Navigating virtual learning with the Homeschool Expert

Pushed out during the pandemic as numbers of coronavirus cases rise, more schools are turning to virtual learning — but there are resources to help parents go the distance. 

For some students, this school year has been a revolving door of uncertainty.  

"We are out of control of this situation so the best thing we can do is take control by equipping ourselves how do we be resilient this season," Anne Crossman said.

Crossman is the CEO and founder of Homeschool Expert and has been supporting families during the pandemic. 

"We have free podcasts and articles and resources, downloads and places to find free curriculum," she said.

A go-to for parents trying to juggle it all. 

"It’s so hard for parents right now we did a national survey trying to understand what are the challenges so we know how to provide solutions. we found that that 42% of parents are eliminating or reducing their work hours in order to school their kids from home, now not only do we have an education gap concern but we have an economic gap that is widening," Crossman said.

She says the key is finding a balance, which can be done in a few ways. 

"Some work schedules aren’t flexible and we realize that so if that is the case for some parents we actually help support them figure out how to do a hybridized model," she said. 

For some, pandemic pods have been the answer. 

"You’ll see a neighborhood of 5 families each family decides to take one day a week to host the students at their house so the other 4 days a week the parents have to themselves to manage their career and workday," she said.

While the shift may be temporary, Crossman says just remember we are all in this together.

"No kids are getting behind," she said. "Do your best to try to find the resources that work for you."

Crossman adds another benefit is homeschooling allows for more focused learning time which only takes up a fraction of the normal school day.

CLICK HERE for additional resources on homeschooling.