3 Dec 2020

Expert Tips For Navigating The Emotional Landmines Of Remote Learning

Thanksgiving Break is over and many Colorado students are back in school — from makeshift classrooms in their homes.

It’s a tough thing for kids who’re stuck in front of their screens all day, for parents trying to help them, and for teachers.

Educational consultant Rosalind Wiseman of Boulder offers tips on navigating the emotional landmines of remote learning in her new book, “The Distance Learning Playbook for Parents.”

LISTEN TO FULL NPR STORY HERE

What parents should expect of themselves right now.

“Sanity … and patience for ourselves and for our children. A dash, a combination of self-compassion is really important.”

Parents don’t have to be teachers.

Work on keeping your student’s creativity and love of learning alive.

Don’t compare your family to others.

Even before the pandemic parents went overboard with social media posts that made their families look perfect and made their kids worry about matching the myth. Work on strengthening your relationship with your children, managing your own emotions and helping them manage theirs.

Your kids are worried about you.

They may try and shield you from their problems. Sit your child down, acknowledge how tough things are for everybody and let them know you’re always there for them. Don’t be too intense with them though, because that can be scary.

Give teachers grace, and hold them accountable.

Like everybody, teachers are struggling “so there’s a little bit of grace that we want to give teachers, and there’s a line between holding grace for people and holding them accountable when your child is learning is suffering and when they’re disengaging or when they feel incredibly frustrated. ”