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Coach helping parents with home schooling
Q13 FOX News is your Education Destination.
SEATTLE - If you’ve never heard of a parent coach, you may be in need of one as you prepare to navigate the start of the school year from home.
Melissa Benaroya is a parent coach in the Seattle area but she is being inundated with calls and emails from parents all over the northwest who struggled with the concept of online learning in the spring and are concerned about how this will work in just a few weeks.
She is working with families right now to come up with a plan as we approach this school year.
She says some parents she speaks with are considering shifting schools, home schooling, or even private tutoring in lieu of school.
**As we all try to figure out getting back to school in the middle of a pandemic, we invite you to join our Facebook group Q13 News: Your Education Destination to interact with our team of journalist parents and other families in your community.**
And those decisions are based on the stress that families, and especially kids, are feeling about online learning and spending so much time at home.
“There’s an increase in emotions and disruptive behaviors because kids are feeling like things are out of control. There’s a lot of anxiety,” said Benaroya. “They’re sad, they’re not eating, they’re not sleeping. All of those things that are some kind of form of depression, and anxiety is going to resurface again.”
She says parents should be on the lookout for behavior changes. They may mean your child needs additional support and intervention.
Benaroya also says it is also vital to create structure through routine during online learning. She says kids do best when they know what to expect. They have a routine when they go to school, and they should also have a routine when learning at home.
She also encourages parents to help their kids check out from the computer, take breaks, and get exercise.
“Think about what kids can do during these breaks or how they’re going to connect with friends or get a snack,” said Benaroya. “Giving some direction is going to be really key because kids aren’t aware of these specific needs.”
She also says parents will do best with their kids if they are also taking care of themselves, and modeling good self-care.
For more of Melissa’s parenting tips, click here.