We have been talking a lot about school in recent blogs, for good reason. During this 2020 calendar year, a large majority of school districts have had a grand total of ten weeks of in-person instruction. Those occurred between the holiday break and the Covid-19 shelter-in-place orders in mid-March. It has been six and a half months since children attended school in a way that was familiar to them. Because children thrive on routine, it has been particularly difficult for them to be away from the classroom.
The Effect of Online Instruction on Children
According to the Center for Disease Control, “Aside from a child’s home, no other setting has more influence on a child’s health and well-being than their school.” They credit school for not only providing educational instruction, but supporting social and emotional skills, creating a safe environment for learning, addressing nutritional needs, and facilitating physical activity.
Online instruction through the child’s regular school is much different than homeschooling. While homeschooling offers a lot of flexibility, freedom, and personalized instruction, online instruction is quite different. Depending on the grade level or their particular school district, many students are on the computer for the entire school day.
Of course, school administrators have been tasked with making some of the hardest decisions of their careers. My focus at Grandma’s Magic Pillows is not to comment on whether school should be in session, but to help you help your children relax no matter how their school is in session. I am on this journey because I found that my relaxation eye pillows helped relax my own grandchildren’s’ stresses, worries, anxieties, tantrums, and meltdowns.
Student Experiences This Academic Year
We reached out to several parents to learn about their student’s experiences this year.
Some children are thriving and have adapted well, and others are struggling. Sandy, a mom to four children all under the age of 12, said,
“We are 100% online. I have always been told by teaching that my 3rd grader is such a good listener, such a hard worker, always tries his best, is a kind friend, and is so smart etc. This year he is not focused, late for zooms, playing with his camera, not showing up to wrap up, not turning in work, missing assignments, getting the schedule wrong etc. and he was crying today. He wants to go back; he misses having a teacher walking around while he does independent work. He misses his friends. He doesn’t understand the schedule and gets sidetracked.”
Other moms report that things are going well if they take time to play outside and step away from the computer. Misty, mom to two elementary-aged children reports,
“My son has ADHD and was off his meds for two days and it was a disaster. Other than that, he does well. Our school is giving plenty of breaks and independent learning time with packets, etc. We go every other week to pick up packets and return work. Sometimes weekly. It helps that he is only using the computer partially throughout the day.”
Vicki, mother of 4 elementary-aged children says,
“My 1st grader absolutely can’t sit still without fidgeting with something while on a zoom call, but loves to take breaks and runs outside to play for a bit. My Kindergartener absolutely hates going on his zoom calls but loves doing his homework both written & on his chrome book. We play outside as much as possible & I find that they don’t want to play on my phone as much, now that they look at a chrome book for a good portion of the day.”
Grandma’s Magic Pillows Is Helping Students Through Online Instruction
We have been sharing our tips for reducing school-related stress Grandma’s Magic Pillows for the last few blogs. Of course, it’s hard to tell if parents are reading and if our helpful tips are getting out into the world.
Nothing is as touching as receiving confirmation that children really are using Grandma’s Magic Pillows and experiencing the benefits of being able to calm their minds. We were so touched when we received this photo from a mom who ended her own Zoom call to find her daughter using her Grandma’s Magic Pillow (surrounded by her stuffed animals) to calm herself after feeling stressed from her remote learning and a long day of at-home instruction from school.
If your child has found that they can relax and calm their mind during the school day using Grandma’s Magic Pillows, we would love to hear from you. The more our message gets out, the more children we can teach about relaxation and calming the mind at an early age. These are beneficial habits that they can take with them throughout their life.