Counselor’s Corner
First of all, I want to have “zero”
judgement of anyone’s parenting choices, we all do the best we can with the
resources we have. As a parent and full-time teacher, I want to share some
thoughts based on how my family is handling the transition to distance learning,
and how we have been coping with the outbreak of the coronavirus. It’s only been two days
that the children have been home, and one of my children is using the “COVID-19
Daily Schedule” which is widely available online, https://www.wsisd.com/apps/pages/familyactivities.
I tucked one of these into many
Westshire School families’ work bags that were available at school for pickup
on Wednesday.
We got outside early in the day in the “morning
walk”, and I noticed how much our senses were awakened: the crunch of the
gravel, the sounds of the birds, the feel of the fresh air, and sights that are
changing daily as the snow melts. There is no danger in being outside, and I
followed my child’s lead as she chose the route for our short walk. I like the
schedule because it is like school, and I do not have to nag, we can just try
to follow the schedule, “Let’s stay outside”, I said, “because we have an hour.”
Back inside, I expected my child to
work independently. But that did not work out terrifically. I tried to do some
of my work – checking emails, communicating, writing – but got interrupted. Even
noises in the house were distracting. The COVID daily schedule is an attempt at
bringing routine and structure to our children’s day, but you can’t do it
perfectly. But children thrive on structure, and routine helps everyone, so my
advice is to try to map out some daily routine with work periods.
Our president is encouraging people to
stay at home as much as possible – in our living rooms.
I suggest we
take advantage of our comfortable living rooms to relax. Do something to relax
your tension because your kids will take cues from you. Slow down your breath,
stretch, sit comfortably. Keep the news on television off (at least for
portions of the day), and when confronted with worrisome news, try to stay
positive. Focus on the things we can control, like hand-washing, making choices
to limit trips out of the home, and relaxing. We could remind kids that right
now experts are working on solving the problems, and what we can do is to make
sure to follow their recommendations.
Take care! I will stay in touch with
weekly counselor’s corners. I am also available anytime through email for
chats, vents, or needs you may have. Please reach out if you, or your child, is
having a hard time and you want to talk.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ann O’Hearn, Elementary School
Counselor
