A New Year's Resolution You Should Make and Keep

by Lisa Miller - Classroom Matters Co-Director

I'm not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions in general (and a scant 8% of us follow-through), but especially not now, during a global pandemic. Life is hard enough as it is. 

Online learning is a disaster for many of our students, particularly for those with ADHD and other learning challenges. Many of the usual scaffolds students need and benefit from in the classroom are missing. For starters, there is no teacher in the room to motivate, explain, and provide friendly accountability. There are fewer visual and verbal cues/prompts and less peer modeling. The culture of the Zoom classroom is often characterized by cameras off and silent students. Breakout rooms are a wasteland of video gaming and TikToking. Virtual learning may work for some students, but not the majority. Throw in some teenage anxiety, depression, and lack of motivation--it's a dumpster fire.

But wait, I'm not done. Add to that the harsh reality that our kids can't do many of the things they love--socialize, participate in activities with their peers, share adventures and experiences--things which made them happy and helped them cope with the challenges of school, life, and us. 

So let’s forget about thriving and think about surviving. 

Let's resolve to help our children survive this pandemic pandemonium. Let’s prioritize their mental health over school performance. Let's resolve to readjust our expectations (temporarily and perhaps dramatically). If your kid is passing all of their classes, that’s a win. Don't expect your student to go above and beyond right now. If they manage to get out of bed and engage in personal hygiene, high-fives all around. Let’s not hold our children, or ourselves, to pre-COVID standards. 

Of course, we all want our children to develop the skills they need to be successful in school and life; but now may not be that moment. Let's resolve to be kind, patient, and forgiving. Or to at least try. Our kiddos need our unconditional love and support now more than ever. 

If by some miracle your kid is indeed thriving during this fecal fiesta, consider yourself lucky. Your child is exceptional. Please be sure to pause to acknowledge them and their efforts. 

At the end of the day, we will get through this, and all of our other challenges, by tapping into our love and compassion. That’s the only resolution we need