Now that there is a debate regarding school reopening, most parents are thinking before making a decision. They are torn between sending their children to school and proceeding with homeschooling.
New York City and Los Angeles school districts have already announced that schools will reopen in the fall. They will have full-virtual classes for two or three days a week. Soon, other districts will follow suit. This gives parents no choice but to let children go back to school.
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Other parents still do not agree to sending their children back to school. They are afraid that their children, teachers, family members, and the community could be at risk of getting the disease.
Homeschooling affects parents' jobs
The problem now is that homeschooling is not doing any good for parents. Those who are working at home have a hard time giving their all to their work since they must take care of the little ones. Add to this issue that they have to homeschool children. Work-life balance becomes difficult.
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A new approach to homeschooling
Now, parents are finding ways to make everything efficient at home. A professor mom tweeted regarding their plans about homeschooling. They decided to hire a full-time at-home teacher who will be shared with friends.
A psychologist, geneticist, and associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas, Paige Harden, posted on her Twitter account. She shared her experience with her followers about her plans with other parents.
She said that they are teaming up with another family to hire a full-time teacher for all their kids. They went with "Elementary Teacher for At-Home Learning" in their job ad. Immediately, they got a dozen applications.
We are trying to do this -- teaming up with another family & hiring a full-time teacher for all 4 kids. We went with "Elementary Teacher for At-Home Learning" in our job ad & got a dozen applications right away. Here are some thoughts on our experience so far (thread): https://t.co/EalwlWAN3v — Dr. Paige Harden (@kph3k) July 13, 2020
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Share the cost with others
Even though it may sound quite expensive, it will not cost that much for parents with two kids who need daycare. It will also help to share with another family to lower the cost. Paige believes that many working families are used to paying for childcare for children ages zero to five. .She said that this is just an extension of that.
The mom of two said that parents who applied for her job listings explained why they do not want their children to return to school. Some have older children who are at higher risk of getting infected. Other parents share that the school or daycare of their children has closed.
It is estimated that 40 percent of the daycares are closing permanently due to the pandemic. Many moms are losing their jobs because they have a hard time balancing their careers and childcare. Working parents are losing on both sides so they are trying other ways to keep on living.
You may be one of those moms who are juggling between working full-time, homeschooling, and keeping the house livable. Maybe an at-home teacher is what you need to keep you sane. It could be the only thing to help prevent working moms from quitting their jobs due to lack of childcare.
