there are so many avenues I could take, however as the main idea I want to explore is how do we best support our young people at this time of crisis, I will start with the problem. Some of them are not coping well at all...and neither are some of their parents.
It has occurred to me, that children all over the world are currently witnessing the horror of their parent's apparent fear of something that they cannot control, and they need to keep them safe from. Since I heard from one of the families that I work with that one of them may be presenting with symptoms of Covid-19, I cancelled all of my tuition. I followed the guidance and self-isolated, waiting for signs but also aware that they may not develop and I could still be a carrier - it was the right thing to do.
This was one week before lockdown and the subsequent closing of schools to all but the vulnerable and children of keyworkers. My heart goes out to those individuals in this situation. I myself am in the fortunate position of not having to go out to work, I can work form home and take my tuition online. Although the latter has not really been compatible for many of the SEND students I support, it's still an option.
What my role seems to have adapted to is to offer pastoral support to some of these, and other students that are tutored through the company I work for. I have also been talking to a number of parents who have suddenly found themselves not only working from home everyday, but trying to take on the responsibility of home-educating their children whilst managing the usual life stuff - oh and trying to help prevent the spread of a little known virus that has halted society in its tracks all over the globe.
Now I don't pretend to be an expert on how to manage a situation like this, but in my twenty plus years in education I have learned these things by experience.
- Children are incredibly resilient. If you can reassure them, love them and make them feel safe they can manage stressful situations well.
- It is also important that they are give the opportunity to express their emotions and these are validated however uncharacteristic their behaviours might be. Helping to understand their emotions can be very empowering.
- Keeping a routine is reassuring to children too. It may be necessary to establish a new routine, so drawing up a timetable and sticking it up somewhere prominent will provide them with some certainty again.
The activities 'working from home' and 'home educating' might sound like they are inextricably linked, but they are not possible to do at the same time - even if you are a qualified teacher. Some parents are managing this by taking a relaxed approach and responding to their children's moods and immediate needs, however some parents will actually need their children to be occupied whilst they are trying to work.
When the schools closed with little notice and time to prepare, many children were sent home with homework packs which were then superseded by an online regime of timetabled lessons which the students need guidance to complete. It was too much for many children. Suddenly thrust into a world where the tablet screen is their constant companion, they are missing their friends, the park and the myriad of after-schools clubs they seem to attend these days.
One of the students that I support with his dyslexia, his social and emotional well-being, as well as academically, seems lost. Falling behind is not an option for him as he has both a competitive streak and low self-esteem - a worrying combination. He has supportive parents and teachers but the work he is getting is minimal and left to complete it himself, he does the bare minimum.
In our discussion this week, we have decided that it would be good to apply himself to expanding his knowledge as that actually might put him ahead of his peers - his slower processing means he generally needs more time to access information and then to record in it a way that suit his learning style. I hope that this will appeal to his competitive nature but that he will see how he can focus this on self-improvement and this will boost his self-esteem. He doesn't enjoy school, but likes rules and to know what is expected of him.
We are putting together a timetable of lessons for the morning, which addresses the lack of work for every lesson in the normal school day but still gives him much needed structure. As both his parents are working from home, it would be ideal if he could start to develop the skills to be able to work independently for the morning, seeking help at the end of the working day when his parents have time to focus on his school work with him.
Another family I have supported over the years reached crisis point today. The three children are constantly bickering and mum is trying to manage their education, which she has always placed a high value on, on top of that she is attempting to get to grips with a brand new job that she started just prior to 'lockdown.' The children were backwards and forwards into the room she was trying to work, she also mentioned how 'clingy' the youngest child was being and how this was upsetting her too - mum was overwhelmed with responsibility.
We talked about giving the oldest child responsibility for helping the younger ones manage their emotions, as it would help him to have more patience with them. She felt that they could manage a morning of 'school' if their dad was able to check in on them and reinforce their positive attitude to maintaining their learning. After a family lunch, the children would be allowed to choose their activities for the afternoon and any difficulties with their school work could be caught up with at the end of mum's working day.
A timetable of when mum is working, and should only be interrupted if there was an emergency, combined with their 'school' timetable, should help them to understand the new routine quickly and take some of the pressure off mum. Afternoons off takes the pressure off everyone and provides the children with some balance. It won't work perfectly all the time but it will help to re-establish boundaries. And if the little one needs an 'emergency' cuddle, she knows she can sneak in and get one as long as she doesn't stop mum from working.
There are some that are of the opinion that all of this home-educating is completely unnecessary and that children will catch up when they need to and one could argue that would be the case for most children. Also that the valuable time they are spending with the rest of their family and learning skills like baking and growing things are lessons that aren't ordinarily in the curriculum will enrich their lives and expand their skill set.
Whatever individual parents feel is right for their children is what they should do, and if that involves muddling through schoolwork on Monday and Tuesday then a pyjama day in front of the TV on Wednesday, then so be it. We all need to get to the other side of this as whole people - whatever that takes.
DU
