Before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, homeschooling was actually already on the rise. In fact, approximately 4% of children in grades K-12 were being homeschooled in 2019 with an expected increase of 2%-8%. In the spring of 2020, we began a massive worldwide homeschooling experiment during which parents found themselves suddenly having to take a much greater role in their children’s education. 

This experiment has brought about some interesting changes to the educational system, some of which are actually making both parents and educators feel optimistic about the future of education. Many felt reform was needed to help keep up with a changing world, and while many reforms often take years, some changes were made within days out of sheer necessity. 

A Changing World: The Future of Education

The pandemic has been a catalyst for changes that will likely have lasting effects on education. Parents have been plunged headfirst into homeschooling and are discovering the many challenges that come with this task. At the same time, many parents are finding that there are certain aspects of homeschooling that are beneficial to their children and the family as a whole. 

Although many parents will be happy to send their children back to school, they will be sending them back into a school system that is forever altered, perhaps for the better. Other parents may have discovered a new love of having an active role in teaching their children and will want to keep their children at home either part-time or full-time. This forced homeschooling may turn into a conscious choice for many.

A New Era of Parental Involvement

One thing most teachers are intimately aware of is the fact that parental involvement is crucial for successful learning. However, even the parents that strive after this involvement may lack the capability, the resources, and the time to stay on top of all of the activities and learning. However, through the tragedy of the pandemic, more people are discovering the educational power of combining the teacher’s knowledge of educational subjects with the parent’s knowledge of, and love for, their children. 

Even for those who will not be homeschooling full-time, parents and teachers are finding ways to maximize the time that parents spend with their children at home. The good news is that Covid-19 has essentially rebooted the relationship between teachers and lower-income communities and has given many parents, including those with language and literacy challenges, the confidence that they needed to have a greater role in their children’s education. 

Working From Home Brings New Opportunities

Schooling is not the only thing that has been permanently changed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many businesses are beginning to see the benefits of having their employees work from home. In many cases, working remotely saves money while also boosting productivity. In fact, experts are predicting that many employees will continue to work from home even after the threat of the pandemic has passed. 

With more parents working from home, opportunities are opening up for homeschooling as well. The necessity of childcare may be reduced, and many parents will actively choose to transition some or all of their children’s education to a home setting. Better access to online learning means that even those parents who are not equipped to teach can still give their children access to quality education with passionate teachers while also keeping them at home. 

Benefits of Homeschooling

Over the past few weeks, many parents have found that there are benefits to homeschooling that can make it a desirable option. And it isn’t just affluent families who are finding the option appealing. Childcare for young children can prove to be more expensive than one parent staying at home, and some parents are finding creative and affordable resources to make homeschooling under the poverty line both enriching and beneficial. 

What Time of Day is Best for Your Child?

Not every child learns best during typical school hours. Some students may work better early in the morning, while others are more focused during the evening hours. Many parents have discovered their children’s natural tendencies during the lockdown as their children gravitate towards a certain time of day for their studies. 

Homeschooling means that parents can revolve the school day around what makes sense for their child’s natural schedule. This can mean more focus and less distraction, leader to greater productivity, and more time for other activities. 

Catering to Your Child’s Learning Style

Children have different natural strengths as well as different learning styles. An educational system does a hands-on learner a disservice if it makes that child sit in a desk all day, while other children may thrive with this sort of calm structure. 

Homeschool parents can adapt lessons and testing to the child’s learning style to help them learn the material in a way that suits them best. Even small changes, such as giving tests orally, can make a difference for some students. 

Setting up the Room for Success

Whether you are homeschooling by choice or by necessity, the environment where learning takes place is an important part of successful learning. A few simple changes in the room can help improve focus and boost productivity, creativity, and curiosity. 

Affordable Materials

When making homeschooling available to families of many different income levels, the affordability of supplies is incredibly important. Many families do not have the money to purchase expensive materials, and it takes some creativity to turn a normal room into a haven for learning while sticking to a strict budget. 

Whiteboards: A Catalyst for Successful Home Learning

The distinguishing feature of most classrooms is the whiteboard. Whether they are using it for instruction or review, the teacher may spend the majority of their time in front of the class on the whiteboard. They can be incredibly useful, and a desirable object in a homeschool space. 

However, whiteboards can be expensive, unwieldy, and impractical. In addition, they are not ideal for those who need the space to be versatile and available for multiple different purposes. Thankfully, white board paint is an affordable solution that meets all the requirements of versatility, convenience, and practicality. 

