Hi friends!
I know online teaching gets a bad rap at times, for a good reason. It's tough to become a successful online teacher overnight. It can sometimes feel like you're an actress without having any lines to read or how you feel after graduating from college when you first enter the classroom. It can be challenging. But there are so many benefits that stem from teaching online.
The ones who benefit the most are students who are not close to a dyslexia practitioner or specialist and struggling readers that don't get the support they need from their school systems. I feel that we will have even more students like this in the summer.
Here are the top benefits that students receive from online teaching:
Continued Services: Whether a student relocates to France, like mine has, or goes on vacation, students can still receive services. They do not need to be interrupted. This is important to maintain consistency with their learning goals. They also won't have to establish a new relationship with another teacher. A benefit for you is that your income will not be affected, even if you want to travel. Flexibility and consistency with their child's learning also give peace of mind to families.
Accessibility: Depending on where a student lives, they may not have access to a qualified teacher. This could be due to a lack of services in their area. Fortunately, teachers can now ZOOM right into the student's living room and provide support services. I've met families that drive their children three hours to a specialist, and now they have services brought to them! Happy families, students, and teachers! 😊
Further Support: Traditional tutoring is usually planned during 3-7 pm. Those can be stressful hours. Either the students have just gotten home from school, it's right before or after dinner, or it's just been a long day for the children. If we can reach them during other times of the day or on different days, like early in the morning, they are more likely to be rested and more capable of acquiring the concepts and skills we are trying to teach them.
Flexibility: How many times have you heard a student wish they could participate in extracurricular activities or go on a play date with friends, but they have tutoring? Online teaching provides a more flexible schedule and gives back these moments to these children. When you teach privately, you are in control of the learning hours.
A Calmer Teacher: Traffic is stressful. You don't want to be stuck in traffic on your way to your student's home, and the families sure don't want to be stuck in traffic on their way to yours. Most tutoring is scheduled during traffic hours. As more people return to working from their offices, traffic worsens. Being consistently late to students' homes can impact your future with your students. Online teaching and tutoring relieve the stress of being late and stuck in traffic. Calm teacher engages more with their students. They are more focused and plan better lessons. This all benefits students.
There are other benefits to teaching online that I'll discuss in a later blog. I see online teaching as a silver lining of this crazy year we've all lived through. What I mean is that more and more dyslexia practitioners are online and able to support kids no matter their location. It not only gives students flexibility in how they learn, but it also gives teachers flexibility in how they teach.
I hope this email helps you see how important online teaching and tutoring are for students. I would love for you to share a positive side you've seen with your students or experienced yourself with online teaching. Comment and share below. Or, reach out to me if you need help with any aspect of online teaching.
Come back on Thursday for a link to another FREE resource I'm sharing with the Read to Rewire Community!
Have a great week!
👩🏻💻🌎Michelle