This post will be a bit different. I really just have all these things floating through my mind that I think would be best shared with those in the field. Do with it what you want...maybe some pertains to you and maybe some doesn't. Maybe you are tired of hearing other people's input on how we should be doing this thing called "school" or maybe you need more insights. Maybe you are a teacher, administrator, parent or student. Wherever and whoever you are in the journey, here are some thoughts from the Maccaroni household that might help you know you are not alone, things will get better, and this is just one chapter in life.
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Toxic Optimism is real...it's like drinking protein drinks and muscle milk without working out. Just as consuming those haphazardly would overwhelm the sedentary body with too much extra physical whatnot, optimism that enters your mind as soundbites can overwhelm the psyche with too much extra mental whatnot. We need to be working on our optimism and positive outlook in our private meditative time in order to live in the midst of all the, "We've Got This!" and "Tomorrow Will Be a Better Day!" without losing our minds. Without putting in the effort toward optimism, sound bites such as those can actually be detrimental to our mental well-being. So be careful...if you want to believe that "All You Need is Love", be sure to nurture the tools necessary to achieve such lofty goals. Balance.
Screen Aversion is real...attending school on screen and then later needing to do all homework on screen is actually cruel to our children. I have watched my children who by the way love school, be reduced to tears by evening over the amount of time they are forced to spend in front of their computers. Please, please, please, consider that homework is OVERKILL in this computer driven educational forum during a pandemic. Really and truly, it is just unethical. In fact, if you have never heard of Intrusive Homework Disorder, read HERE. But even as true as that post is, I am coming at this from a totally different perspective these days. It is just too much! Moderation.
On-Camera Distraction is real...forcing teens to keep their cameras on when they are remote learning is like giving them a fidget spinner in their head. My daughters have told me that in the classes where they are forced to be onscreen they cannot concentrate on the lesson or the work. They are worried about how terrible they perceive themselves to appear to others, and can focus on little else. Why??? What benefit is there to having their faces on screen? I mean, I love to see my students. Don't misunderstand me. Little else makes me happier. But if I know that it is painful for them, I don't make them show their faces. Their faces showing does not mean they are paying attention. In fact to hear my personal children talk of it, it has the opposite outcome...they simply cannot learn that way. It's not disrespectful for them to be off-screen. It is not about you. It's a true distraction to them. Empathy.
Educational Inequity is real...our schools were built up and around the dominant culture of our country and our students of all races suffer as we muddle through keeping the dying system intact. Equity cannot wait for "enough time" or "the right time" or "a convenient time". Unless and until we are able to consistently consider and confront the inequities of our school system, my children and yours will not be able to move forward in the work of being good humans. Our children have the potential to change the way things are done in our country, but they need the tools of an honest education, rooted in all angles of history, in order to do this effectively. Knowledge.
Academic Anxiety is real...my daughter, when asked what she most wanted her teachers to know, said, "that sometimes participating through the chat is the most I can do because I already have anxiety when I want to share my opinion and it's worse not knowing if my mic is going to work so the chat is actually helpful, but teachers hate it." Enough said. Flexibility
Student Stress is real...from my other children, "Please don't try to have us go to other websites when on Zoom because the computers we have aren't made for that." They went on to say that they worry their teachers think they are not participating or trying, meanwhile they are in panic mode because the computer won't support the various tabs being open. Another one said, "Please slow down. We are not in school where I can see you and hear everything." Awareness
I'd like to end by saying that my children acknowledged how difficult this is for their teachers. After only two days participating in hybrid learning, my daughter said how much her opinions of her teachers had been altered for the better. Before meeting them in person, her teachers seemed aloof, uncaring, distracted. "They seemed they were just reciting a monologue." After watching her teachers teaching on Zoom while she was in-person in the classroom, she was amazed at how hard it must be for them to be talking with no one seemingly paying attention, the computer not always cooperating and students not responding vocally. It helped her to see it in person. Clarity
