By | Bernard Marr
My wife has now been in isolation in our house for 7 days, feeling poorly with a fever and cough, she is also a teacher and has been approached a lot of friends over the past week about best ways of teaching kids at home. She put out a post on Facebook that resonated so well with me and others that I thought I share it here (not something I would normally do):
Every household is different so what I’m about to say fits mine. Your kids are YOUR kids. No one knows them like you. My kids? Been through a lot of trauma in their little lives, and Covid is yet another potential traumatic experience. And no, we haven’t shielded them from it. This is the real world and like everything else, we’ve discussed it from the start. So for now… what’s going on in my house?
Want to play on Xbox with your best friend? Go for it. Normal rules for Xbox: 2 hours spread over the weekend only, there’s no Xbox during the week. Want to watch a film with sweets and crisps? Go for it! Not showered today? Not a problem! Want a sleepover with your brother? Enjoy! Want to sit in the car and sing as loud as you can? Love it. Obviously this won’t be long term but right now this is their ‘Easter holiday’ and if bending of rules means mental well-being I’m all for it. Yes, they’ve done the work set by the school but other than that it’s free game.
Now my closest friends will know I’m a bit of a control freak and to be honest, when they first mentioned the word pandemic I ordered enough school stuff in to create my own mini-school at home. What I didn’t foresee was being ill myself. And yet with no ‘teacher’ direction they’ve designed Easter eggs, written poems, written stories, baked, tidied the garden, composed songs, laughed, fought, played football, discovered new apps.
