MANY parents of young children might wonder what online school is like in Grade R – and what better way to find out than from another real parent who has taken the leap? Marelise de Beer shares her experiences with online schooling.
The family opted for online schooling after the Covid-19 pandemic. They enrolled their Grade 8 son with Teneo a year ago. “It was surprising but he is so happy, he never wants to go back to normal school again.”
When it became time for their middle child, Luan, to start school, Marelise just couldn’t see herself becoming his teacher, and other schools in the area were more than 60km away. “Online schooling saved us, otherwise we would have had to pack our bags for South Africa,” she says.
For Marelise, the transparency of online school was a game-changer, also with her Grade 8 son. “It’s not like regular school where you ask your child how his day was and all he’ll say is that ‘nothing happened’ or they ‘just did school work’. As parents we now have total clarity on what our child has been learning in the classroom every day. We know what was discussed in class and what homework was given. I also love that all the lessons are recorded and can be watched again.”
The school also gives each family a list of things they need to set up their children’s work spaces and stationery collections. “But what I really love is that they share the work plan with you upfront so that you know what to expect. The Learner Management Software gives parents total insight into what their child is learning."