08/22/2020
My son started first grade last week, and it was … not awful!
I say that with immense relief, because I’ve spent the past few months bracing for the worst. For the health of my family and for our community, I didn’t want schools to open for in-person instruction, but I was anxious about distance learning and the unknowns that come along with it.
Like, will this even work for a first grader?
After one week, I can say it does. And every day of school has been better than the last.
But we’ve worked really hard to make this a successful transition, and I wanted to pass along some things that have been helpful for us, in case they're helpful for you.
First I integrated tips from Dr. Aliza Pressman, developmental psychologist, parent educator, and host of the Raising Good Humans podcast.
She recommends:
• 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫.
For us that meant taking photos outside, which I’ve done every first day since pre-preschool. E also picked out a special outfit, and we had a special dinner of his choice to celebrate the new school year.
• 𝐍𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐣𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬.
Get dressed and ready for school every day.
• 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥.
If your child is getting wiggly or losing focus, use a big exercise ball as seating for a while. Alternate with their regular desk chair.
• 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝟒𝟓 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬.
With my son’s schedule, it’s more like every hour.
Some other things that have worked for us:
• 𝐖𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩.
We did a complete overhaul of Everest’s room to prepare for school. We cleaned it up, got rid of some things, and created a clear, uncluttered work space.
• 𝐖𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐨.
Zoom fatigue is real, so I integrate movement during E’s 15-minute breaks between classes. Because we live in the desert and it’s too hot to go outside, I queue up a brief cardio class on my laptop. We use the 5-minute Fit Family Brain Break classes on the Peloton app, but if you don’t have that, I’m sure you can find something appropriate on YouTube — or just turn on fun music and have a quick dance party.
• 𝐖𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚 𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡.
Like, in his lunchbox and everything. This is great for creating structure and contributing to a sense of normalcy for E. (Also I don’t have to stop my workday to prepare a meal!)
• 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲.
On the first day of school, the teacher’s sound was terrible, the other students didn’t yet know how to mute themselves, dogs and siblings were in some of the frames — it was a mess.
Naturally, E found it difficult to stay on task that day. So we had a conversation about how it can be difficult to focus when technology isn’t working or when there are distractions. I think just acknowledging and being aware of this is important; E was trying his best, but these are challenging situations.
• 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬.
It’s been one week, and E’s schedule has already shifted in minor ways as the teacher learns what works and what doesn’t. I can’t imagine any school is adhering to a rigid structure right now, so we have to be adaptable.
• 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐥!
On Twitter, writer Daniel Torday said, “In 1980, if you showed every potential college student in the US the Jetsons’ video phone and told them they could take college classes on it, they’d have said: SIGN. ME. UP.”
That tweet gave me a new lens for looking at virtual learning: We don’t have to do it, we get to do it. This technology allows us connect with each other and learn amazing stuff without ever leaving the house. That’s so cool! (Sure, we'd like hover boards, but I'll take Jane Jetson's phone instead.)
I know virtual learning isn’t compatible with every child’s learning style (or every teacher’s teaching style!), and I understand every situation is different. It’s definitely not what I envisioned for E’s elementary experience. But after this week, I’m far more hopeful about this year and what we can do with it.
