Today we should be going back to school. We should be hearing the exciting stories about March Break vacations, playdates, and adventures. Everyone in kindergarten always has something to share. Many kids will be eager to see their friends again, continue with projects from before the Break, and get back into a “normal routine.” But the world currently is anything but normal.
- Many kids (and adults) that were supposed to go away, didn’t.
- In the time of “social distancing,” playdates and daily adventures at home didn’t happen unless they did through electronic means.
- And the relaxed atmosphere that is often so true of Breaks and special times with family members, seems anything but relaxed.
Kids know. Even if you don’t tell your child a lot about the Coronavirus, many students have heard adult whispers and seen faces of fear. I keep thinking back to this storybook that one of our kids wrote on the last day of school before March Break. Is it even more telling than the pictures and words might imply?
And this is what has me thinking, for today, we should all be heading back to school — and maybe even wishing for those naps in the early afternoon that aren’t coming at least until way after the home bell — but we’re not. Right now, schools is Ontario are closed for two more weeks. What happens after that? We don’t know yet.
While the Ontario government has put together an assortment of Learn At Home resources, I think that this strange time begs for one other addition: Self-Reg. If we, as adults, are struggling with the uncertainty that stems from Covid-19, what must our kids be feeling? So this blog post is not about listing more resources to explore or activities to do, but it is about mentioning the value in being a stress detective and considering Self-Reg options that work well for you and your child. Kids feel our feelings too, and right now, like many others I’m sure, I know that I am feeling a lot. For learning to happen, we need to be ready to learn, and Self-Reg makes this possible. What does Self-Reg look like for you and your family?
As I, like many others, try to navigate the immense amount of information out there and make sense of my “new normal,” I become even more grateful for my learning from Stuart Shanker, Susan Hopkins, and The MEHRIT Centre. It’s what allows me to step away from social media, turn off the news broadcast, or listen in, breathe through, and maybe find that quiet space and good book later that will give me the calm and reset I need. Right now, is this what we all need most?
