Learning in the Time of Corona: A Parent’s Perspective

Learning in the Time of Corona: A Parent’s Perspective School administrators, teachers and the “new normal”

BY AQSA KHAN

As 2020 began, nobody anticipated what our lives would look like in the coming months. Less than three months into the year, a sudden jolt was felt by all of us in the Northeast — our communities and towns were put on lockdown.

The tragedies experienced by those who lost loved ones to Covid-19 are difficult to process and imagine, especially since they could not be near them during their last moments. The virus’ economic toll has left too many breadwinners jobless or working part-time and struggling to make ends meet. And we must not forget that as schools closed and extracurricular activities were suspended, students of all ages would now be attending online classes from their homes.

But as online learning stretched into weeks and months, the question soon became not when they would return to school, but rather if it would be safe for them to go back even in the fall.

Those first few days were very confusing — exactly what were we preparing for? Should school administrations and families plan for something prolonged? Our school, Noor-Ul-Iman (NUI) in South Brunswick, N.J., quickly informed parents that the school was doing its best to find a way to ensure that their children’s schoolwork and learning would continue uninterrupted.

The administration and staff met for half a day to plan a remote learning system using the now ubiquitous Zoom and Google Classroom technologies. Before closing its facilities a few days before the area public schools did — but without missing a beat — NUI’s staff and administration set up remote learning for all of its students — preschoolers to seniors.

Even though I had the luxury of being at home during the day, I immediately thought of working families who relied on school as their childcare. How could they supervise their children and work on their own tasks simultaneously? Not only was this an unfair burden for many families, especially mothers, it ended up being an impossible feat that led many women to resign from their employment to give their children the supervision and care they needed. On the other side of their virtual education, teachers had to become cognizant of their students’ different situations, with some pupils working more independently than others.

This pandemic soon taught parents and teachers to be patient and understanding because there were so many variables at play, and students were crossing new terrain. Even kindergartners seemed to have so much more responsibility for their own learning.

A NEW EMPHASIS ON MENTAL WELL-BEING When remote learning first began, my first grader’s teacher focused on what was most important: her students’ mental well-being. Educators understood that a specific curriculum still had to be covered, despite the new social and emotional consequences, and many of them created activities during their sessions to make their students feel cared for and supported.

Every day my son’s teacher opened the session with a remote circle time so the kids could share what they were doing at home and socialize with their peers. Staying positive, providing extra time for assignments and implementing other adaptations enabled teachers to help students of all ages learn that even when big changes happen, structure remains important and talking through it is helpful — and that to modify one’s goals is an act of reflection and purpose.

Parents appreciated that many educators understood that while this pandemic would slow down their children’s learning, it was nevertheless the perfect opportunity to provide an important life lesson to keep them buoyed and feeling secure.

This emphasis on student well-being, a priority for educators, was felt even more acutely by parents. Removing children’s ability to interact with their peers in close proximity left many with a gaping hole in place of their usual engaging learning environments. It became evident that our children needed new outlets to express themselves and to partake in safe social activities.

Many families, including my own, fre- rus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/ new technologies to help create a smoother quented trails and hikes to keep our chil- covid-19-planning-considerations-return- learning experience. Online programs like dren moving and engaged with nature. Such to-in-person-education-in-schools/). Their Schoology (https://www.schoology.com/), outings also provided a fun activity, some argument that schools should be priority which makes student-teacher interactions exercise and some very necessary screen- number one in reopening, especially for and assignments more streamlined, have free time. children who have no or limited internet helped students and teachers connect.

This past year has given us time to bond access at home, revealed just how essential In their quest to use best practices and more and share more responsibility. It was internet access has become. Hopefully, this limit screen exposure, some families have critical to creating a change of pace not will drive necessary government regulations created their own curricula and are homeonly for my children, but also for myself. so that all families have adequate access. schooling. Many have found support from Social distancing made being mom feel like Many teachers navigating the pandemic neighbors and friends who have similar privVARYING EPIPHANIES ON LEARNING Schools like ours — closed throughout the and peers and have some real face time with the psychological toll of closed school aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronaviileges and can dedicate the necessary time,

THIS YOUNG GENERATION APPRECIATES WHAT energy and money. Some parents now enjoy WE ALL TOOK FOR GRANTED. IN ADDITION, WE ALL this learning style more than they thought they would and plan to continue with it,

NEED TO REFLECT MORE ON HOW MUCH MORE while others have a newfound appreciation PRIORITY, FINANCIAL AND OTHERWISE, for teachers. There is no question that this appreciation for all that teachers prepare OUR SCHOOLS SHOULD RECEIVE, and endure with our children is universal. CONSIDERING THEIR INTEGRAL ROLE IN While we continue to adapt to the ever-changing pandemic situation, we learn OUR SOCIETY’S PROPER FUNCTIONING. more about our own capabilities and what is most important in terms of our children’s a 24/7/365 experience from which I needed report feeling limited by remote learning. God willing, Covid-19 will subside soon. some reprieve. Engaging with my children Most notably, they miss the in-person con- However, it doesn’t seem that things will in different outdoor environments helped nections with their students, one of the true go back to the way they were. Last year we vary our interactions and benefited all of us. joys of teaching. Other challenges are how to realized what really matters: how resilient Parents have taken up new pastimes with modify the curricula so they can work online, our children and we can be and the contheir children, like cooking with each other, how to accommodate fewer topics and how nections we must maintain for everyone’s and other important life skills that might have to choose which topics can be dropped. well-being. ih been ignored in previously full schedules. As the new school year was about to Aqsa Khan, an educator from New York, has taught in both start, schools like NUI also implemented public and Islamic schools across the Tristate area. fall — have scheduled monthly outdoor meetand-greets with their classes, weather permitting, so students can get together with friends SEEKING IMAM & DIRECTOR their teachers. Teachers provide small goodies The Muslim Community of New Jersey (MCNJ), established in 1992, is cento keep their spirits high, and the second my children get back they lament about how they wish school was back in session in person, for tered in the heart of Woodbridge Township, in Central New Jersey. It serves the residents of Central New Jersey and has over 300 families in a very diversified community. Over 600 Muslims attended our weekly Jumma Salah. they had enjoyed that short hour with their In addition to conducting five times daily prayer and Jumma salah, we orgateacher and classmates so much. nize a variety of activities for Muslims and non-Muslims in the neighborhood.

This young generation appreciates what MCNJ also conducts a weekend Islamic School and a daily Quranic school. we all took for granted. In addition, we all Other activities include adult halaqas and various youth programs for boys need to reflect more on how much more and girls, including YM, Boy Scout, and Girl Scout programs. priority, financial and otherwise, our schools Currently, MCNJ is looking for a full time Imam and Director of Islamic should receive, considering their integral Education and Religious Affairs. This role serves as the spiritual and relirole in our society’s proper functioning. gious leader of the community and also plays a crucial role in the education

In 2019, The American Academy of of the community. Pediatrics stated in a startling article that You will be a US citizen or Green Card holder and fluent in English. spaces and limited social exposure would Remuneration varies with experience. have unknown consequences on young If you are interested, please send your resume to minds for years to come (https://services. ImaamSearch@MCNJOnline.com current and future success.