Meeting the Moment
"We have to meet this moment," California Governor Gavin Newsom urged residents while announcing the unprecedented, statewide shelter-in-place order that has now been in place for two days. So far, the Governor's rhetoric has been reassuring -- striking a balance between facts and figures (like the anticipated number of hospital beds needed) and a realistic estimate of how bad things can get. His turn of phrase "meet this moment" also has a reassuring undertone -- implying that we have the ability to approach the crisis in an informed, proactive way, that we have some degree of control over what is currently unfolding in our lives without giving in to hysteria.
In reality, though, it has been difficult to be ready to meet the moment. Especially because the circumstances of the moment keep changing dramatically. We went from reminders to wash our hands to a state-wide lockdown in a span of a week. If you thought you had to stockpile supplies for two weeks, now you may be looking at needing supplies for two months. In general, people have responded rationally to the fast-changing situation. Yes, there have been some lapses of sanity in grocery store lines and the inexplicable need to stock up on toilet paper, but, we have also seen offers of support for elderly neighbors and efforts to stay connected while maintaining "social distancing."
One aspect of life that people have not been rational about is children's schooling. All California schools are now closed and are potentially going to remain closed till the end of the school year in early-June. Student responses to school closure varies by age. The younger students miss socializing with their peers while the older kids are relieved to get a break from classes, homework and tests. Many parents, though, regardless of the age of their children, have reacted rather irrationally to the closure of schools. While they demanded that schools be closed ASAP to protect students and others that come in contact with them, they also want to ensure that their children do not miss out on any educational experience due to the closure. They want the children to remain on their regular school-day schedule, with rigorous academic content, enriching extracurriculars, and invigorating physical exercises led by teachers -- at home. In other words, they want their child's typical school experience to be transformed into a virtual reality show, overnight.
School systems across the country are scrambling to "meet this moment." The challenges of transforming a system that so heavily relies on human interactions into a virtual format are many, especially given the short notice. School leaders and teachers are providing resources for students to use at home, but these require parent involvement and supervision. Apparently, that is too much to expect. One of the parents in my daughter's class emailed the teacher to say that she has already researched and exhausted the resources provided (quite a thorough list, I assure you) could the teacher please provide detailed lesson plans or deliver the lessons online? To these very conscientious parents, I want to say, please get a grip. There are greater things wrong with the world right now than a sixth grader's math homework. Plus, any parent with an Internet connection can figure out enough resources to keep their children busy for the next six months. And if you do not have Internet connection, even better. Get the kid to read. Seriously, anything in print will do. In my experience, we learn more from books than from any classroom.
I should not generalize, though. There are parents who are thankful for the work that schools are doing behind the scenes to keep everyone informed and keep students engaged given the current constraints. We also have families who rely on schools to feed their children twice a day. For them, that need far surpasses the need for academic work. They are grateful that schools are continuing to provide this essential service despite the state-wide shutdown.
What is undeniable is that this is uncharted territory for all of us -- whether you are a parent trying to figure out what to do with your kid all day or you are an educator trying to figure out how to deliver schooling through an unfamiliar platform. Hopefully, both parties will emerge from this moment having learned valuable lessons in parenting and educating.
In reality, though, it has been difficult to be ready to meet the moment. Especially because the circumstances of the moment keep changing dramatically. We went from reminders to wash our hands to a state-wide lockdown in a span of a week. If you thought you had to stockpile supplies for two weeks, now you may be looking at needing supplies for two months. In general, people have responded rationally to the fast-changing situation. Yes, there have been some lapses of sanity in grocery store lines and the inexplicable need to stock up on toilet paper, but, we have also seen offers of support for elderly neighbors and efforts to stay connected while maintaining "social distancing."
One aspect of life that people have not been rational about is children's schooling. All California schools are now closed and are potentially going to remain closed till the end of the school year in early-June. Student responses to school closure varies by age. The younger students miss socializing with their peers while the older kids are relieved to get a break from classes, homework and tests. Many parents, though, regardless of the age of their children, have reacted rather irrationally to the closure of schools. While they demanded that schools be closed ASAP to protect students and others that come in contact with them, they also want to ensure that their children do not miss out on any educational experience due to the closure. They want the children to remain on their regular school-day schedule, with rigorous academic content, enriching extracurriculars, and invigorating physical exercises led by teachers -- at home. In other words, they want their child's typical school experience to be transformed into a virtual reality show, overnight.
School systems across the country are scrambling to "meet this moment." The challenges of transforming a system that so heavily relies on human interactions into a virtual format are many, especially given the short notice. School leaders and teachers are providing resources for students to use at home, but these require parent involvement and supervision. Apparently, that is too much to expect. One of the parents in my daughter's class emailed the teacher to say that she has already researched and exhausted the resources provided (quite a thorough list, I assure you) could the teacher please provide detailed lesson plans or deliver the lessons online? To these very conscientious parents, I want to say, please get a grip. There are greater things wrong with the world right now than a sixth grader's math homework. Plus, any parent with an Internet connection can figure out enough resources to keep their children busy for the next six months. And if you do not have Internet connection, even better. Get the kid to read. Seriously, anything in print will do. In my experience, we learn more from books than from any classroom.
I should not generalize, though. There are parents who are thankful for the work that schools are doing behind the scenes to keep everyone informed and keep students engaged given the current constraints. We also have families who rely on schools to feed their children twice a day. For them, that need far surpasses the need for academic work. They are grateful that schools are continuing to provide this essential service despite the state-wide shutdown.
What is undeniable is that this is uncharted territory for all of us -- whether you are a parent trying to figure out what to do with your kid all day or you are an educator trying to figure out how to deliver schooling through an unfamiliar platform. Hopefully, both parties will emerge from this moment having learned valuable lessons in parenting and educating.
Comments
Post a Comment