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EXCLAMATION POINTS
Zooming Along
The word “Zoom” is now more than a word. It has become a staple in our world in 2020. It’s how we educate our children, catch up with friends and family and conduct business. But this isn’t the first time Zoom has been a part of my life. Do you remember the Zoom television show on PBS? It had a bunch of kids doing song and dance routines and playing games to expound life lessons? Every time someone says “Zoom” to me, that’s where my brain goes – back to 1972.
As tough as this year has been, I’m thankful for the ability to “Zoom.” Twenty-five years ago – even ten years ago – our world situation Celebrating COVID-style with technology, would have been so much worse because we distance and of course, wine. Happy Birthday did not have the advanced technology we have Suzie Beyer! today. Imagine trying to educate our children from home without the internet, laptop computers and high speed wi-fi? Now, it’s still going to be challenging, but because of where our society is technologically, the burden will be eased.
As our children have headed back to school – whatever that truly means in 2020 – in our cover story, we talk with two education experts – one for early childhood and one for teens – and get their tips on what we refer to as The Ultimate Learning Curve. Technology will play a major role in educating our children, now more than ever, and navigating this as parents brings both new opportunities and challenges for the school year.
I remember graduating from The University of Texas in 1987. We had just learned about a new technology that was changing the way we did business. It was called the facsimile machine. It could actually send documents via a phone line instantly around the world. Imagine that! Today, we still have a fax number at our company, but we rarely use it. E-mail and scanners have essentially replaced the need for this technology miracle.
As we are now forced to rely even more on technology in a socially distant world, it’s important not to lose our humanity. American author Elbert Hubbard said, “One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.”
There’s no machine for hugs. There’s no machine for sitting with a friend and READER FEEDBACK holding their hand during a difficult time. There’s no machine for soothing a crying Patti, baby. That takes something extraordinary; Thank you so much for including our ad that takes the human touch. in The Corona Chronicles last week! I really
Stay extraordinary my friends, and appreciate all of your help in getting the above all else, stay focused on the future. word out about this event and the work that we do.
Patti@absolutelyfocusmedia.com Best, Anne Bulan Child Advocates of Fort Bend
Vol. 16 No. 9 September 2020
281-690-4242 www.fortbendfocus.com absolutely! focus media P. O. Box 1253 Richmond, Texas 77406
P U B L I S H E R Patti Parish-Kaminski
AC C O U N T E X E C U T I V E Kay Garrett
A RT D I R E C T O R Grace Belleza
W E B D E S I G N E R / P H O T O G R A P H E R Joey Belleza
S O C IA L M E D IA M A NAG E R Natalee Sembrick
I T SU P P O RT A D M I N I S T R AT I V E / S A L E S A S S I S TA N T Kolton W. Kaminski
C O N T R I BU T O R S Kassidi McKayla Kaminski Steve Kursar Denman Moody Alisa Murray
I N Q U I R I E S 281-690-4242
E D I T O R IA L SU B M I S S I O N S Patti@absolutelyfocusmedia.com
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Fort Bend Focus TM Magazine is published by absolutely! focus media, P. O. Box 1253, Richmond, Texas 77406. Copyright© 2020 by absolutely! focus media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Fort Bend Focus TM Magazine does not knowingly accept false or misleading advertising or editorial, nor do the publishers assume responsibility should such advertising or editorial appear. Fort Bend Focus TM Magazine welcomes editorial submissions from its readers.
The Ultimate Learning Curve: Educating Children During COVID
The “word” for 2020 has quite a few contenders: unprecedented, pandemic, quarantine, social distancing. No one has been unaffected by COVID-19, and two populations that have garnered tremendous concerns are school-aged children and their parents or caregivers. Whether the child is in preschool or high school, there is no doubt that homeschooling or “distance learning” – learning through Zoom or another online platform at home – will have an effect on the developmental progress of children socially, physically and academically. The questions caregivers have are valid and numerous, but they are not insurmountable to answer. In fact, with creativity, structure and grace, caregivers can help their children succeed in distance learning this fall.
Fostering Social Development
“The social aspects of distance learning are what worry me the most and are what parents need to focus on,” said English professor, published author and national speaker on teen educational success Rebecca Deurlein, Ed.D. When school-aged children are not around their peers, Dr. Deurlein said that their motivation can decrease because they are not watching other students exhibit positive study behaviors. This naturally affects academic success as well, but the consensus among educational experts is that the social development of chil
Rebecca Deurlein, Ed.D. dren is what is most at risk. To foster social development while schooling at home, both Dr. Deurlein and Meghan Kaminski, M.Ed. Assistant Director/Curriculum Coordinator of Gingerbread Kids Academy, suggest making safe and responsible opportunities for children to interact with their peers, such as a Zoom call or outside hangouts with small, socially-distanced groups. These types of interactions are “especially important for children who do not have a sibling at home,” according to Kaminski.
