TEACHERS’ DAY: Third of parents say they respect and appreciate teachers a lot more

Research highlights a surge in respect and appreciation for teachers among parents, following months of homeschooling.  

Commissioned by Clarks, a survey of 1,000+ UK parents of children aged 4-18 found:

• 3 in 10 parents said they respect and appreciate teachers a lot more since their experience of homeschooling.
• Over a third (36%) contacted their children’s teachers directly for help with homeschooling. Meanwhile, half (52%) turned to Google, 43% used online education resources like BBC Bitesize, and nearly a quarter (24%) used virtual lessons hosted by celebrities.
• 1 in 10 parents report experiencing some level of difficulty with finding the information they need to teach their kids at home. This increases to 1 in 4 parents whose children are studying GCSEs and A Levels, indicating there may have been fewer homeschooling provisions readily supplied for older children, despite being at a crucial academic stage.
• Nearly 23% remarked on how easily adults forget what they learned at school. More than a quarter of parents said they’ve come to realise just how much the curriculum has changed since they were at school themselves.

Furthermore, analysis of Google search trends over the homeschooling period shows Brits’ apparent lack of knowledge when it comes to basic principles of core subjects, such as English and maths. ‘What is a verb’ is Googled a staggering 40,500 times a month on average. In maths, searches for ‘what is a factor in maths’ have surged nearly 2,500% since April 2019.

https://www.clarks.co.uk/insight/most-searched-homeschooling-questions.