The spread of the coronavirus has turned life upside down, almost overnight, for millions of people around the world. Being a teenager is complicated even without a global pandemic in the mix, and this information is about helping young people navigate a new reality of remote schoolwork, lots of family time, and a ton of uncertainty about what happens next.
As the spread of the coronavirus leads tp more school closures across Australia, many parents are finding themselves faced with the prospect of their children learning at home. The reality is that the coronavirus has turned many caregivers around the world into homeschoolers. This transition is daunting. It's unfamiliar. And it's also critically important to ameliorate the disruptions the virus has caused in education for the year. Ideally, teachers will provide regular classes, online, to help meet your son or daughter’s academic needs.
From a psychological point of view it is important, no matter their age, to provide structure. And it is important that young people don’t see this as an indefinite holiday. The evidence so far from my clients whose schools have closed, is that the vast majority can learn to school themselves, as long as caregivers have set the groundwork to help them succeed. Home-schooling does not necessarily mean that the parent is the teacher - but they should provide structure. Most students work off a schedule in their classrooms, so recreating something similar at home can ease the transition to a different learning environment for the foreseeable future. Here are 5 points to bear in mind:
The first step is to make a daily schedule. Use an app or old fashioned three-ring binder with a daily schedule per page. Every week, fill in the times for online classes, study time, reading, leisure time and household chores. Most traditional school programs incorporate some sort of lunch period and a recess in the morning and a homeschool schedule should be no different.
Second, education experts recommend where possible that students set up a discreet learning space, relatively free of interruptions and preferably not in a bedroom (which should ideally, be associated with sleep). While online classes are in progress, all distracting mobile devices should be off and in another room.
Third, while most schools will provide students with access to online education during the shutdown, supplementing their education with other tools can help young people explore interests they don’t have time for during the school year. Caregivers can use a mix of free and paid sites like Outschool.com, ProdigyGame.com and KhanAcademy.org
Fourth, while many young people have and will make a seamless transition to homeschooling, some may struggle - so acknowledging it is a stressful time for them and offering reassurance around just doing their best can be helpful. Some days will be easier than others. Students accustomed to the school environment won't be as focused - but we can do things to make them feel more secure and to make us feel like we're making the most of this challenging time (eg:use the mindfulness app Smiling Mind for just 10 minutes a day). Allow for the fact that kids will be holding a lot of tension around all these sudden and often stressful changes to their routines and lives - and may need time to adjust.
Fifth, from a nutritional perspective if possible preparing lunch and recess snacks for the school day should go on as per usual, so that the homschooler don’t just graze all day. That means selecting foods that pack a nutritional punch in order to ensure they are getting the fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other health- and immune-supporting compounds they need. (Check out the book Smart Snacks). Select fruits, vegetables and nuts as a snack, encourage the consumption of leafy greens and tomatoes every day, and select whole grain breads and cereals. The dietiticians suggests eating legumes 3 or 4 times per week, oily fish at least twice a week and lean red meat 3 or 4 times per week, as well as 2 to 3 serves of reduced fat dairy products every day.
Lastly, social distancing is not the same as social isolation, remember our sons and daughters can still engage in fun activities and experts say being outdoors is a safe option, so the schedule should include time for walking, running, or bike rides.
For students with special needs, many already have individualised education plans (IEPs) to help them succeed. While parents are an important part of developing these plans, they are generally not the ones who administer them. But in a homeschool environment, parents must run the show. If struggling, contact your school welfare staff for advice.
Special mention needs to be made about final year students who unfortunately, now face unprecedented disruption and uncertainty around the completion of their year. It may be harder to get one on one feedback from teachers in all subjects, access to laboratories, chemicals and equipment for science students will be limited and language students may find it harder to engage in active conversation with teachers.
ddAt the time of writing - most Education Departments are still to make firm decision as to how or if the final exams will be held, so we all have to wait, which is particularly unsettling.
With respect to more family time, at a time when most young people are spreading their psychological wings, being away from friends and in some cases stuck at home can be difficult. What can adults do to maintain relationships? The key actions are to be understanding, acknowledge how hard things must be and offering support. Using humour, trying to resolve conflicts quickly and doing a daily emotional check-in with regular family meetings - may help diffuse tensions.
Children aren't the only ones relegated to working from home in the immediate future. I recognise that many parents have been asked to do the same. This means that hundreds of thousands of mothers and fathers likely will be forced to balance homeschooling with their day-to-day responsibilities at work. We just need to try to do our best, whether we are teachers, parents or working professionals. There's no map for this journey that we're on.
Finally, the young people will take their lead from us. The responsible message is to let them know that as the adults in their life, we are taking the coronavirus seriously but we are not panicking, The truth is that history shows the Coronavirus will run its course. This is not the end of the world. The models predict that Corona virus will eventually peak - then the Australian public will stop working from home, start travelling again and economic activity will return. Many experts say that therapeutic drugs will be out in a few months and we will probably have a vaccine by next year.
This is not downplaying what is happening, it is just context. So be vigilant, don’t be scared, remain calm and clean. Australia is one of the greatest countries on earth and we have beaten more dangerous things than this and we will do it again.
Key tips for young people:
• Be mindful of exposure to information through traditional and social media. Take a break from the 24-hour news cycle.
• Do things that make you feel physically and emotionally safe, and be with those who are helpful to your wellbeing
• Engage in activities that promote a sense of calm and feeling grounded (use of alcohol and other drugs can be counterproductive with this)
•e at well, stay active, get enough sleep and cut back on alcohol and drugs.
• It can help to talk with a trusted adult if it all feels a bit much