Peers influence children in a way that caregivers cannot. When children reach their teenage and high school years, Dr. Deurlein remarks that parental influence is not as strong as peer influence, so caregivers cannot downplay the importance of peer interactions and must make cognizant steps to promote it.
Meghan Kaminski, M.Ed.
How to Keep Your Kids Physically Active
Another area of concern for caregivers is how to keep their children physically active while schooling at home. According to both Kaminski and Dr. Deurlein, the keys to solving this problem are structure and – again – peer interaction. “One of the most important things is keeping the kids moving because they are spending so much time looking at a screen,” said Kaminski, and she advises caregivers to create a weekly or monthly schedule of outside activities to do each day.
For early childhood and elementary school children, Kaminski suggests using the website Pinterest to find creative ways to keep the children active outside, such as an educational scavenger hunt, a nature walk or reading under a tree. Having a schedule is especially imperative for children in this age category for them to develop inference and regulatory skills.
For older children, Dr. Deurlein advises caregivers to help their children – especially athletes – maintain athleticism through limited organized play. “If a caregiver’s child played in a sport that has been cancelled, they need to get the child out of the house and replace that sport with another sport or activity, like tennis or golf or weightlifting – something that they can do with a person or two.” This incorporates peer interaction into the upkeep of athletic skills and hobbies, so caregivers can address two areas of development at once.
5Tips for Homeschooling & Digital Learning
1
Have the tough conversations with your children before school starts: What counts as cheating? Why is cheating wrong? How can we work together to prevent it?
2
Make a weekly or monthly schedule for physical activity. Get creative!
3
Have your children do their schoolwork outside of their rooms if possible. Bedrooms are meant for sleeping, and studying in another area of the house will promote a better sleep schedule.
4 5
Ensure all involved parties in your child’s learning (parents, teachers, grandparents, nannies, etc.) are on the same page when it comes to their schedules, expectations and goals.
Give yourself some grace and know your limitations when it comes to facilitating schooling at home – we’re all learning!
For more information about Teenagers 101: What a Top Teacher Wishes You Knew About Helping Your Kid Succeed by Dr. Rebecca Duerlein, go to https://www.amazon.com/Teenagers-101-TeacherHelping-Succeed/dp/0814434657.
If your goal is to raise children who can tackle problems as they arise, then you must let them practice doing so. If you want your children to be able to articulate concerns and ask important questions, then you must give them a forum in which to practice. And if you want them to seek the best opportunities for themselves and be sure they are valued and respected, they must earn that respect and acknowledgment through their actions and character. None of this can happen as long as you are doing the work for them.
Academic Concerns
How do children succeed academically while distance learning? Based on the abrupt ending of in-person learning last Spring, this is a valid concern among caregivers. “Back then, no one thought all of this would last so long,” said Kaminski. “Survival was the only goal.” But now, Kaminski says that both educators and caregivers have had the time to adapt, learn and problem-solve for the Fall.
Some problems educators will face are the array of ways that students learn and how they can make their teaching as accessible as possible for students who are used to hands-on learning. Because the teachers are not physically with the students, the caregivers must step in, but as healthy guides in order to maintain academic integrity.
There is a difference between “guiding” and “doing when it comes to children’s homework.” According to Dr. Deurlein, “If you’re a parent, the absolute worst thing you can do is do the student’s homework for them. The best thing to do is to teach them that they are smart enough to complete their own work and to let them take full responsibility for it.” Fostering academic integrity at home may seem like a daunting task, but it is necessary in an educational setting that might no longer have opportunities for extracurriculars, thus making academics extremely important.
For athletes, musicians, artists and actors who no longer have access to their athletic and creative outlets, transitioning to distance learning can be especially challenging. For those children, Dr. Deurlein wants to remind them that coaches and schools recognize the unprecedented school environment and are making concessions where they can. However, this does not guarantee a competition season or an acceptance to a college, so academics need to become the main focus. It is imperative for caregivers to empathize with children who usually engage in extracurricular activities and now have less opportunities to do so, and they should also encourage those children to succeed in academics to help their chances of getting into their desired colleges.
More Questions?
Caregivers have options when it comes to their child’s schooling from home. It is not something that should be tackled alone. Whether a caregiver chooses private tutoring, micro-schooling (splitting the cost of a private tutor among the caregivers of small groups of children), distance learning or homeschooling, learning how to best educate school-aged children over the upcoming year is absolutely doable. Moving past the survival mode of the Spring, caregivers want their children to succeed in school and not fall behind. With the tips and knowledge of educators like Kaminski and Dr. Deurlein, caregivers should feel empowered against the uncertainty of the arriving school year.
