I had informed parents that the homework was going to seem a little different. Mostly I just wanted to prepare them for the fact that the students were going to use the computer and develop note-taking at home. I received some responses, mostly encouraging. Some parents were aware of the Khan academy and supported my taking intiative to do something new. A few asked questions regarding catching up on homework because they were taking their kids out a few days early before March Break vacation. Flipping the classes was very handy for that. The student could catch up while away - wifi is everywhere - or upon return to Canada. No extra work for me - the lessons were online, as well as practice because I was also using the material for content in the D2L course. I have to say, Flipping the Classroom is great for this.
I did, however, receive one heated email that made me question whether this was worth the bother. The parent misunderstood my intentions and assumed that I was not teaching the children at all, just posting lessons and assigning tasks. He threatened to complain about me to the superintendant and the Ministry of Education. Ironically, I was asked by the 21C inquiry group to do this and it is probably funded by the Ministry of Education. Fortunately for me, my principal and vice-principal were very supportive of me and we tread delicately with this parent. The waters were calmed and I was good to proceed. However, I did learn that although I know education needs major changes for today's world, not everyone is comfortable with it and I have to be prepared for some push-back.
In the end, I decided to move forward. I know that I would never jeopardize my students' learning and I always put them first.
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