10 Successful Virtual School Tips for Students and Parents

Virtual School came into our lives well before the 2020 Pandemic. Our children attended the local elementary school for a while. In 2012, the state had begun a new curriculum. At the first parent-teacher conference, the teacher explained that we would not be seeing any letter or numerical grades this year. Questions poured out of us as we tried to wrap our minds around how this system works!

Meanwhile, our daughter was bored at school. Our son had already experienced a setback earlier, which is another story that had us considering homeschooling. We began to look into other options seriously. I researched many different methods of learning at home. I could teach the boxed curriculum, homeschool co-ops, and online school. We decided to enroll in South Carolina Connections Academy, a virtual school. 

What is Virtual School?

Virtual School is also known as an online school. They are structured the same as “brick and mortar” schools. There are teachers, counselors, and administration. The schedule often follows a local school district’s calendar.

Students attend lessons with the teachers online. There are lessons assigned to complete each school day. Students test according to the state’s guidelines. The only difference is your child is at home and has more flexibility.

Is Virtual School different than traditional homeschooling?

Yes, in an actual homeschool environment, the parent controls what the child learns from home. Some states may, however, have curriculum requirements. The parent can purchase a curriculum and teach it at that child’s learning pace. They can school year-round if they want.

A virtual school is often affiliated with a public school district in the area. Some are charter schools supported by the state. For these reasons, they are usually free of tuition. Virtual school is a public school attended online. Teachers grade the students’ work, and the school keeps the records, unlike traditional homeschool. Also, students must complete the work within the school calendar year.

Because there are deadlines, let’s get to making the virtual school run more like a machine than a circus! Below are tips for students, parents, and those working with elementary students.

Virtual School Tips to Help Students

1)Have a Schedule:  Know when you will begin each day. It does not have to be 7:30 AM sharp. Each one of my children starts at a different time in the morning! Consistency is what is essential. Your days will go much smoother, and assigned work will get completed.

It is also imperative for students to get their sleep. They focus better and work more efficiently when they have the rest needed. According to the CDC, all school-age kids should get around 9 hours of sleep. (https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html) So have a bedtime that allows 9 hours of rest.

2)Create a Work Area: While having a work area is necessary, it does not have to be elaborate. The importance of a work area is to limit distractions. It can be the kitchen table or a table in another room. Find a space that allows your learner to focus on their work.

Jonathan did best at the kitchen table. He was held accountable by anyone who may pass by, preventing some daydreaming. In contrast,e the girls did better, as they got older, in their rooms at their desks. 

We all worked together at the kitchen table for the first couple of years. While it was easier on me, working with one distracted the other two. So we adapted.

3)Use All the Resources Available: Don’t try to do everything yourself. The teachers provide resources to help in lesson completion and study materials. There are also sources on the internet to help when you are stuck, from YouTube videos to grammar checkers. Parents don’t have to know everything, but it is good to know where to get answers to their questions.

Virtual Schooling Tips for Parents

4) Manage Your Expectations: Children will not behave at home like they would in the classroom. It will take time for them to learn the routine and your expectations. Once again, having a system in place that prioritizes learning and consistency is the key.

Keep in mind all children learn differently, so don’t insist on study methods being done your way. For me, as a firm believer in note-taking, it was hard at first to understand someone who is an audible and visual learner. Figure out your student’s learning style and develop it.

5)There is Flexibility: I discovered the first year that there is more flexibility than I thought in the schedule. I got so stressed at first if every lesson did not get completed on the day assigned because I was still in the “brick and mortar” school mindset.

This flexibility means the family can take a trip, count the days as vacation, then complete the work upon return. Also, suppose an assignment takes longer to complete than the assigned due date. In that case, the student can turn in the work upon completion unless the teacher says otherwise. We always communicate with the teachers, so they to know what is happening.

6)Praise Your Students It is easy to get wrapped up in what we expect from our students, and we forget to praise them. Students need validation on what went well. A reward system is excellent for motivation. Figure out a reward they can earn for good grades at the end of the semester. We give a cash reward for the Honor Roll.

There are times a grade will not be what they wanted. If they put in the work and studied, let them know you recognize that and show them some grace. If they didn’t, use it as an opportunity to learn how to do better.

7)Communicate with the Teachers The drawback of online school is that the teacher does not see the child during lessons. They rely on the child communicating questions in the chat pod. At the same time, in a classroom environment, body language and facial expressions help show confusion. So don’t be shy about reaching out to the teacher for help when your child needs it.

An elementary teacher helped me get my daughter caught up on her reading level with resources she had access to. My older children have had to get tutored on math lessons I couldn’t figure out quickly enough to help them. Having teachers willing to work with you and the student is an excellent aspect of virtual school. I couldn’t teach everything! They outgrew me, or some subjects are taught differently now.

Virtual Learning Tips to Help Elementary Students

8)Go to Live Lessons When my children were in the elementary grades, they noticed not everyone went to the teacher lead virtual live lessons. I saw they understood the material better when the classes were attended. The school encouraged participation because students who attended made better grades. 

In these virtual meetings, the teachers address important material and/or material that students have not understood. These lessons also provide an opportunity to interact with the teachers and other students. They give structure to the school day as well. 

9)Take Breaks Young children cannot labor through a full day of work without taking breaks. In the “brick and mortar” school, these breaks are worked into the day. Some super-organized parents can make a schedule with breaks included to follow that I genuinely admire. 

But for those that muddle through like myself, figure out a lunchtime to take each day at least. Other breaks may automatically come as one lesson is completed and you transition to the next one. I worked with my kids because they tend to get distracted and chase rabbits. I would allow them those breaks in the day and then reel them back in to focus on work. Some days it was like a well-oiled machine. Other days I felt like a taskmistress trying to keep the focus on the work at hand. 

10)Keep the Child’s Attention Span in Mind In elementary you work more one-on-one with the student learning the material. The older they get, the more they work on their own. The ability to work at their own pace is a massive benefit to virtual school.

You know your student and how they learn better than anyone. When the material is hard for your child to understand, step back and regroup rather than both of you getting frustrated. This is when I let my kids move on to another subject while I look for a better approach to teaching the lesson or get the help of a teacher.