COVID ’21: A Whole New ‘Back to School’ Experience

“The more things change…the more they stay the same.”  This feels incredibly apt right now as families face yet another back-to-school season in the time of Covid.

 What’s really striking is that the collectively relieved parental vibe that clients, family and friends emitted even just a short six weeks ago has in recent days morphed into a lamentable chorus of here-we-go-agains.

Just when it had seemed children might have a quasi-normal, much-needed and highly recommended return to academic life (endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics), parents are once more fretting about sending kids into classrooms and feverishly scanning the headlines for sound medical guidance to allay their fears about the Delta coronavirus variant.

As one mother of a rising 4th grader shared: “While I’m not going to second-guess my city’s decision to return children to the classroom, I have much more anxiety about my unvaccinated child going to school this Fall than I did even a month ago. Naturally, I trust that school administrators have considered all the variables and will instate all the appropriate safety measures so that everyone — kids, teachers and staff — can stay safe. But the situation is far from ideal.”

Far, indeed. It’s hard to predict whether the CDC guidance for Covid prevention in K-12 schools, originally issued on July 9, will get a facelift given the alarming uptick in Covid infections. And it’s not farfetched to suppose that things could completely derail in September because with the pandemic, you just never know.

But one thing is certain: While there are still plenty of unknowns, there is still much parents can do to prepare their K-12 and college students for the coming academic year.  

Manage your negative feelings. There’s a lot at stake this back-to-school season, so parents are facing a mixture of anxious, fearful and even contradictory (e.g., I’m afraid for my kid, but can’t wait for school to start) feelings. No matter what they are, be sure you have a safe place to discharge your anxiety and vent your frustration, either with other parents, a parenting coach, a therapist and/or friends. Address and validate your own experience so that the face your kids see is one they can rely on to help them manage their fears and keep them safe.

Acknowledge the greater good.  Parents the world over are thrilled that the social isolation their have children faced the last 16 months is behind them. Moreover, in-person learning will address the inequities of distance learning exacerbated during the pandemic. These include mitigating the negative impact on academic achievement for students of color and non-English-speaking students; re-bridging the digital divide; and addressing the increase in mental health issues children and adolescents suffered during the pandemic.

Don’t sugarcoat it. Transitions are hard on everyone -- especially kids. So let yours know that it’s okay if they feel a little anxious about going back to school during Covid. If you emphasize how much fun they’ll have and how great it will be, you set your children up with the expectation that everything is going to be rosy. Which means you run the risk that they’ll lock up their fears inside for fear of disappointing you.  

Do make sure you emphasize your confidence that the school will do everything possible to keep them safe. And reassure them that they’ll be able to debrief about their experience every day at home.

Gather as much information from your school district as you can. Now is the time to be a proactive parent. While many school districts will have similar safety measures in place (masking; regular testing; improved ventilation; social distancing; regular hand washing, keeping sick kids home), there will be local variations.

Remember -- the more you know about what the school year will look like, the sooner you can prepare your kids for what’s to come.

·      For early-childhood learners, find out if there will be a pre-visit school day or a Zoom Open House to familiarize your child with their teacher and classroom. Also, try to get a class list and arrange a pre-school play date so that your child will see at least one familiar face on Day 1.

·      For grade-schoolers, be sure to confirm what the drop-off/pick-up protocols will be and share them; consider a practice drill since it’s been such a long time since school was last in session.

·      For teens, continue to be your kids’ frontal lobes. Ask “what if” questions, such as “What are you planning on doing after school? How do you plan to stay safe if you’re around kids that aren’t vaccinated? Role-play with them so they can practice how to deal with uncomfortable situations. Keep a watchful eye on any signs of anxiety.

·      With college students, especially incoming freshmen, ensure they have all the supplies they’ll need (masks, hand sanitizer, etc). Encourage them to research school safety and testing protocols and familiarize themselves with the location and capacities of on-campus medical and mental health resources. Most important, ensure your family has a plan for what to do if they get Covid.

Reorient your kids to the realities of school life. Remote learning has had a profound impact on kids of all ages and grades, and many children may have forgotten about the rigors and challenges of school life. It may surprise them that the transition won’t be as smooth as they expect it to be.

