I congratulate the new academic year and ask God to make it a successful and inspiring year for everyone. Allow me to share with you some thoughts and ideas that I hope will be beneficial.
After a long vacation and children getting used to rest and play, it will be difficult to return without preparing. It is important to prepare for the new situation and make the necessary changes to put them in the right environment for studying.
Distance learning is a reality imposed by circumstances, and I believe it is not a preferred option for anyone. It is for everyone's safety, so let us deal with it positively.
Positivity means not demanding perfection, but rather seeing the good and benefits in what is available and looking for possible solutions. What cannot be fully achieved should not be abandoned in its entirety. It also means abandoning blame and focusing on preparing ourselves as parents and teachers, preparing our children for this experience, and creating an educational environment that helps them focus and benefit as much as possible.
I will summarize some important points to overcome some of the difficulties of this stage:
- Let's understand that children won't be going to school as they used to, and they won't be seeing their friends whom they miss. Keeping in mind that they've been confined to their homes for a long time, which may be frustrating for them, all of this requires us to meet with them, talk about what's bothering them and worrying them, find solutions to their concerns, and take their suggestions.
- Encourage your child to love learning and let him or her know that education opportunities are not available to everyone, and that he or she is fortunate to have the ability to learn and to be able to experience learning in different ways, whether in school or remotely.
- Explain the importance of education to him, and what he will gain from it so that he can sit and realize that to some extent… You can tell him what benefits he will gain from it. Tell him, for example, that education is food for the mind and an expansion of knowledge, and that knowledge is power and a weapon with which he can overcome difficulties and always excel. We may not see the benefits now, but the educated person is respected and appreciated and has many more opportunities than the uneducated…
- Be careful, it is important to prepare the place, and one of the most important things is calm and removing disturbances. Remove all distractions and distractions during learning time so that the child can focus, and do not punish him for what you caused.
- Organizing time at home to fit in with study and review schedules requires setting a schedule that specifies when to wake up, sleep, work, and rest.
- Be firm in following the schedule and routine, encourage compliance, and set logical consequences that the child knows and that are agreed upon and applied in the event of non-compliance, such as: (double work, cancel or reduce entertainment time…) Emphasize an agreed-upon matter in the event of violation or non-compliance.
- Treat your children as responsible individuals who are able to follow up on themselves. Observe them, follow up with them, encourage them, and highlight their achievements, but do not work for them or study on their behalf.
- Do not reward for a duty, and beware of offering material gifts or dealing with the principle of bribery (if you do such and such, I will give you such and such... but focus on the accomplishment and let it be the reward), as this does not raise a responsible person.
- Be generous with positive comments, you are capable and thoughtful, you have solutions…and continuous encouragement (I heard the teacher praising you, you stayed attentive the whole time and were able to submit your assignments on time, I am proud of your achievement…).
- Think of it as an opportunity to hold your child accountable and teach him how to behave in this regard, and that he is capable of self-discipline without you having to be his officers and guards. Your role as parents is to raise an individual capable of taking responsibility for himself.
- Finally, remember that raising children is full of challenges that require a patient educator who understands the child's psychology and knows when to be firm, when to be encouraging, and how to be supportive and helpful.
I ask God to make this year full of success and achievement, and to make everything we fear good for us and our children, by His Almighty power.