Dry erase paint turns any wall into a whiteboard that can be written on and erased again and again. It is easy to apply, dries within 48 hours, and creates a stunning surface that works seamlessly into the decor of the room. 

Paint Color Choices Contributing to Learning

There has been some study on the colors that best contribute to learning. The goal of painting a room is to provide the right amount of stimulation. A color that is too bright or strong can lead to overstimulation or even anxiety in children. However, not having enough color in a room can also lead to under-stimulation. 

Many people recommend using muted or warm primary or secondary colors for younger students such as yellow, red, and orange. Older students may prefer cooler colors such as green and blue that help them concentrate and make them feel calm. Even parents of homeschoolers should consider color when painting walls with whiteboard paint. 

Clear  Vs. White

Dry erase wall paint is available in both white and clear. This gives parents the choice between a traditional white color for the whiteboard or clear paint that can go over any color. If the whiteboard needs to blend in with the rest of the room so that it can be used for other purposes, a clear paint can be used, while white paint can be good to break up an otherwise colorful room. 

Creative Ways to Use Whiteboard Walls in Homeschooling

The whiteboard can be the focal point of the homeschool classroom in many ways. Once you have used paint to create a writeable surface, your creativity is the only limit to what you can do. Here are a few ideas for how to use the whiteboard to improve the space and boost the learning experience. 

The Student as the Teacher

Many students learn better by vocalizing what they have learned. One way to solidify what a student has learned is to allow them to be the teacher. Have them stand at the whiteboard and explain the material to you, a sibling, or a friend. 

Scanning Apps to Keep Notes

The temporary medium of the whiteboard can easily become a permanent and referenceable one by using technology. Students can use a free phone app to scan the information on the whiteboard, convert it to PDF, and save it for easy reference. With this system, students will never have to fill another notebook up with notes again or lose important information. 

Use a Projector

The whiteboard can be used as a beautiful clean surface on which to project images. By mounting a projector to the wall, parents can project any information they want using their computer, and the picture can be marked as needed on the whiteboard, and then erased.

Active Games 

Whiteboards are wonderful for getting children out of their seats and keeping them active while also teaching them information. Review games such as Pictionary and Race to Answer can get kids giggling while they solidify the information that they have learned. You can also have spelling bees with the older students to see who can spell the word correctly on the board first.

Math Problems

Math problems can be a challenge to complete on regular paper. Mistakes are tedious to correct, and both the student and the parent or teacher cannot easily view it at the same time. The dry erase board makes an excellent surface for working out math problems because mistakes can be erased and reworked until the solution and process are correct. 

Thinking Beyond the Walls

Dry erase board paint can be used on virtually anything to achieve an erasable surface. Both clear and white paint can instantly turn any object into a place for notetaking, scheduling, or doodling.

Hard flooring can be coated in the paint to create a fun surface for young children to write on while playing on the floor. Additionally, desks, doors, and tables can be treated with this paint for creative notetaking or planning. Many people enjoy using the extra paint in the can to treat fun objects such as flower pots or picture frames to create small reusable whiteboards.  

A Bright Future for Homeschool

Education is changing at speeds that no one could have predicted. Within two months, students, teachers, and parents have become more proficient at using online resources and technology to learn, launching everyone into unexpected new territory. 

Although this time has been difficult for nearly everyone, many experts in the field of education are feeling hopeful and optimistic about the positive effect these new discoveries will have on the educational system. Families and teachers have been forced into greater cooperation, and technology has made some tasks easier. Not only this, but parents across the board have been given the tools for greater involvement, and the confidence to help their children to learn. 

The shift to remote working has made homeschooling a real possibility for many working parents who want to have a greater hand in their children’s education while still keeping their jobs. The Covid-19 pandemic may cause an already rising homeschooling rate to increase even more over the next couple of years. Although many parents will still choose to send their children to public school full-time, others will be making the choice to give homeschooling a try. 

Parents who decide to homeschool their children after this life-changing health crisis will find many resources available for them to help them school their children effectively and affordable. Paint can be a simple change that can make a room ready for learning and help students and parents to achieve their educational goals. 

Writey was started with a passion for providing educational and professional tools that are affordable, versatile, and creative. At our business, we fill the hole in the market for dry erase products that are effortless to install or remove, cheap to buy, and enriching for both students and professionals.