Happiness is....

C0LLETTE · 05-13-2020, 03:19 PM

Happiness, for me, is the realization that I don't have to do it all. In fact, i don't really have to do most of it.
Here's a word to those who are dealing with the stress of homeschooling....RELAX

"... until isolation and distancing measures can be loosened, and schools safely accessed for all children, we need to ease the burden on parents. And the external drivers of much of this stress – workplaces and the education system – must do their part. Parents doing home-based work are struggling to produce at pre-pandemic levels, while parenting and teaching off the sides of their shared desks and often sharing a computer. The list of expectations, online curriculums, assignments and school-based meetings with multiple children of various ages can be a scheduling nightmare. This is especially challenging for parents of school-aged children under 10, preschoolers and children with special needs. For parents who are doing essential work outside the home, homeschooling takes on a whole other dimension.

School systems at all levels – starting from Ministries of Education – need to publicly reduce the assignment-driven pressure on both students and parents. Employers need to support parents in the short-term, re-examining expectations and ways of working, so these employees can return to work with their mental health intact. The longer we remain in a collective lockdown, the more of a toll it threatens to take on parents’ health.

Learning is lifelong, and a few months of incomplete schooling will have a negligible effect on most children. They will eventually learn their multiplication tables and the French word for “happiness.” When kids finally gather safely again in schools, each of them will be at a different place. And trained, compassionate, caring professionals will be there to help each one of them.

A parent’s job today is not to homeschool; it’s to stay connected. Kids who are emotionally secure will learn better. There are a lot of lessons in what we are going through together, and many of them are on the home front."

From a very sensible "Globe and Mail" opinion piece today.

05-13-2020, 03:19 PM	#11
C0LLETTE Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Depends on the day. Preferred Pronoun?: "I" and "we" Relationship Status: Very good. Thank you for asking. Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Canada Posts: 11,501 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 16,676 Thanked 15,175 Times in 4,341 Posts Rep Power: 21474860	Happiness, for me, is the realization that I don't have to do it all. In fact, i don't really have to do most of it. Here's a word to those who are dealing with the stress of homeschooling....RELAX "... until isolation and distancing measures can be loosened, and schools safely accessed for all children, we need to ease the burden on parents. And the external drivers of much of this stress – workplaces and the education system – must do their part. Parents doing home-based work are struggling to produce at pre-pandemic levels, while parenting and teaching off the sides of their shared desks and often sharing a computer. The list of expectations, online curriculums, assignments and school-based meetings with multiple children of various ages can be a scheduling nightmare. This is especially challenging for parents of school-aged children under 10, preschoolers and children with special needs. For parents who are doing essential work outside the home, homeschooling takes on a whole other dimension. School systems at all levels – starting from Ministries of Education – need to publicly reduce the assignment-driven pressure on both students and parents. Employers need to support parents in the short-term, re-examining expectations and ways of working, so these employees can return to work with their mental health intact. The longer we remain in a collective lockdown, the more of a toll it threatens to take on parents’ health. Learning is lifelong, and a few months of incomplete schooling will have a negligible effect on most children. They will eventually learn their multiplication tables and the French word for “happiness.” When kids finally gather safely again in schools, each of them will be at a different place. And trained, compassionate, caring professionals will be there to help each one of them. A parent’s job today is not to homeschool; it’s to stay connected. Kids who are emotionally secure will learn better. There are a lot of lessons in what we are going through together, and many of them are on the home front." From a very sensible "Globe and Mail" opinion piece today. __________________ ______________________________ ______________________________