Learning challenges, Covid 19 and back to school....what are you gonna do?

Depending on where you live, the start of the school year could be fast approaching, or it may already be here. However, the start of this school year is different than any other we have known. We are five months into a global pandemic that has completely changed how the world functions and school is one of the key players that has been affected. 

Many parents are in a tough situation of trying to make decisions about whether they will send their kids to school in person if they will do some sort of homeschool/virtual school option or some version of the two. In some areas, such as where we live in Ontario, parents have more questions than answers from the Ministry of Education, our School Boards and Public Health, who are all trying to figure out how to make this work.

The only thing that seems certain is uncertainty. 

So, as parents, and even more specifically, as parents of kids who have learning differences, how do we approach all of this uncertainty in both our role as a parent and with respect to making decisions for our children? Having a child with a learning difference may add in a whole other layer in this back to school/back to learning equation with many different factors to contemplate: 

Let’s first consider some of the thoughts and questions you may be having when trying to figure out the best option for your child: 

• My child has an IEP, how will accommodations or modifications be handled with distance learning? 

• Will my child’s teacher have the time to focus on my child’s learning needs when they are focusing on the priority of health issues?

• Will my child still receive the support they need when they have dyslexia, ADHD or learning challenges through a Special Education or Learning Resources teacher if they are at school? 

• Can my child who has difficulties with executive functioning issues keep up academically if they are doing more self-directed learning?

• Will online learning suit my child’s learning style? 

• How will my child adapt to social cues and distancing rules with the new regulations in schools? 

• What will the change in routine do to my child who depends on consistency and structure? 

• My child depends on facial expressions and reading lips to help them learn. How will they adapt to having their teacher’s face covered? 

• Will, my child be able to sit in the same classroom all day if they need to stay with one teacher for the entirety of the day (potentially without access to gym class, music class etc).?

• Will the disruption in what my child knows as the regular school day set them back if they are trying to adapt to a new format? 

It all feels like a lot, doesn’t it? We get it. So what do we do about the overwhelm? One step at a time, work through it together and try to approach it with as much positivity and open-mindedness as you can muster (easier said than done, right?). 

“In the face of uncertainty, there is nothing wrong with hope.” - Carl Simonton

Here are a few mindset shifts that will help us adapt to this year, and look to it with more hope:  

1. Flow with the changes - keeping the perspective that we will need to be fluid with our decisions and know to expect changes will keep us open to these changes. I have started adding a “for now” to the end of all of my decisions….like “we are choosing virtual learning FOR NOW”. We have to remember that nothing is permanent - we may change our minds as new information comes available. The schools may change how things are done. We have seen a lot of changes already, but things could change again before school starts, or again in September or October...  

2. Be flexible and patient - learning from the rollercoaster of experiences in the Spring when the pandemic first hit will help us feel more prepared. Schools need time to adjust to new rules in their environment, teachers will need to learn how to teach either with masks on, or teach full school days online and public health departments need time to try to come up with plans for various scenarios that could occur. We are all learning as we go how to deal with this new reality, and understanding that no one has a perfect answer for anything will help us to keep our patience in check. 

3. Look at new ways of learning - the way we “go to school” will be different for the foreseeable future. Whether that is with virtual schooling, homeschooling, going back to school (or another option you may choose!) new regulations, expectations and routines will be part of this school year. We will have to look at “school” with a new lens of what learning means and how it can be accomplished (and who knows, maybe your child will love new learning formats or thrive in different environments!).

4. Make mental health and self-care a priority - no matter what situation you are in, and what mode of learning you are choosing, all of these changes and the unknown has likely caused stress in your family’s life. When trying to make decisions for September and beyond, mental health and self-care should be top of mind when making your choices. 

Here are a few additional resources to help you make your decisions and get you and your child ready for the new learning year:

School Decision-Making Tool PDF checklist

Back to Learning Articles and Resources

Real people support inside our Parent Membership Community

There is no one RIGHT choice for how to approach back to school this year...it can be a time of transition, upheaval, and discomfort. And it may not actually be back to SCHOOL...referring to it as “back to learning” in whatever form that may take seems like a more appropriate term. 

Whatever it is, and whatever you decide to do, there is a community of people here at Shift Your Thinking with resources, an ear to listen, or just to provide you with a tribe of people who ‘get it’.

Just take it one day at a time.