement and listen with an open mind and heart.

We all want our children to succeed but forcing them isn't going to do that.

I wish all the families doing virtual learning the best of luck and all the patience in the world. We are in a high-stress situation and our kids are too!