The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world on its head. Everyday life is going to be very different for the foreseeable future.
With kids out of school, many parents are struggling to pull double duty as teachers. But according to experts, they should take this pressure off themselves.
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In many areas, schools are a no-go zone.
While the closures vary from state to state and country to country, the reason behind them makes sense: schools are a breeding ground for illness, and COVID-19 is highly contagious.
What are the alternatives?
In many instances, teachers can perform their duties remotely. But they can’t directly supervise or tutor individual kids as easily. In these cases, at least some of the responsibility is shouldered by parents.
Where do you even begin?
Most parents still have a job to do, even if it’s now being done remotely. What’s more, most parents haven’t gone to teachers’ college. It’s tough to add “full-time teacher” to your job description.
Lots of parents just aren’t doing it.
The news is full of stories shared by parents who have decided not to add the stress of homeschooling to their plates.
“We all need to just get through the day at this point,” said parent Tova Stulman, . “Being on top of their schedules and trying to do my work remotely – something’s gotta give.”
Is it necessary?
Education expert Kate Wynn says , “I surveyed a lot of teachers on this, and the overwhelming response was not to worry too much about sitting down at the table, paper-and-pencil kind of work.”
There are lots of alternatives.
Clare Brett, chair of the University of Toronto’s department of curriculum, teaching and learning, said , especially for younger kids, other activities might work better than traditional schooling and take the pressure off both child and parent.
Kids don’t have to be at a desk in order to learn.
“Do some cooking and use math while you’re cooking — how many of these, how much does that weigh — and try to do it more as an interaction,” suggested Brett.
“You can also use it as a treat. If you have to work from home, you can say, when the clock gets to here, we can do this.”
Don’t pressure yourself.
Stress is almost unavoidable during this difficult time, so it’s important not to add the unnecessary anxiety that home schooling could add to your life, along with your children’s.
We’re all in the same boat.
Whenever schools re-open again, every student will be in the same position and will have been off school for the same length of time. It’s hard to imagine that teachers would rush kids.
It’s all about getting through this.
Most day-to-day activities have been affected by the pandemic, and this state of affairs will persist to some degree for months. We need to cut ourselves some slack and be kind.
Let us know how you’re doing in the comments!