While many children thrived academically during Covid, it could partly be because they had a lot of educational and psychic support at home from parents (or paid teachers/tutors) during the pandemic that they won’t have come Fall.

Engage your kids in conversation about the reality of an all-day scholastic program, the demands of independent learning and self-monitoring, and dealing with social distractions. Stay vigilant, especially in those first couple months. Keep a close watch on their homework and other performance metrics so you can be fully prepared for that first parent-teacher conference.

Many students experienced a loss of academic progress during the pandemic. If this is true for your child, be sure to arrange a meeting with teachers before the school year to set up tutoring or other educational scaffolding your children may need.

Be mindful of the pressures on teachers, school administrators and staff. Families aren’t the only ones feeling frazzled. Returning to the classroom will also be extraordinarily stressful for teachers, administrators and staff who want to keep kids safe while staying healthy themselves. Remember, these professionals went into education because of their passion for helping students learn. On the whole, their efforts during the pandemic have been Herculean, albeit imperfect. Be sure to express your appreciation for everything they do.

Be prepared to pivot. Change is inevitable during normal times, and more so during a global pandemic. So plan vigorously -- but be ready to change when the need arises.

College Bound Face COVID-19 (Parents, Too!)

Last week, I watched my youngest son, a college junior, drive away from home en route to his off-campus apartment in California. As it happens every time one of my kids leave, a part of me broke. Especially knowing that because of COVID, I won’t be flying out to watch him play his big bass drum during halftime at a football game. And it’s the first time any of the kids have left for college without definitive plans for their next trip home.

As I mourned the loss and struggled with the uncertainty, I reminded myself how grateful I am that my co-parent and I raised three launch-able kids.

Truth be told, a big part of me wished my son would have stayed home and studied online. But he wanted to go back, and he’s proven himself to be a responsible young adult many times over, especially through the pandemic. So as he loaded up the car with his stuff, I supplemented with disinfecting wipes and spray, several boxes of disposable masks, a fully stocked medical kit including a pulse oximeter, an instant-read thermometer and electrolyte tabs -- hoping for the best.

Your student is likely departing soon as well and like the majority of families you’re in the thick of final travel preparations. Yet surprisingly, some campuses are still in flux. 

As of this writing, about a quarter of the nearly 3,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. have not yet decided which educational approach their campus will take: fully online; primarily online; hybrid; primarily in person; fully in person; and “other” (whatever that might mean). Not only is there no national standard, even within large cities, schools are taking varied approaches.

It almost doesn’t matter which pedagogical approach campuses are taking because absolutely nothing will be “normal” about college this year. The near-total loss of a normative college experience -- developing new learning communities, dorm life, study abroad, football season, Greek life, if desired -- is hard on everyone. As parents, we need to manage our own feelings of sadness even as we help our kids manage their expectations.

Considering the high-stakes decision schools are making by welcoming students back to campus, most have exhaustive plans for mitigating contagion on campus, including:

·      Strictly scheduled and time-limited dorm drop-offs

·      Online dorm orientations and at some schools, no roommates

·      No parent-and-family weekends

·      Mask-wearing and social distancing mandates

·      Increased number of remote classes

·      Grab-and-go vs. sit-down cafeterias

·      Big Ten, PAC-12 and other sports (plus bands) off the calendar for Fall

·      Size limits for gatherings

·      Spring study abroad cancelled

·      Regularly coronavirus testing

·      Codified quarantine plans for infected students

·      Severe penalties (suspension and/or expulsion) for those who don’t comply.

Despite the many precautions, every parent is justifiably worried that no matter how careful your kids are, they could contract COVID-19 -- or a campus-wide outbreak could occur. Already a dorm at Colorado College is under quarantine and UNC reported COVID-19 positivity rates at Campus health up from 2.8% to 13.6% in just one week resulting in a complete shift to remote learning for undergraduates.

