It’s almost the end of the school year. The kids have BEEN over it, and so are you. But how do we get through the next few weeks until school is “out?” Maybe your child has 12-month schooling on their IEP, and you are trying to grapple with what summer may look like. Maybe summer camps are out for the foreseeable future, and you need some sort of structure during the day.
In a time of uncertainty in the future of schooling, what are some practical steps to apply right now so that their young minds don’t hate learning forever? Hopefully, these tips from an educator who has been distance teaching for the last couple of months can serve you well.
1. Routines over Resources
Students went from having a daily, structured routine at school to dealing with working from home with new sites, technologies, resources, and educational companies.
Although these shiny programs might seem novel and exciting at first, losing structure is difficult for children. Previously, they followed a regular but flexible schedule so they could predict what was next. But now, the very thing that they were dependent on has crumbled without warning.
So don’t be afraid to abandon something that’s not working. Know that as great as these online programs are, you don’t have to use all of them. For children, especially in this pandemic, maintaining routines is more important than navigating resources.
Set up a routine that works for your family and helps your children feel like there is some sense of control in the midst of a season in which there is an overwhelming feeling of loss of control. That routine will look different for each family and each person. It may mean setting up a schedule broken up by developmentally appropriate time blocks for different activities. It may mean reserving certain hours for school work and not doing school work beyond that set time frame. It may mean doing certain subjects on certain days and not others.
A schedule and structure are not restricting. If anything, they provide a sense of security.
2. Take several breaks
In a typical school day, a student takes breaks throughout the day — whether it is transitioning in the hallways, going from one class to another, or getting up to get supplies needed for a classroom activity. Some are scheduled, some are not.
When our sense of time has become warped (I mean, do we really know what day it is off the top of our heads?), it is best to schedule these breaks in. Most of all, children need to know they can take these breaks. They should have autonomy over making a small decision like taking a break.
In school, some of our learners have difficulty expressing that they need a break and were learning how to express that they need a break using their words instead of actions. So don’t hesitate in asking if your child needs a break. And if they do, let them take a break. You can set clear, developmentally appropriate expectations on what that break looks like (e.g. stretches, an agreed-upon measure of time, a walk, doing something non-academic, etc.). They need to know that they have options, that they are allowed to take breaks, and that you believe breaks are healthy.
3. Create a designated work station
In school, our youngest students are usually in classrooms that have designated areas/centers for different parts of their day (e.g. math center, reading area, writing table, play area, lunchroom, etc.). Our older students usually travel from classroom to classroom for each subject. So it’s disorienting when those spaces aren’t clearly distinguishable, for example if the math teacher shows up in the history classroom.
Now the physical boundaries between school and home have blurred significantly. Students were able to compartmentalize their lives to some degree, but now that’s not possible.
So create a designated work station to help create clearer boundaries. This will look different for you based on what you have access to in your homes. Maybe it’s a specific room just for school work. Maybe it’s a specific table and chair. Maybe it’s a specific side of a table.
If you have limited space, a specific place mat on your dining table just for school work that is removed when you’re eating can create a physical and tangible boundary for children if space is limited.
Whatever it is, make sure that the area you designate for school work is used only for exactly that, as much as possible.
4. Take days off if need be
We are all trying to survive a global pandemic. We have become far more acquainted with grief and trauma than we ever would have wished. Some people want to maintain some sense of “normalcy” so they’ve been powering through distance learning every single day since schools closed.
But even in the longest stretch of continuous school days, we still have a day off here and there whether it’s for a holiday or a sick day. It’s okay to let teachers know that your child will be taking a day off during this distance learning period if they need it.
5. Encourage your children. They need it and so do you.
Praise and words of encouragement can be so reassuring and affirming on a regular day; imagine its effects in the middle of a pandemic! It’s highly likely that the kind of words of encouragement you got when you were in school was along the ambiguous, unspecific lines of “Great job!” “Good work!” “Way to go!”
But repetitive, unspecific praise doesn’t go a long way. Try to be specific. “I really like how you colored here.” “That’s a very interesting/informative sentence.” “I can tell you worked really hard on this assignment.” It shows that you notice their efforts and you care. We all, in one way or another, want to be seen.
6. Breathe & extend grace to your kids and yourself
There are going to be many days you feel like you’re at your wit’s end. You probably have had several already. Breathe. You just took on another job without any training and you are probably trying the best you can to maintain a certain standard.
Don’t stress out. You are not slacking as a parent/guardian. You are keeping our learners safe and healthy so that they can keep learning and growing to exist in a future that we yearn for. Whenever possible, extend an extra measure of grace to your kids and yourself. We are all desperately in need of grace, in more ways than one.
7. Have fun
School isn’t meant to be awful. Learning isn’t supposed to be stagnant and boring. Fun is interspersed throughout the school experience through special events, pleasurable activities, jokes with friends, and so much more. In a stressful time such as this, we need as much fun as we can get. If it’s not planned, it won’t get done. Plan fun things into each day. Laughter is great medicine, and we need it more than ever.
There’s no telling what life will look like in the months to come. There are so many variables in play, including where you reside. One thing that’s certain is that our lives are forever changed. We don’t know what school will look like and when they’ll even safely reopen. In the meantime, our main priorities are to stay safe and well. That applies to us in every possible way – especially physically, emotionally, mentally, and relationally.
Dear parent/guardian, I’m sure you’re exhausted. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed. You have been doing, and continue to do, an incredible job trying to adjust. Distance learning looks different for everyone, but hopefully some of these tips will help provide some sanity in the midst of our crazy new reality.
P.S. If you/your child has already finished (or even graduated!) and could care less about distance learning, CONGRATULATIONS! It’s far from how you wanted to end this school year, but you did it! You should be very proud!