What does it mean to be a parent?
One can hardly say the all the responsibility falls on the teacher to 'teach,' (I have heard that being said) but rather teaching and learning are reciprocal and when we started remote learning models across the nation, a sheer feeling of terror came over parents. Why? Why all this anxiety from parents? Who would not welcome working form the convenience of their home while clearly having the advantage of knowing exactly what their children were up to?
What is a teacher's job?
Parents may argue that it is the teacher's job to 'teach' however, for the sake of illustrating the futility of that statement, consider the meaning of the word 'teach.' According to https://www.thesaurus.com/ and the Oxford American dictionary and Thesaurus, teaching means: "give systematic information to a person or about a subject or skill, enable a person to do something by instruction and training.
The mere fact that teaching is an act that involves the pupil and it involves developing a skill through training means that students need to be actively engaged and that they are going develop their skills through practice and training.
For parents, remote e-learning means that they too must develop their parenting skills and they now have full responsibility to oversee the actions of their children. yes, parents, these children are yours! How is it that teachers have had mixed responses and sporadic completion of assignments? The students who diligently turn in their assignments are the ones who have already developed a sense of responsibility and a sense of accomplishment before we shifted to the remote e-learning model and those students who displayed apathy are caught in the crux of gaining a sense of responsibility and taking ownership for their learning. Apathetic attitudes from students may very well be a reflection of a fracture within their home environment, not withstanding that not one of us are perfect and therefore do not have perfect homes, there are some students who do not feel safe at home.
This is where technology comes in handy, can teachers video conference with their students and get an idea of how they are doing at home?
What can parents do to help their children?
The secret to successfully helping your child is for you, the parent, to manage their time. Have a schedule for everything, from the first meal and television show to the time when they check emails and Google classroom. Can parents use this opportunity to grow close to their children? Read with them or help with projects and research? This trialing time could be a way to build stronger bonds between family and friends, of course with friends through technology since everyone is video conferencing but parents can now truly see what their children's needs are, their strengths and their weaknesses; and in most cases, their biggest need can be filled by showing them love! Tell your child you love them and that you believe in them.
