As online schooling gains traction across the globe, many parents are considering making the switch from conventional schooling for their children. However, this decision shouldn’t be made lightly.
Instead of hastily jumping on the online learning bandwagon, make sure you do your research and decide what’s best for your child. Making schooling decisions for your children on a whim can backfire, especially if the transition from one mode of learning to another is poorly planned.
While online schooling is excellent for students between the ages of 8 and 19, there’s still a lot of careful deliberation that should occur before a decision is finalised. In this blog, we’ll walk you through three important questions that must be answered before you switch to online schooling for your child.
1. Will My Child Acclimatise to the Online Schooling Model?
As a parent, understanding what online learning entails is imperative. You can choose online schooling or the hybrid system that combines online and conventional (in-person) schooling. Many parents start with the hybrid model and gradually make the shift to week-long online classes. Make sure you take some time to figure out how your child will respond to the switch.
At Cambridge Home School, our MA/PhD qualified subject specialist teachers go the extra mile to help children feel comfortable, content, and excited about their classes. We understand that students may feel slightly nervous or unsure about the transition. This is completely normal. By offering individualised attention to each student, our teachers help them acclimatise to the flow of online schooling.
As a parent, make sure you ask your child how they feel about the switch. In addition, use your own intuition to predict how well they’ll adjust to the online schooling model. If you have any reservations, speak with our education specialists and teachers. They’ll offer detailed insight into whether the switch is appropriate for your child.
2. Am I Looking for Greater Flexibility in My Child’s Schedule?
According to research, nearly half (45%) of students are stressed in universities across the UK. Stress, anxiety, and burnout aren’t just common among older students. In fact, they’re also becoming increasingly common among younger students, even children as young as 8. Unfortunately, the conventional schooling system pushes students to unhealthy limits.
In most cases, students return home feeling overwhelmed, fatigued, worn out, and exhausted. Consequently, they struggle to concentrate on their homework, sports, skill-building games, and other essential excursions and explorations that help with character building, personal growth, and social development. Lack of flexibility often makes students feel frustrated and tired, which affects their academic performance.
If you want your child to enjoy a healthy school-life balance, making the switch to online schooling is the right decision. At Cambridge Home School, our teachers keep the classes structured and focused through and through. Since the student-teacher ratio is low (8–10 students per group), students receive one-on-one attention from their teachers. This significantly increases their engagement levels. As a result, they absorb and retain more knowledge.
By utilising the focused learning model, we help our students learn better in less time. Their lessons aren’t protracted like they are in most conventional schools. Consequently, students don’t waste time sitting through unnecessarily long lessons and shuffling in and out of classes. This extra time can be utilised in developing new skills, having enriching experiences, playing sports, socialising with friends, exploring new interests and hobbies, and gaining awareness about important societal issues.
Greater flexibility helps students become well-rounded, thoughtful, empathetic, and responsible individuals who excel in multiple areas of their life. Online schooling facilitates this process.
3. Am I Looking for a Supportive, Safe, and Enriching Online Learning Environment for My Child?
School bullying, harassment, and abuse are extremely common in a lot of conventional schools across the globe. As these cases come to light, many parents are looking for better alternatives. If you want your child to learn in a supportive, safe, and enriching environment, online schooling is the way to go.
At Cambridge Home School, our teachers have a strong focus on helping students understand their moral and ethical responsibilities. Students are taught the importance of respecting their peers, accepting and celebrating differences, and being inclusive. There’s no room for discrimination, microaggressions, taunts, jeers, bullying, harassment, condescension, or abuse of any sort.
Our teachers plan activities that help students accept and appreciate one another. Each class is a safe space for students. They’re motivated, inspired, and appreciated for their efforts. If you want your child to grow as an individual and reap the benefits of thoughtful self-cultivation, opting for quality online schooling is a great option.
At Cambridge Home School, we ensure that every student learns in an environment that makes them feel safe and supported. There’s absolutely no room for judgment or mistreatment of any kind.
Since conventional schools have a high student-teacher ratio, this extent of regulation is missing. In many cases, there are ongoing instances of peer-to-peer bullying that go unnoticed by most teachers. In fact, several teachers have been reported for placing unhealthy pressures on students, playing favourites, singling out underperformers, and exacerbating student mental health.
Since it is more regulated, online schooling doesn’t carry the same risk. Students are taught in small groups, which allows their teachers to observe every interaction and exchange. As you make the switch to online schooling, make sure you prioritise quality. Choose an experienced, established, and esteemed institution that equips your child with the tools and expertise they need to succeed.
About the Author
The author is an education specialist at Cambridge Home School, one of the leading online schools in the UK, Europe (including Western Russia), Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
The institution provides a quality British online education across four homeschooling programs: Primary Prep/Key Stage 2 (ages 8 to 10), Lower School/Key Stage 3 (ages 11 to 13), Upper School/IGCSEs (ages 14 to 16), and Sixth Form/AS & A-Levels (ages 17 to 19).
With over 19 years of experience and counting, Cambridge Home School is recognised for prioritising academic growth, student mental health, personal enrichment, social development, and athletic growth.
