Giving Compass' Take:

• As more schools pivot to virtual learning for the new school year, there are actions that parents can take to foster positive remote learning skills.

• In what ways can educators work with parents to have successful virtual learning classrooms? What support do schools need from communities and vice versa? How can donor investment help expand virtual learning capabilities? 

• Read how community schools are supporting students and families during the pandemic.

The problems of parenting and problems of schools are remarkably related. Neither were designed for today’s modern world, and we are struggling to catch up. We as parents make choices largely to align with or reject what we experienced in our homes growing up, and without grounding those choices in what we know about the world our kids will inherit as adults. We’re preparing our kids for a world that no longer exists instead of one that is more volatile and complex. How do we parent for that?

We forget we are a more powerful force in our children’s lives than anything related to formal schooling. Yet, parents don’t know enough about how schools work or why they don’t, and as a result we don’t know how to advocate for better, more modern educational practices for our families and communities.

Great parenting can be taught and encouraged in every family and community, and when we forget that, or we don’t believe all parents and communities have gifts and assets to leverage, we over-emphasize schools as the only way to shape young people. Meanwhile, in education circles, we have to leave behind old battle lines that don’t pave the way for an educational system informed by what we know about the future. I believe we can blend both parenting and teacher perspectives while focused on future-ready kids and practices.

Schools pivoting to virtual teaching present real challenges. But there are thoughtful actions almost any family can take to set children up for success this fall and to be a positive force in their child’s growth.

  • Encourage an environment where your child and teacher get to know each other.
  • Enlist other trusted adults in the child’s world.
  • Encourage independence in children.
  • Practice self-regulation and self-awareness.
  • Explore learning opportunities through academic or other projects.
  • Find a learning buddy.
  • Be honest in age appropriate ways.

Read the full article about fostering remote learning by Rebecca Holmes at Getting Smart.