As schools reopen and our children are plunked into a new way of learning, many parents are concerned about how they can support their children’s education either in-class, or online.
“Education is something that can take your children anywhere they want. If parents are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work and due date for online learning materials, choose one or two that each parent thinks are beneficial for your child. Is it math, writing, spelling, or science? Make learning a part of everyday routine,” says Kayo and Jeff Hawkins, Owners of Aardvark Learning Academy in Barrie.
Tutoring professionals might be the answer parents are looking for to help with balancing educational support for their kids as they juggle new work routines at the office, or at home.
“Naturally, having a tutor provides the structure that students need to focus on their school work and to be motivated to interact with someone who loves teaching and seeing students succeed in a one to one setting online,” says Hawkins.
Specialized programs such as French Immersion have also been at the top of parents’ concerns with respect to how they can continue to support their children who are learning a second language.
The Canadian Parents for French Ontario (CPF) is a national network of volunteers that value French “as an integral part of Canada, and which is dedicated to the promotion and creation of French-second-language learning opportunities.” The group is concerned about the potential lack of opportunity students might have to continue French learning during these changed times.
According to Betty Gormley, Executive Director for Canadian Parents for French Ontario, the press release says, “Parents who have enrolled their children in Extended French and French Immersion, where French is the language of instruction for many subjects, have made a long-term commitment to these programs in order for their children to achieve a bilingual outcome. Any back-to-school options that don’t include the delivery of Core French, Extended French and French Immersion programs in the fall, either in-class or virtually, are not satisfactory and will not meet parent, student and curriculum expectations.”
Hawkins advises to never give up, and do your best. Parents must keep sending the message to their children that learning is important. Aardvark also offers French tutoring.
“We offer online Grade 2-12 tutoring with experienced OCT teachers for Math, English, and French. We offer a free consultation in order to help parents and students to determine the right resources for the right individual. Most importantly at Aardvark, it’s not the resource or the technology that teaches the child, it’s our A+ teachers. The teacher teaches, and the students learn. This is how we operate,” informs Hawkins.
CPF Ontario’s press release also states, there is a “need for their children to learn the language and have the opportunity to become official language bilinguals. Reducing class sizes and adding virtual synchronous learning will require additional teachers to support student learning in all subject areas of the curriculum in both English and French programs.
LOCAL LINKS
Aardvark Learning Academy
aardvarklearningacademy.com
Press Release – Canadian Parents for French Ontario
on.cpf.ca/