That’s precisely what parents and students need to plan for. Here’s how:

Flex your parental muscles before they leave. COVID fatigue has set in for a lot of young people. It’s understandable: being vigilant isn’t particularly fun. Our college-bound kids need to understand that they are the sole arbiters of their health and safety on and off campus. That means establishing boundaries with roommates and friends from the start and calling out those who act recklessly. If necessary, they must advocate for themselves by reaching out to administrators or parents for guidance and support.

Have an inviolable communications agreement. No matter how cautious your child is or how much you’ve drilled the importance of safety measures into them, they still may get sick. In some cases, they may be reluctant to tell you. Have an agreement that they will let you know if they start to have any kind of symptoms. They must believe you’re their 9-1-1, no matter what.

HIPPA. Another top priority is to be sure they’ve signed off on the required HIPPA forms so medical providers can legally talk to you if they get sick.

Medical care. Find out in advance what on-campus Health Services are available whether your kid gets COVID or has a chronic condition that increases their risk. Your child needs to know what resources are available. Also, identify a physician/telehealth provider and a hospital near campus. Finally, think through several scenarios whereby near-by relatives or friends may be able to help if your child gets COVID-19 and needs assistance.

Have an exit strategy. If there’s a major outbreak on campus and the school shuts down, they will need an exit plan. This includes knowing what transportation method they will use to get them home or where they’ll stay if they remain.

As parents inevitably learn, no matter how well we plan, nothing is set in stone -- especially now. The best parents can do is be nimble, flexible and ready to pivot as quickly as required. Our children need to be a part of this planning and we need to continue to help them anticipate consequences and think through scenarios.

Pandemic life feels more like a wartime environment than anything I’ve ever experienced as a parent. It’s just that this “enemy” is invisible to the naked eye. All we can do is prepare our kids as best we can, then hope they practice healthy behaviors and adhere to the moral compass we helped them develop.

How Parents can Mitigate their Back-to-School Concerns

“School is all I think about” -- the subject line of a recent NYT parenting email -- perfectly sums up the collective angst around the coming school year for just about every parent I know.

In fact, how to manage what’s next academically has been one of the top concerns on my clients’ minds since April, when I first broached the subject of what parents can do to manage uncertainty during the pandemic.

Five months in, uncertainty is still the watchword when it comes to back-to-school season, from pre-schoolers to the college bound, leaving parents to make their best decisions given the profusion of ever-changing data.

First, there’s the new research out of the Children’s Hospital of Chicago that indicates higher viral loads in young children than previously thought. Complicating the picture, a study in Australia demonstrates “extremely limited” transmission in New South Wales educational settings during the first wave of COVID-19. Science magazine reported on a study that indicates that rampant screening of the whole population is a key to safely reopen schools and business. The latest guidance from the CDC, sadly influenced by politics, hasn’t changed since July 23, even given the new studies. And tragically, while a spotlight has been shined on how to protect children in abusive or neglectful homes for whom school is a lifeline, (20% of reports to child protective services come from educational personnel), a nationwide solution remains elusive.

For most parents, the choice of how to return to the classroom has been made for them. As of August 6th, 17 of the 20 largest school districts in the country have chosen to exclusively educate their students online. Other districts are still finalizing their approach. What still remains unknown is how districts are addressing the deficits in technology hardware and access that remain unaddressed for a number of students.

Those are just some of the large systemic issues that education writ large is facing. Closer to home, there are a number of concerns keeping us parents up at night. But with planning and presence, parents can mitigate them.

1.    Risk of exposure to the coronavirus for staff and students.

Either by school-district mandate or personal choice, many parents are opting for online-only education for their elementary and high-school aged kids largely because it is the safest bet, even though it runs counter to advice from some pediatric experts.

The latest data about young kids and COVID-19 hugely impacts parents of pre-schoolers and rising kindergarteners -- particularly if these youngsters and their parents are in regular contact with elderly or immune-compromised people. If sending young children to in-person schools or preschools, parents need to give little ones lots of practice wearing masks for extended periods of time now so it becomes routinized come Day 1. And if your children are washing their hands as much as they ought to be, keep a special eye out for peeling, rashes and cracking and tend to them daily.

