Keep Calm and Parent On

motherworkingfromhomewithkids-quarantineandclosedschool

By: Gordon Beinstein

We are not naive to the impact this pandemic has had on each and every one of our families. There are economic, relational, academic, and health stressors that weigh heavily on all of us. EVERY family is feeling the weight. With all that is going on right now, It would be reasonable to ask why schools need to assign ANY work to the kids? Why are we potentially adding to the anxiety of the household?

The answer is simple – structure. In times such as these, the more familiar and real we make it for all of us the saner the world appears. Yes, we are assigning the work and providing feedback because we want the children to learn the content and the skills appropriate for their grade level, but we also want them preoccupied with pre-algebra and the causes of the Civil War rather than on death rates and contamination simulations.

We are preaching balance. Part of your child’s day should be spent on academics as it would be had they been in school. The majority of their waking hours will be spent playing and bonding with family. Our company line has been about 30 min per subject per day which should equate to about 3 hours of work. As distance learning is new to both kids and staff, and knowing that no two children attack their schoolwork the same way, it is easy for our teachers to both overestimate and underestimate how long a particular task may take. Do what you can to support your child’s school work during this extended closure, but do NOT let it tear apart your family as you fight over missed assignments and increased frustration over misunderstood tasks. If it’s overwhelming…STOP! Have your child send the teachers an email stating what assignments they couldn’t get to complete or start. The goal is to normalize the day, not to destabilize it.

I am also aware that your child being home, while potentially joyous on paper, can become incredibly worrisome, tiresome and burdensome very quickly. This is true whether you are going to work and leaving your children at home or attempting to work from home while overseeing your children’s academic and fun activities for the day. Do what you can to support your child academically, but don’t forget their emotional state AND yours. If you are feeling the stress, they are as well and are likely less well equipped to handle it. When this is all over, your children will not remember anything about the pandemic; they will recall how the family managed it. Stay calm and parent on!

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