The Catawba County Parenting Network has had success over the years with its parenting classes. However, it wanted to make classes available to a larger audience. It is doing so with its first online class.
“Parents are so busy,” said Metaleen Thomas, Active Parenting Now coordinator with the Parenting Network, and instructor for the class. “Stopping your life to go to a two-hour class, even if there is free childcare there, is tough.”
The web class is designed so parents can go online for the class information each week at their convenience, with no set time.
The Parenting Network is offering its Active Parenting Now class as its first online class, due in part because of its popularity, said Lisa Doucette, marketing and public relations coordinator for the organization.
“We have had a lot of experience with the Active Parenting Now curriculum, as we have offered it to parents for about 10 years, and we have had very good feedback from parents as a result of their participation,” she said. “We wanted to also ensure that we chose a curriculum our facilitators are well versed in and have much experience teaching.”
Thomas has had plenty of experience teaching, both online and in person. She is a former professor at Caldwell Community College, Lenoir-Rhyne University and Appalachian State University and has taught parenting classes for the Parenting Network. Thomas said she was one of the first to teach online classes at Caldwell Community College.
Information is posted online once a week, from Sept. 20 through Oct. 30, and is designed to help parents of children ages 3 to 12 learn to avoid power struggles and to help children with cooperation, responsibility, courage and self-esteem. The class includes online lessons, activities, discussions and interactions with Thomas and the other people in the class. Participants also get an Active Parenting Now parent’s guide.
“I also make sure the students have my phone number, just in case,” Thomas said.
She hopes she has a class of about 12 students, although as many as 15 can enroll, which she said is ideal for an online class — too many more, and she can’t give the students the individual attention required in an online setting.
For more information or to register, call the Parenting Network at 465-8151, or go to www.catawbaparenting.com.
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