The realities of COVID 19 for families have provoked many thoughts, emotions and a new way of being. Here in Ontario we recently moved to stage 2, where we can now expand our inner circle to 10 people and start to see and socialize with others for the very first time in 3 ½ months. What a breath of fresh air for families! This stage has brought more freedom for many families; now their child(ren) can be with their ‘besties’ and play freely as children naturally do. I personally noticed with my own students during my online teaching sessions that the kids are now more relaxed and more open with the arrival of glorious sunshine, summer weather and the odd play date in a backyard or a local park.
As I reflect on the past 3 ½ months of isolation with my own family and teaching online for the very first time, I have learned so much about myself, my own family and the kids I teach. Let’s face it, being around our loved ones 24/7 is not always easy. Yet, in my opinion, lots of laughter, joy, and memorable moments can be found from our experiences which make this time together a blessing that has brought us all closer together and made us stronger as a working and loving family.
On the positive side, I believe that being home during COVID 19 the past 3-4 months has taught and strengthened five valuable life skills in our child(ren) that will benefit them once they return to school. They have learned:
#1 Importance of sharing, caring, getting along with others
#2 How to problem-solve every single day
#3 How to use their imagination and creativity in those quiet moments
#4 How to live with uncertainty and live in the moment
#1 Importance of sharing, caring, getting along with others
To start off each online learning session, I would first do a quick ‘check in’ with each child to see how they are doing and feeling. Often I got the most hilarious family stories about movie nights, pajamas day parties, birthday surprises for a loved one, family bike rides, and family cooking sessions that went awry! Kids love to tell me these stories with big smiles on their faces. One little girl shared with me how her older sister asked her to play with her the first time in a year. Another student said his brother let him play with his action figures without fighting. Good on them! Another student told me her dog was sick and how each family member took turns sleeping with the dog each night and caring for him. One of my older students in grade 6 decided to reach out to others in his community, for in his words, “I was worried about the neighbours who are older and live alone.” He wrote a letter on his computer titled “Dear Beautiful Individual” letting his neighbours know he was thinking of them. He did not sign the letter, which is very key in my opinion because it shows how he put into action a random act of kindness. These caring, and loving stories are only a few of what I heard from my students and I believe will serve them well. When they return to school they will have stories to tell and more importantly have learned the value of empathy and compassion for others.
#2 How to problem-solve every single day
Our children have had to use and practice their problem solving skills on a daily basis during COVID 19. Without a doubt, this skill has been strengthened. We as parents all know that at times, sibling rivalry or conflict have lead to outbursts, fights, and rivers of tears. Often kids have had to solve their own problems on their own, since mom and dad were busy working during the day. Speaking from a teacher perspective, I can say that when kids solve their own problems, that is where the real learning happens. Kids naturally come up with more original and authentic ways to solve their own problems from their own unique perspective. My own teenage sons, Jesse who is 19 and Tom who is 16, have battled boredom being at home fulltime and having a lot of free time after their school work was completed. So they decided to purchase a basketball net online and built a supporting base out of wood in the garage together. Then the games between brothers began. ‘Who beat who’ on any given day in the family driveway, turned basketball court, became a daily dinner table topic of discussion. Often people passing by would stop and watch them from a distance, for it was an intense game every single time and something to behold! Another story of solving problems came from one of my student’s who has two brothers. He told me how they would argue each day in March over what netflix show or movie to watch on the family T.V. So they decided on their own to create their own schedule and got to choose their own show or movie to watch every two days. No more arguments! Again, these two small stories are only a sample of the countless ways kids have used their own ingenuity to solve their problems without their parents. This is a valuable life skill that is essential for classroom cohesion and teamwork.
#3 How to use our imagination and creativity in those down moments
Our children have learned how to handle the boredom each day after their school work was done and when mom and dad were busy. When I grew up in the 70’s-80’s our parents used to wave us outside to make our own fun and come back when we were hungry. During COVID 19, there were many hours each day this past spring that children had to fill the ‘void’ and come up with creative, imaginative games when again, mom and dad were busy. I had one particular seven year old student who decided to bring ‘others’ to her one-on-one learning sessions with me, her best friends in her home, her stuffy animals. On any given day, she would invite ‘Goldie’ the unicorn, ‘Georgie’ the husky or ‘Daisy’ the cat to our learning session, to create a bigger classroom. When she was stumped with a question from me, she would turn to her friends and ask them what they think and low and behold, her ‘stuffy- friends’ came up some really good answers! I have other students who have shared stories of tie-dying shirts and their own hair in their free time. One student let her sister cut her hair and I have to say, it was pretty good. Another story that was heartwarming and showed lots of creativity was when one student asked their grandma on Facetime o show her how to bake her famous apple crisp recipe that has been in their family for over 80 years. This student was thrilled when the recipe turned out and was able to share her success with her two sisters and parents afterwards. Authors Hannah Beach and Tamara Neufeld Strijack stated in their book “Reclaiming Our Students,” that for children “void moments are crucial when it comes to free play [for] boredom becomes the fertile ground for play to emerge.” (pg. 23). I myself found those void moments in my own day during COVID 19 perfect for reflection, writing, playing the piano and for trying new recipes. For our own kids, they have learned how to have their own fun while at home without adult interference or interruption, which will serve them well as independent learners once they return to the regular classroom.
#4 How to live with uncertainty and live in the moment
Let’s be honest, this is the first time in our parental lives that we as parents cannot give a date with complete certainty as to when COVID 19 will end, when they will find a vaccine for us all and when we can all return to our lives as we knew it before the outbreak. Living with COVID 19 has taught us to live in the moment and take it one day at a time. This new approach to life has been revealed to our own kids every day and is a new reality for us all. As a teacher I have really stressed the importance with each of my student’s to try their best to enjoy each day at home, get along with their family members, look for new ways to create some fun at home and to try to solve their own problems when mom and dad are busy. This time at home has taught kids how to be resilient and how to find the ‘good’ in a tricky and difficult situation that prevents them from seeing their best friends or learning as they normally did in a regular classroom. We have asked our own kids and students to think outside the box and also to be thankful each day that they and every family member is safe during COVID 19. It has become a great opportunity for parents to teach their child(ren) that nothing is permanent in life and this isolation will end one day. Until it does, we the adults in their lives can reassure them every day with love and attention, that they are safe in their own home and small inner circle and when out in public. It is very important to continue physical distancing, wearing a mask in public, and hand-washing with soap for at least 20 seconds on a regular basis. These skills are the new normal; living in the moment will help each child when they return to school. They will have a new appreciation for their school, teacher and classmates and also, they will understand that learning in a school environment is something to be grateful for and not a drudgery. It is possible, from my teachers’ perspective, that school will once again be a place of joy while learning, sharing, caring, and problem-solving. Living in the moment will become the norm instead of a goal each class will strive for.
Obviously I am focusing and sharing the positive children stories with you during COVID 19 and how our own kids have benefitted from being home instead of at school. Through the multitude of online lessons this past spring and my interactions with my students I have discovered that kids overall are very resilient. They are the true champions of this pandemic, for they have had to adjust to a totally new way of being, learning and behaving. I believe they are champions and will continue to be champions until the vaccine is developed and they are able to return to their school.
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