Summer Series Part 1: Addressing “Learning Loss”

"Learning Loss" is a term that's been tossed around quite a bit since the pandemic began, and it's a scary one for parents who want their children to have the best education possible (which is EVERY parent, btw ;-). With summer on the horizon, many families are thinking about how to best use their two months "off" to make up for the academics that they feel were missed since lock-downs began in Spring 2020. Before you book a series of tutors, sign your tweens and teens up for summer school, and plan an elaborate and colour-coded agenda loaded with enrichment opportunities, perhaps take a moment to consider a couple of things.

First, the entire world is slowly emerging from something that's been really, really hard on EVERYONE for a variety of reasons. We KNOW that stressed brains cannot absorb, process, and retain new information particularly well, so bringing our children out of one stressful situation (global pandemic) and into another (summer of intense enrichment activities designed to "catch them up" on academics) isn't the best way to prepare them for school to start again in September.  Take a deep breath, accept that this has been a really hard year, and try to get your own anxiety under control by looking at the big picture. When your child is 25, will it matter that they don't remember anything from their 4th grade math class? Or that 10th grade science is a blur? I promise you, it won't. What WILL matter is that they have resilience, emotional self-regulation, strong family relationships and friendships, and the knowledge and confidence to survive and thrive through whatever other hard things will come their way (because we know that this pandemic isn't the last hard thing that they'll experience, as much as we want to shield and protect them from it all).

Second—-now that you've taken a breath and are feeling ready—-talk with your children and teens about how THEY'RE feeling. Ask them what they're looking forward to about going back to in-person school full-time, and ask them if there's anything that makes them nervous. Depending on your child's age and communication level, you may get "Fine" and "Nothing" as your responses, but don't give up! These are rarely "one-and-done" conversations, and by asking them "How" and "What" questions ("How do you feel about your progress from this year?" "What's the one thing that you'd like to be better prepared for come September?") you can get more information about what THEY perceive as the gaps in their learning. Because if THEY don't see it as a problem, then a parent-imposed solution won't be effective or long-lasting—-and it may waste your money, everyone's time, and damage your relationship with your kids over the long term. Give them the space to come back to you once they've thought it over, by assuring them that you'll be ready to listen whenever they're ready to talk, and that you want to problem-solve WITH them (not FOR them) so that they get the support they need.

Third, focus on ONE goal to work towards over the summer. They might share that they're worried about being behind in math class, or that they're scared about seeing their classmates again in person because the social stuff was never easy for them. Once the goal has been clearly defined, brainstorm possible solutions and collaborate on a plan. Autonomy and choice were two things that took a major hit during the pandemic, and we know that humans are more cooperative, flexible, and invested in solutions when they're actively involved in creating the plan. It might involve hiring a tutor, taking an online class, working with a social skills group, or simply creating some opportunities to increase their reading and writing over the summer-—but the key here is that the problem AND the solution were identified by the child or teen, with your support and guidance.

Finally, give yourselves and your children permission to just relax and enjoy the relative freedoms that come with increased vaccination numbers and beautiful weather. They’ve been a long time coming, and that quality time spent together OUTSIDE of your house will do everyone a world of good!

Next week, we're going to explore some of the emotional and social considerations about "re-opening"; following that, we'll get into what else you and your family can do over the summer that doesn't involve homework!

**If you’re curious about how parent coaching with Guided Parenting Support—GPS can help your family, book a complimentary Connect with Kate Call today!

Kate Garzón, M.Ed. is "The GPS for Parents." A parent educator and parenting coach who specializes in helping parents understand their children's and teen's behavior by making connections between who they are developmentally and how they experience the world. She guides parents in using that information to build better relationships and implement realistic strategies to support their kids' healthy development and long term success…AND to make parenting easier in the process!

 "Because kids don't come with a roadmap…there's GPS!"