It鈥檚 not news that parents are struggling with suddenly being cast into the role of virtual teacher. They didn鈥檛 sign up for two jobs, and most of them didn鈥檛 train to be educators. So how can parents do the best they can for their children, while staying sane, in the weeks ahead?
鈥淪tructure up,鈥� said Gina Jeffries, director of SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School. 鈥淢ake sure that everybody knows what their role is. The roles have changed.鈥�
If bad behavior does pop up, she said parents should not ignore it, but instead practice redirection.
鈥淵ou want to make sure that you redirect it and make sure that you are offering an opportunity to take a pause. Give yourself as a parent at least a 10-second pause. Breathe in, breathe out,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ecause our students are modeling our behaviors, especially right now, when they don鈥檛 have that social platform to exemplify those behaviors.鈥�
And most importantly, everyone can do a better job at practicing empathy.
鈥淧ut yourself in the shoes of what a student may feel, what a parent may feel, what a teacher may feel,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e need grace. We are all in this together.鈥�
Hear St. Louis on the Air host Sarah Fenske鈥檚 conversation with Jeffries:
How is homeschooling working out for your family? What have been your successes? What鈥檚 been a source of stress? Join to help inform our coverage.
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