It’s 6.30am, and the alarm is going off. Wake up, shower, pack lunch and school books, find bus money, run out of the door, run back in the door to pick up that forgotten PE kit, just make the bus, sit on the bus, walk to school, make it just in time for the bell and registration. Sound familiar? Early starts and the mad rush to get to school, let alone making pickups from after school clubs, dinner, and fitting in homework, are part and parcel of many children’s school experience. Combined with growing class sizes, and disruption in lessons, this daily routine can leave students feeling drained of energy, and unable to pay attention in class or complete homework, or attend after school clubs.
Mornings with online schooling are smooth and stress free, and mean that students don’t have to get up so early. Here is an insight into what a day as on online student looks like:
8.25: Log on 5 minutes early for the first lesson of the day, using the online classroom. Here students can check the announcements on the school noticeboard, and their own timetable to see what lessons they have for the day.
8.30: The earliest lessons start at 8.30 in the morning. Students enter the online classroom and are welcomed by their subject teacher. Our teachers qualified and experienced primary and secondary school teachers, and many are lecturers at universities around the world. They have experience in working with young people with a variety of needs.
9.30 The lesson ends at 9.30. Students have seen their teacher on the webcam, and discussed the topic with them using the microphone on their headset. Teachers use a shared whiteboard or screen to teach, as well as other engaging methods such as quizzes, websites, texting, presentations, and physical textbooks that are sent to students. All lessons are recorded so that students can watch them back afterwards.
10.30 Students finish their second lesson of the day Lessons are highly interactive due to small class sizes, and students are able to interact with others in the classroom, which creates a friendly environment for them to enter. Teachers facilitate discussions within lessons, and monitor how pupils interact with each other. Disruptions are eliminated due to the small numbers of pupils, and this really allows teachers to personalise their teaching to the students needs, and give them a lot of feedback on their learning.
2.30 Most classes finish in the early afternoon, freeing up time for extra curricular activities and homework. Teachers set a piece of homework after every lesson, which has to be completed within the week. It is uploaded to the online school website, meaning that the student can complete it and upload it there, instead of sending emails back and forth. Teachers mark the homework online, see who has done it, and provide feedback for each piece.
3.00 Students are free to pursue sports, hobbies, socialising, do homework, or extra curricular activities after school ends, without having to travel back on the bus, or wait for a lift from a parent or guardian.
In summary: more sleep, less stress, no need for a rushed school run, an earlier finish, more interactive feedback from teachers, learning the accredited national curriculum, qualified experienced teachers, a diverse range of creative teaching methods, less distractions in the classroom, and the chance to spend more time pursuing extra curricular activities. Why don’t you give it a try?