This post originally appeared on our ParentSquare Learning Network blog on May 18, 2020.
Guest post by Brandon Burns — Director of Instructional Technology for the Clinton County R-III School District
I saw a great post on Twitter from an educator that said something to the effect of “this is not remote learning or distance learning — this is crisis learning.” I thought that was an interesting way to look at things that really made me step back and process the entire situation from my many perspectives!
As a parent, teacher, administrator, and tech guy I feel I bring a unique set of eyes to our current situation.
I could tell you how difficult it is to be the tech guy right now. I could also tell you how hard my teachers are working to meet the needs of every single student. I could also tell you about the impossible equity gap due to nonexistent internet connectivity in our rural community.
But instead, I am going to tell you about my struggles as a parent, in hopes that it eases some of the pressure you may be feeling as parents or teachers during this time.
By far the most difficult part of quarantine for me has been the parenting side of this whole ordeal. I thought I was going to display my educational expertise by working with my kids to create the best school schedule ever. We were going to do some work in online programs to deliver content in a way where I could track our great progress. We were going to do awesome science experiments and have creative time each day where they had the freedom to create anything they could imagine. We would do art and listen to music together. We would read daily and do chores around the house. We would ride skateboards for PE time and do yoga or meditation. I was psyched and already planning my dad/teacher of the year recognition in my head.
Then the work started to pour in from school for the kids. Having one kid in accelerated learning and one getting special education services means two teachers for each kid sending work. Some expecting it to be returned within days or a grade deduction in some cases! This was going to cut into my dad/teacher of the year time but I could make it work. So I thought… but then, a problem at work.
I had completely forgotten work! I told my wife I’d be back shortly and ran to put out a fire at work. I was back home a few hours later having solved a few totally new problems brought on by this whole quarantine and things were a mess. My wife was upset because the schedule was impossible. The kids were frustrated because there wasn’t enough time to get things done.
Zoom meetings and Google Hangouts started to arrive with little notice and we couldn’t miss those; it’s the only connection to other classmates! The kids didn’t want to miss those, so school work was pushed back. The school recommends only two hours of work and no more unless quietly reading. Why are these lessons taking my kids so long? Four hours down, almost done; I’ll still have time to fit in some of the cool stuff every day, but not today. I am exhausted and so are the kids. This concluded day one and we are all exhausted.
Day two went about the same — schoolwork continued to show up around 8:30am in a shared google document that only a teacher would understand and the Zooms and Hangouts increase, as other teachers try to reach out and make contact with all the kids. Individual emails started to pile up in my kids’ inboxes like they are working professionals:
“Don’t forget this is due.”
“Make sure you are getting reading in.”
“Some kids said they are bored. Here’s a long list of things to do.”
Sometimes I just have to ignore the constant questions for help from my kids who are completely lost because I am working on some tech-related issue for another family. Something that is keeping a family from being able to complete the same list of tasks that we are! Meanwhile, my whole house is in tears as we try to figure out why “two hours” of assigned homework keeps taking all day. My wife and I take turns working and schooling then catching up on working into the night hours where we avoid the kids or sit them in front of a screen so that we can get caught up on all the stuff we couldn’t get to during the day.
Maybe it’s just me but I think the Twitter quote was on to something. We are in a time of crisis learning and maybe we should be taking advantage of the time we have with our families, instead of trying to double down on the rat race.
So how can we, as educators, best help families during this time of crisis learning? The most helpful things that educators can do right now for families is to:
1) Be consistent — use the same communication methods (bonus points if you can use the same channels as other teachers sending messages to your students and their families), and send updates at same time each day/week if possible (“Monday Update,” “Friday Fun Report,” etc)
2) Imagine yourself in students’/parents’ shoes before sending out your message. How easy will it be for parents to both understand and take action?
And teachers, I know just how hard you are working and that you’ve probably stretched yourself, too. Make sure to take some time to take care of yourself and your wellbeing!
Use this time to connect with one another and to celebrate the positives. Stop thinking of this as remote learning and start thinking of this as something that has not happened in a lifetime and hopefully won’t happen again for just as long. If you’re a parent, talk to your kids about what’s going on, your perspective right now will shape them far more than spring homework will. Be there for each other and lighten the load for everyone: employees, students, managers and admin.
