Math has gotten a bad rap for being the subject kids struggle with the most. It’s abstract, challenging, and cumulative. It’s also challenging to teach! If a teacher moves too slowly, some students will get bored and check out. If a teacher moves too quickly, other students can get overwhelmed and give up. In a traditional classroom, teachers can monitor the room for signs of confusion or overwhelm. But a virtual classroom makes it significantly harder for teachers to identify and assist students who need more help. This means it now falls on you to monitor your child’s progress and recognize when your child needs help. Many kids balk at their parents’ attempts to step in, so what are you to do? Read on to learn practical tips for helping your child succeed with virtual math without ruining your relationship along the way.
Alberta’s schools and teachers are doing their best to minimize COVID-19 outbreaks during the 2020/21 school year, but you need to be prepared to assist in your child’s learning should they be required to isolate at home.
Successful reading leads to successes in academics and gives kids a solid start in life. In fact, recent research shows that kids who read at least 15 minutes a day have accelerated reading gains. No matter how diligent you are at supporting reading, sometimes your kids resist. Books have to compete with those oh-so-scintillating devices, video games, and TV streaming apps.
Homework and headaches go together like macaroni and cheese, especially now that there seems to be so much to do early on. Cathy McFarland knows the frustration all too well. “When Maddie, my eight-year- old, didn’t understand her math homework, she’d cry and get so upset she’d hyperventilate,” says McFarland. Nightly math meltdowns became the norm. “I finally decided that math wasn’t worth ruining our relationship over. I can be the enforcer with piano practice, nightly reading, baths and bedtime, but I don’t need to be the math czar anymore.” McFarland hired a tutor.
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