Understanding school rules and expectations for in-person learning will help you prepare your kids and keep them and their teachers safe. Not traveling to hot spots and practicing smart social distancing for two weeks in advance of returning to school is vital, as is continued vigilance.

2.     Academic engagement and rigor.

Amid the chaos of the abrupt transition to distance learning this past March, many pedagogical principles took a back seat. So did teacher expectations of students. But come September, that will hopefully change now that teachers have flattened the distance-learning curve and have had time to plan.

That’s not to say that there won’t be variation in teacher preparedness. If you don’t feel the online classroom is challenging enough (or if you have other concerns), bring it to the attention of the teacher and/or administration, as you would have in the past. School staff may be remote, but they remain accountable for their work. Your kids will be learning from home, but they aren’t being educated in a vacuum.

If your child’s achievement is a concern, an effective strategy to alleviate online hurdles is to recall what worked -- and didn't work -- about distance learning for your particular children and put tweaks in place to address the discrepancies. For example, if in the Spring you were quick to jump in when your middle-schoolers struggled with an online assignment, take a more encouraging-but-hands-off approach so they can get better at independent learning.

When school is ‘live’, there are many built-in cues to help kids anticipate what was coming next, which actually prepared them for better learning. Students (of all ages) respond favorably to structure, so build routine into your children’s school day, especially if the online learning isn’t synchronous.  A huge help in this regard is a weekly family meeting. These gatherings don’t just let everyone know what to expect in the coming week, they also give kids and parents alike a chance to learn from missteps and contribute to family harmony. After you create your family’s daily or weekly schedule, hang it in a highly trafficked spot in your home. There are numerous examples on-line.

example taken from caps.k12.va.us

acps.k12.va.us

Remember that many children will find themselves without the necessary resources to succeed and are much more vulnerable at this time. If you are a parent with resources to spare, find local organizations and donate!

3.  Social-emotional engagement of students with both teachers and peers.

As with most things related to children, the short- and long-term impact of decreased social and emotional engagement due to the pandemic depends on your kids’ personality. I know some students who prefer online connection that have actually flourished during the pandemic, both personally and academically.

Others, who thrive on in-person social engagement, as well as some only children, may be suffering. The last thing you want to happen is for your child to be in pain -- or learn to hate school solely because of the isolation of distance learning. As parents, this is the time to figure what works for your kid yet keeps your family within your coronavirus comfort level.

One strategy is to find someone who can act as a big brother or big sister…a combination tutor and playmate…who can engage with your child in a way that produces both a feeling of connection and positive learning outcomes.

Another idea is to do what many families did over the course of the summer and expand your individual family circle with one or two other families with like-minded protective practices to create a multiple-family pod. Pods help alleviate the extreme isolation of the pandemic while providing their kids with playmates who can keep them company during the school year -- even if they aren’t in the same class.

Child-teacher engagement, a vital contributor to effective learning, is obviously more difficult when learning is both distant and asynchronous. A fair number of schools are planning a hybrid of synchronous and asynchronous teaching so kids can have engagement with teachers; it also guards against digital burnout.

Yes, child-teacher engagement is more challenging when learning is remote, but it’s also an opportunity for older kids to be guided to self-advocate for their needs by setting up communication strategies that work for both teacher and student. Even younger kids, aided by parents, can email teachers and request some one-on-one time.

In either case, be thoughtful and empathic about your expectations of teachers. After all, they are most likely facing the same challenges of full-time work and helping their kids learn from home as you are!

4.    Keeping kids physically active.

I hear this concern from my clients all the time. My point of view is that this is one area when parents need to step in and set clear boundaries and expectations. Being healthy (don’t make it about weight or appearance) is a family value that parents need to model every day.

A multitude of articles from credible medical sources speak to the importance of physical activity during the pandemic because it reduces stress, improves cardio-vascular health, boosts the immune system and improves sleep.

So what to do? Make it a priority by clearly building it into your weekly family calendar. During your family meetings, brainstorm fresh exercise ideas to try each week. Online are a slew of free apps many with virtual classes that require little space or special equipment. Exercise as a family (or pod) with bike rides, dance parties, jogs around the block and “team” sports. Make it a challenge by giving family members who reach weekly exercise goals an award. Embrace new activities and encourage your older kids to research the myriad options available on-line.

