For many of us, this year has been one of juggling careers along with kids schooling at home. While teachers have done their jobs remotely through things like Zoom or Teams calls, it has been my experience that much of the burden has fallen on parents. Unlike a “normal” school day where the teachers are present to answer questions, the asynchronous work has meant that mom or dad are almost expected to be available. Asynchronous; a word I didn’t even know 14 months ago. I now know that means learning on your own schedule and being able to access learning materials at any time. This all sounds manageable and maybe even ideal for kids to have that flexibility. Unless you are one of the many households with two full time working parents. In that case, it means being forced to somehow manage eight (or more) hours of work along with kids who need learning support.
Teachers didn’t ask for this just like the parents didn’t ask for this. While my experience has been holding much of the role otherwise held by a teacher in a typical school year, I will not discount the phenomenal work that our teachers have done in this beyond unique year. Not only have they completely shifted their lesson plans in order to work in a remote environment but they have somehow managed dozens of students through a screen. Not an easy feat. While it has been a year full of frustration with kids schooling at home, not a day goes by that I don’t also think about how frustrated the teachers must also be in this remote environment.
If I had a dollar for every time one of my elementary aged kids needed something at the exact second I was about to present on a work call, I would be thousands of dollars richer. This would be helpful considering the literal thousands I have spent on also having to hire in person help as my job isn’t one that has fallen into the “fully virtual” category during the pandemic. I have been able to be remote most days, but not all days. I know many of us have experienced similar hardships.
One of the almost comical things I have come to realize is how out of touch I am with things like how kids learn these days. My kids are in second and fourth grade and I am not kidding when I say I have had to watch their recorded Zoom lessons after work or look up things on You Tube just so I can actually help them with their work. I used to be able to get by with homework help because my kids at least knew the concepts. But now with learning being different and so much of it being that asynchronous style, I have really had to step it up.
The fact that I sometimes struggle with helping my fourth grader confirms I am definitely not smarter than a fifth grader. At first it was a combination of humbling and downright embarrassing. But a year in, all I can do is smile and laugh on the days where I act like I know all about common core math only to turn around and have to use technology to teach myself so I am able to then help my ten year old. While it has been easier helping my second grader, I have also had to learn things like Math Mountains and other strategies that we just didn’t use decades ago.
As things open back up and schools move to hybrid models I imagine teachers are as eager as parents to get the students back to learning in person. Parents who are not smarter than a fifth grader probably only add to the work of teachers who have to un-do some of the outdated ways of learning many of us have taught our kids.
Has this year made you realize you too are not smarter than a fifth grader? We’d love to hear your stories!
Read more of Stephanie’s contributions to allmomdoes here.
