Home Schooling Amid Coronavirus
With schools closed for the remainder of the 2020 school year due to the coronavirus, a lot of people are trying to figure out how to educate their children at home during this time.
Our friends at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview have offered some good thoughts on home schooling “do’s and don’ts.”
John Stonestreet writes,
First, read aloud as a family as much as possible. Not only will this develop literacy skills, it’s a meaningful opportunity to connect with your children on a physical and emotional level during a stressful time, having conversations about things that really matter. Thankfully, there are many great book lists that can help parents choose age-appropriate stories that also build moral character, not to mention library apps that provide access to thousands of audiobooks and e-books for free.
Second, engage in worldview conversations. Current events have turned our world upside down. Ask your kids what they are thinking about all of this. The coronavirus pandemic will be a marker in their life they won’t forget, and an incredible opportunity for many real-life lessons. My recent book, “A Student’s Guide to Culture,” as well as our upcoming Truth.Love.Together. virtual event, can help fuel your worldview discussions around the dinner table. I hear from many families who use these daily BreakPoint commentaries as fodder for their meal-time conversations.
Finally, create space for self-directed learning. Invite each child to pursue a special project during this extra-ordinary time. A budding writer can start a diary about life during the 2020 Coronavirus Quarantine. A young entrepreneur might work on a website to support a charitable cause. Sometimes the best schooling looks nothing at all like school.
Stonestreet offers some other excellent thoughts that you can check out here.
