As we come up on a full year of remote learning due to the pandemic, and as I was just able to connect with all of our kids' teachers at parent-teacher conferences after the end of this school year's second marking period, I am coming to grips with just how hard school is in this format.
Without disclosing too much about each kid's unique weaknesses and struggles, I'll just say that virtual instruction represents both a vastly sub-optimal platform for our children and a painful opportunity for growth. Sub-optimal in that they're missing the social interaction, accountability, and ease of back-and-forth of in-person instruction. Opportunity for growth in that this is the reality of life for now and for the foreseeable future, and so how does one manufacture social interaction and accountability in such a setting, and most importantly how does one ensure the back-and-forth that is needed to actually learn a subject.
Thankfully, our kids are healthy and do not lack in food, shelter, and other life resources, for which we are grateful and realize just how privileged and special our situation is. And, they have loving parents and an extended village who are looking out for them, who are giving them space to find themselves but also a support network to ensure they are safe and loved. No matter how crazy the world is now, that caring environment is the most important. So we solder on, knowing that each precious life is struggling, and trusting that there is good in the struggle.
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