We cannot say enough good things about teachers. Teaching is difficult and sometimes thankless work that comes after years of schooling and preparation for the role. Regardless of grade level, these people take on the responsibility of molding young minds and preparing them for the future. It's no easy feat, but year after year, they deliver.
Appreciation for teachers is at an all-time high right now. As more parents take on the difficult task of assisting in their children's education, they're realizing how many hats teachers wear.
To find out more about parents' newfound appreciation for teachers, Osmo teamed up with OnePoll to survey 2,000 parents at home with their school-age children during COVID-19. Of the families surveyed, half have one or both parents working from home.
The findings are pretty surprising. Many of those parents feel teaching is more complicated than their own jobs. They also feel that teachers deserve a raise and heightened recognition for the work they do.
Parents across the country find themselves in the home stretch of homeschooling. Many schools across the country will wrap up their academic year in the coming weeks. It's a relief to parents who are trying to fill the role of teachers as families stay at home.
Osmo, a company that makes hands-on learning games in which players use objects in the real world to interact with the digital world shown on their devices, decided to find out more about what parents are experiencing. They recently conducted a survey with OnePoll of 2,000 parents at home with their school-age children during COVID-19. They looked to examine the realities of keeping kids occupied and engaged while in self-isolation.
It's no surprise that many of the parents surveyed are finding themselves in over their heads. Half of the parents are in households where either one or both parents are working from home on top of wrangling the kids. Seven in 10 of the parents surveyed believe that teaching is harder than their own jobs.
Four in five parents confessed to having a newfound respect for teachers. They're now realizing what it takes to educate a classroom full of children, each with their own needs and whims. In fact, 77% of parents believe that teachers deserve a raise after spending some time in their shoes.
"We’re happy to hear so many parents saying they appreciate teachers more, and have greater respect for them," says Jan Richards, Osmo’s head of education.
For parents working from home, this adjustment has been particularly difficult. Seven in 10 parents working from home feel that keeping their children occupied is hindering their work performance. Three in four have found balancing their job with their children’s education "overwhelming."
Parents are trying to utilize all the resources they can to keep kids on track. Two-thirds have resorted to workbooks and worksheets to instill knowledge in their kids. Educational TV shows are next, with 61% of parents relying on them.
STEM has changed what parents are prioritizing when it comes to their kids' educations. Mathematics (67%), science (64%), and reading (57%) are the top skills that parents want kids to stay on top of. Interestingly, many parents have rediscovered the significance of physical education, music, and art.
"The data validates the importance for STEAM companies to keep delivering more learning content, especially during these unusual times," says Osmo CEO Pramod Sharma.
Parents are also hoping that by staying connected with teachers, children will be more incentivized to learn. When it comes to making sure their children video conference with their teachers, 56% of parents feel it's important. One in two is additionally reading aloud to their children, and 37% are hoping that educational games on tablets and mobile devices will bridge gaps.
Coming up with ideas to keep kids occupied is another area of concern for many parents. Four in five wish they had more engaging and fun activities for their kids. Two-thirds confess they’re running out of ideas to keep kids busy.
The most popular ways to keep kids entertained are throwbacks to our own childhoods. Some parents are turning to art, with drawing (54%) and painting (42%) being popular ways to pass time. Nearly half of the families surveyed have been spending time playing board games. Outdoor play and hide-and-seek are also utilized by nearly half the families surveyed.
Of course, technology is still doing a lot of the heavy work of entertaining. TV and movies are the preferred way to pass time for 63% of families. When it comes to tablets and mobile devices, 48% are gaming on those to break up their day.
In the beginning, parents believed schedules would be the key to staying sane during this time at home. Of the parents surveyed, 77% wished they had a more established schedule in place for their families. Two-thirds have some sort of a daily schedule, and 93% of those parents believe it helps create a sense of normalcy.
Many of these parents are looking ahead to the future with concerns. They believe the extended time away from the classroom will adversely impact their kids, both educationally and socially. Three in four worry their child will fall behind on education milestones.
Every family is doing what they can to get by during this time. It's important to remember that no two families' approaches to education or entertainment will look the same. The best support we can give each other is reserving judgment and sharing helpful ideas.
