Wakefield teacher holds virtual classes to empower parents through their homeschooling journey

In March last year, Wakefield teacher Quita Clapison was all set to begin teaching her own extracurricular classes to help local youngsters learn reading and phonics in a fun way.
Quita (left) has dedicated her lockdown time to teaching children and empowering parents through their homeschooling journeyQuita (left) has dedicated her lockdown time to teaching children and empowering parents through their homeschooling journey
Quita (left) has dedicated her lockdown time to teaching children and empowering parents through their homeschooling journey

She joined ‘The Story Frog Phonics’, a franchise that holds interactive sessions across the UK to support parents with their children’s imaginative and academic development through play and engaging activities.

However, lockdown came into effect just as Quita was set to start her first class, so she had to quickly adapt her classes online.

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And with many children having to be homeschooled by their guardians, Quita has since dedicated her time to helping parents get the most out of homeschooling, as well as their children.

Quita said: “Unfortunately I never got to start my face to face classes as planned, which was such a shame because I had lots of kids parents booked.

“I started them online which went down so surprisingly well despite it being a massive difference to what I’m used to.

“I was a bit worried because children don't have ability to concentrate for long so I had to make sure the sessions were extra fun and engaging because children learn best when they’re playing, having fun and engaged.”

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Quita emphasises the importance of multi sensory play and the hands on experience in a classroom setting that many preschool and key stage one children will miss out on due to the pandemic.

Her aim with the virtual classes is to support parents, carers and guardians to make home learning as effective and engaging as possible for their children.

Quita said: “It’s important parents understand their children's school work because then they can both get the most out of the process.

“It’s so empowering for parents to know what their kids are doing at school, it’s particularly hard for parents as many of us didn’t learn to read with phonics.

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“Lots of kids missed out on their first few months at nursery where many of them first learn sounds and how to read.

“It’s normal as a parent to think your children will fall behind , but the only thing kids fall behind on is their confidence, whether it’s in themselves or around other children.

“The children's classes help kids to get that confidence they are in lacking if they haven't done phonics or reading - they’re like sponges, they take everything in at such a great capacity.

“It can be hard for parents to understand what their children are learning in a classroom environment, so these classes also give them a better insight to support and encourage their child.”

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As well as reading and phonics exercises, the classes include games, songs and nursery rhymes to aid language development and speaking skills.

After a few successful virtual adult and child classes with The Story Frog Phonics, Quita says she is determined to create a strong sense of community in these difficult times.

“My aim for these virtual classes is to introduce a love of stories and learning while demonstrating to parents how important these skills are for their children's development.

“The goal is to set up a community in this area made up of people who want to help their children and can come to me to give them advice and tackle anything that’s on their mind.

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“Anything along the lines of learning, but also tackling concerns they have about their child's speech and stability.

“If parents have the time to do full on learning, obviously their child will be ahead of the game but it’s not as easy as that at the moment with the pandemic.

“In my opinion, the main thing parents can do is to encourage, praise, engage and play with their children just as often as they possibly can.

“As parents, we play such an important role in our children's lives, we are their first teachers.”

Get in touch with Quita about The Story Frog Phonics classes by visiting the website, Facebook page or her email address [email protected]

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