Friday, March 29, 2024

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The pandemic’s impact on children in school

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Fall progress report cards are coming out soon. Educational strategist Jane Kristoffy – the author of ‘Launch Your Kid’ – joined us with a few ideas of what you might see.

“It’s an opportunity for teachers to share what’s happening in the classroom, how well students have adapted to their new grade and class,” said Kristoffy. “It shows academic progress as well as how well their learning skills are developing to support achievement.”

Kristoffy says she thinks teachers are having a really tough time getting children to transition from online learning to in-class learning since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The students are used to working behind a screen with their parents on hand,” Kristoffy said. “They can get up from their desk or bed whenever they want…it’s been a real struggle to get the kids to listen, stay in line, or be quiet.” 

Kristoffy says parents can help by making sure their kids are as social as possible. This includes getting them involved on teams, going to the park, setting up playdates and organizing family gatherings. 

She also says parents need to encourage high quality work by making sure their homework is legible and organized. Parents can give their kids chores to give them a sense of duty and responsibility.

Kristoffy says one of the most important ways parents can help is by encouraging a growth mind-set. 

“Teach your kids, with effort and determination, they can conquer any challenge with the right attitude,” said Kristoffy. 

She says the pandemic has made kids less independent. They need to learn from their mistakes and find out the answers on their own. 

“We’ve all been doing too much as parents during the pandemic for our kids,” said Kristoffy. “Right now we need to step back and encourage them to do the things they are capable of doing, even if it’s uncomfortable.”

Kristoffy says parents shouldn’t be too concerned if their child is doing worse in school now than they were doing before the pandemic. 

She reminds parents that November report cards are always not as positive as June ones, because teachers are knit-picking at the beginning of the year to catch the mistakes students are making early. 

Read Jane Kristoffy’s book here.

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