5.    Preparing kids for the “new normal.”

Whether school is online, remote or a mash-up, things are going to be very different come September. It is essential that parents contact schools in advance to find out what is being planned so you can prepare your children.

If your kids are actually going to school for in person learning, they need to know in advance that there will be dramatic changes. Parents will no longer be walking their little ones into the school. Once inside, there will be fewer students and staff in the classroom, where desks will likely be 6 feet apart. Mandatory hand washing will be the norm. Teachers will be the ones moving from classroom to classroom; students will stay put. Hallways will be one-way. Lunch will be at your desk. Recess will be closely monitored to maintain social distancing. Masks will be worn by everyone.  

Even distance learning will “feel” different than it did this past Spring, when the transition was abrupt and unplanned. In the first days and weeks of the school year in particular, set aside time to talk to your children about what felt different and what they liked and didn’t like. Stay on top of your kids’ anxieties -- and your own -- and get the support you need to accommodate them.

4.    Continuing impact on parents’ personal and professional lives.

This is a huge issue -- especially for parents of school-aged kids. If you’re lucky enough to have a co-parent, success starts by collaborating with your partner.

Talk to one another about how you’ll share responsibilities, drawing on the best of what you did in the Spring. If you’re lucky enough to be working remotely, talk to your boss about maintaining flexibility; fortunately, most bosses are likely to be prepared for these conversations. Make the necessary adjustments within your team as well. If team meetings have been on Monday mornings at 8 during the summer, suggest they occur mid-morning, so parents can help kids settle into their distance-learning routine.

Life is always harder for single parents, working or not. Single parents need to come up with a cohort to share the responsibility. If extended family isn’t available, send a note to others on the block to seek like-minded parents who will join a pod that provides a safety net for parents and support for kids.

For all working parents, one strategy that works extremely well is to create a red-yellow-green sign that indicates a working parent’s availability. Red means “please wait” (unless there’s blood, of course!) yellow means “enter if it can’t wait until [insert time]” and green means “come on in.” Don’t overuse the red if you want the system honored.

You can also set up a low drawer with healthy snacks and water that kids can help themselves to during the day. Let older kids have a little more responsibility for their younger siblings. I’ll give you that parents in previous generations gave older siblings too much responsibility, but nowadays parents are loathe to give them much at all. Do it anyway; kids are capable of much more than we give them credit for.

Most importantly, make the time for your and your partner to have the personal and shared time you need to put yourselves and your relationship first. When you make yourselves a priority through parental self-care, you can trust the rest will fall into place.

These are extremely challenging times for parents and families. You won’t find me saying they’re not. And success requires plenty of planning, resilience -- and a hefty sense of humor. No parent is going to do it perfectly. But as parents around the globe are facing the same challenge, we will have lots of company.

Then there’s this: I believe parents who live by and model their shared values will find the going a little easier simply because they know what they’re doing is the best possible thing for their kids given the extraordinary circumstances.

Let’s get started…I think I hear the bell!

p.s.  I’ll address college students in a post coming very soon! If you have questions in the meantime, email danahirtparenting@gmail.com.

Tips for a Super-Fun Family Summer

I’m a huge proponent of family fun – as my last post on special ways to celebrate your family makes clear.

While there are a number of ways to cement family bonds, one of my favorites is to simply have fun together. After all, when you live in a city like Chicago famous for its long cold winters, the sudden and momentous return of summertime signals “family fun” like no other season of the year. So let’s get to it.

The beauty of summer – and what makes it particularly advantageous for families – is that it represents a departure from the structured world of the school year. Whether you are working inside or outside the home, the array of academic and extra-curricular activities your kids have leaves precious little time for carefree family activities during the school year.

Let’s take dinner. When children have ball or band practice after school – and  homework that evening – dinner is simply about providing nutrition.

But summertime? Even something as banal as supper can become a fun family activity. How?

