It鈥檚 safe to say administrators and teachers aren鈥檛 the only ones feeling overwhelmed amid school closures and the worsening coronavirus outbreak.
Parents are also bearing the brunt.
With the uptick in schools relying on remote learning to keep instruction going while brick-and-mortar education is paused, many parents are having to take on a variety of new roles, from playing IT help desk to becoming makeshift teaching assistants.
For some, life at home might be more complicated than ever: parents could be juggling a brand new work-from-home scenario, potentially dealing with the sudden loss of work, or trying to manage sick family members. It all heightens the need for administrators and teachers to provide steady communication for parents during what amounts to a nationwide e-learning experiment.
And this much is clear: parents have a growing list of questions for teachers and administrators about what role to play during extended closures.
鈥淚鈥檓 hearing more and more from parents around the country that they鈥檙e not sure what to do,鈥�' said Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the Aurora Institute, formerly the International Association for K-12 Online Learning. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have clear guidance.鈥�
David Wick, president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, said teachers and administrators should be proactive with messaging by relaying some basic guidance to parents to help them deal with current challenges.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to be too simplistic with what you recommend, but learning is a very complicated task and you have to understand who the audience is,鈥� he said. 鈥�We鈥檙e asking someone to take on a task of helping to educate a child and they may not have any experience whatsoever.鈥�
So we鈥檝e put together some tips that educators can give parents as the pandemic plays out.
1. Start slow: Parents can identify subjects or areas their children are interested in and explore from there. Patrick, of the Aurora Institute, said parents can easily get involved in their child鈥檚 day-to-day remote learning by setting goals, looking for curated educational material on a district鈥檚 website or coming up with reading and writing tasks, including keeping a journal of the current unusual circumstances as a reflective exercise.
鈥淪tart by doing something basic,鈥� she said. 鈥淭ake one step at a time.鈥�
2. Set a schedule: A remote educational environment will require students of all ages to take much more ownership of their learning. That autonomy can bring challenges, so the need for parents to establish a daily routine at home is key.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still getting up at the same time every day for school, and getting dressed and having breakfast. We鈥檙e keeping a regimen,鈥� said Rebecca Dwenger, a parent of two school-aged children and an instructional technology consultant for Hamilton County 91制片厂视频al Services Center in Ohio. 鈥淚f my kids had it their way, they鈥檇 sleep till noon and then get to work. That鈥檚 not happening.鈥�
Some flexibility should also be built into that schedule: 鈥淚f a student doesn鈥檛 want to work on math right now, then let them work on reading, or have them work on something that鈥檚 less intellectually challenging but more hands on like an art project,鈥� said Wick of the NAESP. 鈥淔ind something that gets other parts of their brain working.鈥�
3. Set up a workspace: Parents can help normalize the experience for a student by providing a consistent place at home to work, whether it be for reading or video conferencing a lesson.
鈥淔ind a place where the student is going to have materials they need and can work without being interrupted by other things happening in the house,鈥� said Bruce Friend, chief operating officer at the Aurora Institute.
4. Stay upbeat and positive: Students are impressionable, and if a parent gets frustrated that鈥檚 likely to rub off. Parents should maintain an open mind and a lot of patience.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all trying to work through this together,鈥� said Francesca Ragonese, a technology instructional coach at Chester School District in New Jersey. 鈥淚f parents can keep body language calm and collected, the student is going to respond to that as well.鈥�
5. Resist the urge to do too much: An important thing for parents to understand: it鈥檚 OK if your child struggles at some point. It鈥檚 equally important to let them try to work through an issue on their own. That鈥檚 part of the learning process. Parents want to be hands-on but also resist the urge to solve every problem a student encounters. There鈥檚 a fine line between helping too much and not helping enough, said Friend, the COO of the Aurora Institute.
鈥淔or the overbearing parent, you have to support your child, but don鈥檛 insert yourself as the problem solver in every situation,鈥� he said.
6. Communicate with teachers: School officials have a message for parents during these times: over communicate, if necessary.
鈥淭eachers are ready and willing to respond to any question parents have,鈥� said Ragonese, the technology instructional coach at Chester School District in New Jersey. 鈥淭hey need to make sure they keep any and all questions coming.鈥�
7. Plan for 鈥榖rain breaks': Too much screen time or staying buried in a book too long without a break for physical exertion can be a bad recipe. Parents should allow for exercise time, or at least some time away from lessons during the day.
鈥淔our hours of sitting for a third grader is too much, so we encourage brain breaks,鈥� said Wick of the NAESP. 鈥淧arents can go out and exercise and play with their children.鈥�
8. Group support: Parents can also reach out to other parents. One of the best ways to do that is through online groups. Wenger, the instructional technology consultant for Hamilton County 91制片厂视频al Services, said an online parent group for her daughter鈥檚 high school graudation class has proven to be a valuable way to share tips and learn more about what鈥檚 going on.
鈥淧arents are using those groups now to talk this out,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f a parent is feeling lost, they should find a group to talk it through with.鈥�
See also:
The Scramble to Move America鈥檚 Schools Online
Will Learning Gaps Deepen as Schools Stay Closed?
Lessons From a Homeschooling Researcher: What You Should Know Now