Dear Families,
I hope everyone is still managing okay during this crazy time. As a school, we have collectively been trying to navigate these new school, work, and home realities together for over a month. With this in mind, it seemed to be a good time to share a couple of thoughts and offer a little reassurance.
Firstly, please remember that ALL of our worlds are very different right now and this adds a great deal of stress – even for your children. For some kids, school and learning comes quite easily, but for many others it can be a real challenge. Do not make your families’ life harder by fighting or crying over work to be done. If you are meeting resistance from your child regarding their work then change, modify, or take a break for a while. They are tired, like the rest of us, and if they need to stop for a bit this is okay.
Try not to get bogged down by what your child may be struggling with. Instead celebrate what they are doing and understanding. Just like us… they need the positives… right now more than ever. We are all doing the best we can in a very difficult time. Your children need your love and comfort now more than anything else. They need to feel safe, feel joy, and do things that make them feel good. When you do things with your children that they enjoy it does not mean they are not learning. Sometimes it is alright to just have fun and forget about life’s pressures for a while.
This pandemic is a little blip in time. This too shall pass! I am a father of two grown boys and an educator for more than 30 years. I want you to know that… by the time your child is all grown up… they will have learned everything that they need from “school”. They will be okay!
So, in this moment…. be kind to yourselves and your children. Teaching can be challenging, and teaching your own children, while doing everything else in your day even more so.
Hopefully, our usual routines of school, work, and life will return to normal soon. In the meantime, keep your kids and loved ones close, and do not hesitate to let us know if there is anything we can help with.
Take care.
Mr. Wheatley