·      Get everyone involved in packing a picnic to take to your favorite neighborhood park

·      Throw some pre-made pizza crusts on the grill, and have a contest to see who can create the most outlandish (yet edible) pie

·      Go to a family-friendly restaurant with outdoor seating – and bring along a deck of cards for a quick game after ordering or eating

·      Let the kids do the menu-planning, shopping and cooking! (a personal favorite)

See what I mean?

Making summertime a prime time for family fun is largely a mindset, and now is the time to shift yours so this summer can become one of your family’s best ever. Hyperbole aside, there are a few caveats.

CAVEAT #1    What your kids don’t need to know is that family summertime fun is not just about fun. Summer can be a growth opportunity. With intentional parents at the helm, kids can get lots of opportunities to exercise their executive functioning muscles (organizing, planning and executing a plan; understanding different points of view; regulating emotions (like when a rainstorm makes plans go awry). Their regular muscles can get some additional action, too, when you try new sports or activities together.

CAVEAT #2   Summer can be a stressor. Working parents face the anxiety of getting their kids into enough camps and classes and park activities so they can show up for their jobs. Stay-at-home parents may fear having their kids around 24/7 with less of the quiet or private time they’ve come to rely on during the school year.

CAVEAT #3    Transitions are difficult for kids (for parents, too), particularly the ones out of and eventually back into the school year. So give your family a break if things aren’t picture-perfect.

CAVEAT #4   Speaking of pictures…your family’s “fun” doesn’t have to look like any other family’s, nor does it have to pass the Instagram test. It simply needs to meet the needs of your particular unit.

Now let’s get back to making this summer great! Here are two basic strategies to help kick-start the season.

Have a family meeting. This is the time for everyone to come up with a few must-dos / wanna-dos for summer 2018. Out of that brainstorming session, create a bucket list that includes something for everyone. Here are just a few ideas you might want to consider:

·       Virtually every city offers family-centric activities, many of which are free or very low-cost; assign one of your kids the task of doing a bit of online research to see what’s available in your city

·      Make reading a fun family activity by selecting a book to read aloud one night each week (i.e., no book report required!)

·      Plant a garden in your backyard or join a community garden

·      Be a tourist in your own city and explore some of the neighborhoods you’ve never been to before

·       Let each of your kids include their friends in one family activity each month (dinner is a great option here, especially when you put them in charge!)

·       Speaking of dinner, try a cuisine your family has never eaten. Vietnamese, anyone?

 Approach the summer season intentionally and mindfully. You know your kids and what they need, and have no doubt already put into place the right amount and variety of structured activities and camps. But if summertime is all structure, your kids miss out the bounty of ideas and self-awareness that comes from some freedom and un-structured activities. That’s where parents need to exercise intentionality. Here are some ideas in this regard:

·      Don’t be freaked out if your kids just want to laze around the house or backyard some days. Resist the urge to keep them busy. With freedom and downtime, kids become more adept at finding out what interests them. It’s actually an important lesson to know how to entertain oneself!

·      Make and take some downtime for yourself – no matter what

·      Consider if this summer is a good time for a philanthropic activity everyone participates in

·      Limit screens – for everyone in the family

How can a working parent practice intentional parenting during the summer?

·      Consider using your PTO to spend at least one day a month with each one of your kids alone for a special activity. Taking time off “just because” sends a powerful message to kids.

·      Check with your manager regarding flex time. Many companies have official or unofficial summer policies or, if not, may be amenable to an idea you propose

·      Stay connected with your kids as much as you can with a phone call during lunchtime

Being an intentional parent also means setting realistic expectations – for everyone in the family. No parent can make summertime fun-central from dawn to dusk. You still need to go to work, do the laundry and pay the bills. If you haven’t already, make this the summer you lift the veil on all the things you do as parents to make your kids lives comfortable.

It’s a great way to teach your kids to be empathic to someone else’s experience. I’m certainly not advocating you play the martyr, but it’s perfectly legitimate to say, “Listen guys – Tasks A, B, C and D need to get done this week – in addition to all the fun stuff we’d like to do. Let’s figure out who will do what and when.” You just may be surprised how eager they are to help (especially the younger ones!)

A clean house and a day at the fair? Sounds like fun to me!