When 2020 began, we had no clue as to the changes coming to our children’s education. Looking to the new year, the only thing that seems certain is that uncertainty in school opportunity, format, and structure will continue as the conditions around us adjust. School will carry on as unpredictable and unprecedented.
Life in a virtual environment cannot truly be compared to face-to-face, yet a wide range of reactions have surfaced about the school experience. Substantial challenges with remote and hybrid learning have been noted, however, there has not been not a one-size-fits-all perspective regarding the best education option. Altered learning formats have brought confusion, struggle, and feelings of being overwhelmed for some whereas others have noted eagerness to engage new technology and creativity in adapting activities.
Varied reactions will remain, and we may be tired of being asked to look for silver linings, or bright prospects, to the changed education landscape. But here’s why it’s important to check our expectations and consider shifts in how we frame this school year.
Promoting messages that this school year is a lost cause and that there will be tremendous gaps may contribute to the problem. This has been described as the Pygmalion Effect, which is a classic study in psychology about expectation bias. The researchers found that high expectations by adults can lead to better child performance and vice versa. In other words, our framing of the school year matters. The ways in which we share our expectations have potential long-term consequences for our children.
Despite the challenges to be acknowledged, we can recognize potential positives with regard to the changed education environment. To start, we can observe that frustrating and uncomfortable are features that can provide conditions for psychological growth, such as the potential to respond to challenge, pursue high goals, and positive self-regard. Across all stages of life, we crave this balance of external accomplishment and inner fulfillment. Right now, we are faced with an opportunity to help ourselves and those around us to frame the current situation as something that pushes us to grow.
Here are just a few more potential silver linings to think about adding to your family story.
Flexibility in Structure. Reduced availability of activities has opened blocks of time, creating a break from a perhaps overscheduled life. One substantial benefit is the opportunity to build and sustain a personal wellness plan. As an example, revised school times afforded through remote schooling offer flexibility as to when and where work gets done, opening the possibility of putting in place those sleep times endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, particularly for teens.
This break also presents an opportunity to intentionally cultivate creativity – to experiment, play, reflect, and self-express – which is important for nurturing children’s emotional health. It’s related to cognitive flexibility, meaning the capacity to adapt behaviors like coping with uncertainty, pivoting problem-solving, and using change to energize. These skills are important to success in work, personal, and social life across all ages.
As we move forward, we also can use this newfound time to reflect on what could and should be added back to the “normal” routine.
Independence and Choice. Along with flexibility in structure comes independence and choice in what we do and how we do it. Although we each need different types of supports to manage roles and responsibilities, there is a greater opportunity to build skills in self-management. Self-management is the ability to effectively manage emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations, and is a core competency in social and emotional learning.