by Lauren Walsh, Capacity Building AmeriCorps Member

This pandemic has been a time to get creative with how we handle our daily lives. The Franklin Grand Isle Bookmobile has transitioned from in-person story times and programming to virtual events and contactless book deliveries. We also know that the families in our community have had to adapt to virtual learning, something most of us have never been trained to do. Here are some tips to help you, your child, and our educators come out of this pandemic with positive learning experiences:

 Consistency

Create an “office” that will act as your child’s learning space for the duration of remote learning. It is incredibly difficult to learn in a space that is meant for other functions. For example, attending class while in bed, a place meant for sleeping, could have a negative impact on retention of the material. Make sure this is a space with minimized distractions (this includes unnecessary technology and gadgets) and let your child have creative control over it. They should truly feel like it is their space. It may also help to have them set up close enough to where you are stationed so you can frequently check in and make sure they are staying on track.

Setting up a routine is just as essential as creating a space to work in. First, your children should get ready for the day as if they were actually going to school. Following your typical morning routine will help everyone be more energized and focused. It is also helpful to make a visual of their weekly schedule, whether that’s a calendar, a planner, or whatever works best for you and your child(ren). Movement breaks, snack breaks and general break time should be included in the daily routine. We’ve all begun to realize that remote working means eye strain, back pain, and stiff legs. Help your child learn to recognize how their body is feeling and create breaks around these times.

Finally, make sure your child knows what their expectations and goals are. Communicate with their teachers about what the classroom expectations are and go from there with creating your own.  

Make it Fun

Getting your child to do homework and enjoy school may have been difficult before this pandemic began, so remote learning comes with added challenges. For younger children, try turning tasks into games and competitions whenever possible. For older children, try making connections between hobbies they love with topics they don’t love. When I was younger, Mike Lupica was able to get many student athletes to start reading with his sports-focused young adult novels. Find something similar that can help your child enjoy their least favorite part of school.

 Empathy

Creating a foundation based on empathy is the key for yourself and your child to have a positive working environment. No one was prepared for this pandemic to happen, so making sure everyone creates a space of forgiveness and wiggle room within themselves is so important. Parents, try not to get too frustrated with yourselves, you likely did not go to school to become an educator. It is okay to feel frustrated with everything. Make sure you give yourself  and the rest of your family credit for all the small wins throughout the day. Focusing on the positive moments will help you to show compassion to your children, your partner and even yourself. This is a hard time for them and everything that was once a normal part of their coming of age has been put on hold or taken away.

We all know that being a teenager, and even raising teenagers, is difficult. This pandemic may cause an increase in those “bad attitudes,” because these are actually expressions of feelings like frustration and boredom. It is easier said than done, but when you find yourself in unexplained conflict with your teen, or even younger children, try to stay calm and not let it get to you. This behavior could be their way of saying they’re having a tough time with all of these changes and they don’t know what to do.

Independence

Going to school is a time for your child to be away from home and “do their own thing.” Remote learning takes away one of the many places they can claim as theirs, so show them that their life is still their own. Begin by creating a plan that includes your child’s opinions about how they want to start their day. It is important that they have input in their own schedule, which will help ease frustration and increase productivity. It’s also okay to teach them independence by not teaching too much. Have your children take control of their learning by allowing them to struggle through it and problem solve before you step in.

You should also figure out a way to help your child maintain their friendships. This could mean being more relaxed about social media usage (when class is not in session), virtual study sessions, or scheduled video chats.

Children with Special Needs

While this pandemic has been difficult for everyone to adjust to, it has been particularly hard for children with learning disabilities and special needs. There are certain tools you can use to make assignments easier, like Read Aloud or text-to-speech, for children that struggle with reading. Speech-to-text is equally useful for those that struggle with writing. Set some time aside to observe your child while they learn. Determine how much time they can spend learning while still being engaged and what helps them focus, then build these into their schedule

We hope these tips help make remote learning run a little bit smoother for you, wherever you are in the Green Mountain State.