Three Tricks For Making Online Middle School Easier

When your child attends an online middle school, you have to do things differently than parents of children who attend brick and mortar schools. Sometimes, that's to your advantage: setting your own schedule, for example, or allowing your child to work at their pace instead of being held to the pace of the classroom. In other cases, it can make your day more difficult. If you want to make online middle school run more smoothly for both you and your student, there are several things you can do to streamline the process.

Get into a routine. You don't have to have a rigid schedule. With online middle school, there are no bells, no assemblies, and no classes that have to be attended at a specific time. If you have a day when you need a longer break or when a lesson runs over, it isn't catastrophic. On the other hand, setting a routine lets your child know what to expect. It sets a pattern for your school days and helps with transitions and key moments throughout the day.

Keep up with your child. When your child attends a brick and mortar school, you may find yourself blaming the teachers for those moments when your child has fallen behind. Why didn't they notify you sooner? Couldn't they have let you know that something was becoming a problem before it got this far out of control? In an online classroom, on the other hand, it's up to you to be sure that your child is staying on task each day. You'll need to observe not only what work is completed, but how your child seems to be doing with it. Is there a particular subject that they don't understand as well as the others? Are there certain areas where your child struggles? When you keep up with them, checking in on a daily basis to see how your child is doing, there's no reason for your child to fall behind--especially without you knowing about it.

Stay in contact with the teacher. You, your child, and their teacher form an effective team that is responsible for your child's education. Learning won't occur unless all of you are invested and working together to achieve the goal of educational success. Your child's teacher won't know your child as well as you do. They don't have the advantage of working with the every day the way they would in a traditional classroom. Instead, they rely on you to be their eyes and ears. You aren't just sharing the big things, like life-changing events that may have a temporary or long-term impact on your child's educational processes. You're also sharing the small moments: the areas where your child struggles, the times when your child appears to be falling behind, or the areas in which your child has been very successful.

Learning to be an effective online schooling parent takes time. You and your student are undertaking a new adventure together. You aren't just learning middle school skills. You're also learning how to operate the online system, how to navigate this confusing new world, and even how to adapt to having your student at home all day every day instead of away at school. As time goes on, however, you'll discover just how effective this method of learning can be. You'll enhance your child's academic success, give them the tools they need to make the most of their education, and improve their confidence in areas where they might have fallen behind. Give yourself time to adapt, and you'll be amazed by what you and your child can accomplish as you work together.