Distance is just a test to see how far love can travel.
Unknown
During this period of social isolation, everyone has been struggling with changes in their daily lives. Our routines have been disrupted and replaced by uncertainty, fear, and isolation from our friends and family. For children and teenagers, this time has been incredibly difficult to fully understand and cope with. As educators, we are responsible for continuing to teach our students by using virtual experiences in place of our classrooms. But we still need to consider how we can help our students fulfill their social needs while continuing to practice social distancing.
One way to help students stay connected is to use video chat as part of our instruction whenever possible. With so many programs offering free services at this time, teachers should take advantage of the opportunity to see and talk to their students. Even through a computer screen, the ability to see each other’s faces can help students and teachers feel connected. Teachers can continue to have class discussions about their content but also about other topics. For example, teachers can use these platforms to give students a chance to express their feelings and concerns about what is happening and try to help them work through this difficult time. Many students may feel better knowing that their peers are having the same issues. Most students won’t be talking to anybody outside of their immediate circle of friends without teachers stepping in to bring classes back together. Having even a small sense of normalcy in seeing their teachers and classmates can help students deal with the physical distance.
Educators should also be reminding students of safe ways to have different types of social interactions. Since we live in an age of technology, students can use that to stay connected to their friends and family members. Using FaceTime, Skype, or other video calls with their friends is a great way to keep communication open. Another important point to stress is that students can still go outside (younger ones may be accompanied by parents). They can go on walks and have interactions with people as long as they keep a safe social distance between all participants. Students who live in the same neighborhoods can still see each other while being mindful of their health. Even sitting in their front yards and having a friendly conversation with neighbors can help fulfill social needs.
Even though our society is advocating for “social isolation”, this term doesn’t mean cutting ourselves off from the world. It is more important than ever for our students to have people to lean on in this uncertain time. Teachers must encourage their students to reach out to friends and family through technology or from a safe outdoor distance. Whenever possible, we should be enabling safe social interactions so that we can continue to support our students. Although everyone has been affected by this tumultuous period, our students may not be equipped with the same capacity to understand why so many restrictions are being placed on them. We need to help them find healthy ways to handle any stress, anxiety, or worry they hold and continue to be a guiding hand in their lives. Above all else, we must put our students needs in the forefront of our minds.
Jessica's Blog: The Learning Curve of Teaching 