Ouiam El Hassani addresses a pressing concern that parents are dealing with during the pandemic.
Parents had just breathed a sigh of relief as life started getting back to normal with kids being reintegrated into society and gaining some of the social skills that seemed impossible to acquire with COVID-19 around. Life had other plans, though, as things went downhill with numbers increasing once again, the reimplementation of restrictions and schools embracing the online learning approach yet again.
For the third academic year, kids are required once again to sit behind a screen, all day, while they do their Maths, Science, and even P.E at home. Parents can’t help but wonder whether their kids will ever catch up? The question comes up constantly: When do we need to start panicking about our children falling behind?
If you’re concerned that remote learning may have set your child back academically, brace yourself: It probably has. When students return to school, research shows that most will be behind where they would have been if classroom instruction had continued as normal.
Some kids only know school during COVID, so naturally, they do not know how to share material, work in groups, or even wait in line, because of social distancing that had been mandated since 2020. These kids never had the opportunity to practice what a normal preschooler does on a normal day. However, every problem has a solution. So, practicing at home using board games to learn how to take turns, and how to lose gracefully can ease the process. Parents can also work on delaying gratification; for example, if your child asks for a snack, stretch out the time between them asking and you giving it to them. Luckily, for this age group, it is very easy for them to bounce back very quickly and catch up on what they’ve missed.
For young elementary school kids, however, the stakes may be a little higher. For example, if your child is ready to start reading or writing, they might find it very challenging to cope with online learning as these skills require a more hands-on approach, and need lots of practice and guidance. While it isn’t entirely impossible with online learning, it is a lot more difficult than if they were in their normal school setup. In this case, parents are encouraged to approach their kids’ schools for support. Most schools have already got the hang of things as they navigate through their third year of online learning; so given that they’ll likely offer some kind of extra support, take advantage of it fully and ask for more if you need to. You can also supplement school learning with reading, games, and activities. You can turn a baking session into a science class by talking about different ingredients and how they affect baking differently, you can talk about measurements, you can let them whisk and break eggs as fine motor activities.
The other point parents seem to forget about is that children’s cognitive learning is built on a secure emotional foundation. If they continually see their parents unhappy or anxious, it can start to inhibit their own development. That’s worrying because this is a really stressful time for parents. It can be hard to maintain a calm and attentive climate for kids when parents must take over schooling. When parents lose their patience or don’t listen, children can start to shut down emotionally, in turn disengaging from all learning experiences. Therefore, giving your child all the support they need emotionally and mentally and offering them a healthier and more stimulating learning environment is all that your child needs right now.
So, for parents wondering whether their kids will ever catch up, it might be more efficient to ask instead: How do we ensure that our children get the best possible opportunities to learn under these challenging circumstances?
One thing most parents seem to overlook is that all kids are currently facing the same ordeal, so when your kid goes back to school, chances are his/her classmates will be at the same level or as you would might think of it – ‘behind’. Therefore, schools will have to adapt to this new situation and come up with a new system that will ensure they get all the support they need.
Parents shouldn’t feel guilty that they aren’t doing enough. When the pandemic is over, schools will have to meet the children wherever they are. Kids are resilient and they’ll undoubtedly get the knowledge they need. Right now, the main focus should be making them feel loved, secure and safe amidst these disruptions. Learning can’t occur until those things are in place
What’s my advice? Stop worrying about when you should start panicking and rest assured that even if your children fall behind, they will catch up!
