密歇根新闻广播 长期在家上学的人为父母提供建议

 

Learning at home: a long-time home-schooler offers advice for parents

For a lot of Michigan kids, the first day of school this fall means another day at home. And if the spring was any indication, even parents who have kids in a fully¹ online school program will still need some home-schooling skills.

For some tips on learning in the home and maintaining your sanity², we reached out to Libby Johnson. Johnson lives in the West Michigan community of Alto. She has a 12-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter and has been home-schooling them for several years now.

A surge in interest

Johnson said since the COVID-19 pandemic began she's been bombarded with questions about home-schooling.

"Since about May, I guess it's my new hobby to provide advice," Johnson said, who often talks with people at a local home-schooling book store.

"Parents started having their kids at home in March and in April, they were seeing their kids interact in these live [online] classes. And they started picking up on things that they didn't know that their kids didn't know," she said.

Johnson says she has spoken with many parents who aren't ready to commit to home-schooling, but do want to teach their kids one or two specific subjects at home.

A source of consistency³

Johnson got into home-schooling because her family was constantly on the move. In the first 13 years of their marriage, she and her husband moved 14 times. He repairs emergency medical helicopters and has to go where the choppers are. The family recently decided⁴ to settle down in West Michigan to be near relatives and now Johnson's husband travels about three weeks a month for work.

Home-schooling gave Johnson and chance to provide her kids with a level of consistency when they were moving to new states and school districts.

She also supplements her own teaching. Last school year, her children attended a home-schooling co-op one day a week.

"We say in home-schooling, 'Nobody learns when they're crying.'" -Libby Johnson

"They receive teaching just like a college model where the teacher might address a particularly difficult concept in class and teach that and then we as the parents roll that out during the week."

And when the pandemic hit, just like parents with children in traditional schools, Johnson felt the strain of trying to navigate⁵ online education.

"When the schools shut down, our co-op shut down overnight, as well. And we experienced the same frustration⁶ with moving [classes] to Zoom⁷. When we finished our co-op activities in the spring, it was a big relief."

Advice: Take the long view

"You've got an unprecedented⁸ time right now to really forge a bond with your kids. If they miss a particular concept when they're at the younger elementary ages, guaranteed it will be covered again before they graduate," Johnson said. "When you have your kids home for this sort of time ... it goes a lot farther than you think."

Selective socializing

During the pandemic, Johnson and her kids have been spending time with a few close friends they can count on to keep up their standards for safety.

"Keep it outside. The outside seems and feels safer. If you can meet up with your kids and a trusted friend go walk outside on trails."

And Johnson prefers "quality over quantity."

"We have a few friends in our sphere that we know are following our safety requirements. When we meet up with them, we would prefer to to have it be a really winner of a day rather than just meeting for 15 minutes."

Patience, patience

"[H]ave grace with yourself. Rather than spending three hours trying to make a square peg⁹ into a round hole, walk away and reframe it," Johnson said. "If the day is beautiful, getting everybody away from crying at the computer and going out for a walk. Because we say in home-schooling, 'Nobody learns when they're crying.'"

"It's just sort of deciding what has to happen today and what could be put off 'til tomorrow. So, the trash has to get out today, but I guess I might have to put up with a sticky floor."

Editor's note: Quotes in this article have been edited for length. You can listen to the complete interview at the top of the page.

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 sanity   

n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确

参考例句：

• I doubt the sanity of such a plan.我怀疑这个计划是否明智。
• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。

3 consistency   

n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度

参考例句：

• Your behaviour lacks consistency.你的行为缺乏一贯性。
• We appreciate the consistency and stability in China and in Chinese politics.我们赞赏中国及其政策的连续性和稳定性。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

6 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

7 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

8 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

9 peg   

n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定

参考例句：

• Hang your overcoat on the peg in the hall.把你的大衣挂在门厅的挂衣钩上。
• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。