You Are Not Alone, and You Can Do This

If you, and perhaps your spouse, are in shock and a bit overwhelmed because your child(ren) will continue their schoolwork at home in an online environment for an unknown period of time, you are not alone! All over the globe, parents, teachers, and students have been required to stay home and not allow students to report to school grounds due to the Wuhan COVID-19. We hope to offer an opportunity for a little reflection, calm, and clarity in the seen and unseen chaos many may be feeling at this uncertain time.

For some background on the authors, Ben Kim and his wife, Karen, have been educating their three boys since they were Kindergarten while both working full-time jobs. (Quick calculations puts the Kim parents teaching their sons over the last 16 years!) Throughout this time, Karen has been employed full-time during the day at a local university, where Ben is now also fully employed. However, Ben previously worked evenings from home for eleven years while their boys were in elementary school, and during the day, he served as their lead teacher. Twice a week, the boys attended a local Christian private school for elective curriculum, although the boys' main curriculum was selected by Ben and Karen. Now the boys are fully enrolled in this private school, yet they still attend classes only twice a week (called a university model) and on the other three days, do the rest of their work at home.

Has this been a juggle for these parents? Yes. Were there times they wanted to give up? Oh, yes! However, has it been worth the sacrifice? So far, so good. One is in college with the other two sons in high school. Having only sons, we have learned and continue to learn about some of the academic differences and needs boys can have. With all the uncertainty and stress so many in the US and around the world are going through right now, suddenly having the additional challenge of keeping children at home and needing to manage their education may feel like more than a straw that will break parents' backs.

In response to ease the challenge, we would like to share the tips, strategies, and resources we've found over the years that have helped and worked well for us. While our choice to largely have our young sons educated at home by their dad was a personal one, there may be dads, moms, grandparents, and other friends and relatives that have not had that luxury to choose. We hope our story, along with some tips and strategies, can give you some comfort and strength to not only encourage your boys (and girls, too) to academically succeed in this disruptive season, but also to make this unique time special and pleasantly memorable for everyone in your family and community. 

Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/15131913@N00/7060405