When the COVID-19 virus forced schools to shut their doors and start teaching students via online classes, schools had a few advantages that got them off to a good start. Many schools in the area already have a 1:1 technology program where each student was issued a tablet or laptop to use for class assignments or homework. It made it easy to connect with those kids at home.

Another thing that distance teaching has done is get the parents more involved with their children’s education. Parents who are at home while their kids are studying at the kitchen table are there to answer questions, explain assignments, help kids when the internet connection fuzzes out. For a lot of parents, this may have given them a new appreciation for the work of the teachers. We hope it also gives them a greater appreciation for their own role in the education process.

Experienced teachers will tell you that students do better when their parents are engaged in the education process as well. Their encouragement and interest can make a difference in how a student learns.

We hope the current pandemic will wane soon and allow lives to get back to normal. But we hope the new involvement of parents in their kids’ education will become part of the new normal.