Mother and father of kids with particular wants higher ready for HBL this time, Parenting & Schooling Information & Prime Tales
Parents of children with special needs said this time they’ll be better prepared to manage the space at home or learn the technology with home-based learning (HBL) this year after learning from their experience with the Circuit breakers learned a year ago.
Still, administration director Lin Tan, 46, said she felt a little panic when she heard the announcement, even though she was expecting schools to move to HBL. She has two sons – a 13 year old with mild autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and an 11 year old with moderate ASD.
She said, “HBL was horrible last year because it was new. I was looking for space to set up a study area for my children. Since he couldn’t go out, my younger boy got bored and frustrated.
“My kids and I were all huddled together in the living room, and when he had a meltdown it really became like a war zone.”
Ms. Tan added that it was difficult to help her younger son, who needed more physical guidance and hands-on study, when she had her own job to do: “Out of 20 worksheets that his school prepared and sent him he and I only finish five. “
But she believes HBL will be better this year as it is for a shorter period of time and she plans to just do what she can. “I realize that I can’t do so much for my children without sacrificing my work. Other parents I know have similar problems but are exhausted and don’t want to push their children too hard.
“Now we more or less know what to do,” she said.
Housewife Christina Yu, 50, has a daughter, 16, who has Down syndrome and is studying at the APSN Tanglin School. The teen will be taking the workplace reading and writing test this year – an important test.
Madam Yu said, “My daughter needs a lot of suggestions and memories from her teachers. Last year assignments were given on the MC Online website. My daughter would complete it in an hour and had nothing to do for the rest of the school. This time there will be more online learning through Zoom so I’m glad there will be a communication with the teacher. “
She said her daughter is less likely to focus on schoolwork at home and even less to follow her instructions. With the lessons conducted through Zoom, she can be less involved and her daughter will also see her friends in class.
Madam Ann Sim, 43, a freelance music teacher, said she too felt better prepared than last year. Her eldest son, 13, who suffers from ASD, is taking the primary school exam.
A major stress factor last year was getting used to technology and guiding your child through technical questions. But she said, “My son will also try to be more independent this year, logging in online and navigating websites without my help.”
She added, “I feel like my husband and I micromanaged our kids too much, and that brings a lot of unnecessary stress. So this time, I’ll just adjust and let go.”
