What home learning have you modeled?

This week marks, in Scotland at least, the end of the school term. And what an extraordinary, challenging, unnatural and demanding term it has been. Who would have ever have thought as we started 2020 that we would have had a whole term of home learning for our young people, with school buildings closed for three months. 

In a way, it has probably been a good thing that we didn’t know in March how long lockdown was going to continue, so that we have gradually absorbed the challenges, disappointments and losses in increments, rather than having them all dumped on us at once. 

In this house, Elder Nearest-and-Dearest has completed not only a term of home learning, but her last term of school ever.

After 13 years.

Wow. 

And whilst normally we would be celebrating and commemorating the achievements of all the Sixth years today at prize giving, of course none of this is happening. 

This is a great sadness to pupils, parents and teachers alike. Marking these rights of passage is an important part of our human story – for little ones finishing Nursery, those leaving Primary school, and our oldest pupils finishing school altogether, plus those students who are not able to graduate, they will be forever the class of 2020 who missed out on so much. 

I was reminded recently that school is a community and not a building. Teachers are being appreciated and valued as never before. We acknowledge the extraordinary role they play in educating, inspiring, mentoring, encouraging and sometimes cajoling our young folk as they set them on the path to adulthood. 

In comparison, after a term of home learning, how have we as parents done?

What have we modeled to our children when it comes to life preparation?

Education in terms of our classic understanding of the curriculum is important of course. But so too are emotional intelligence skills of empathy, self awareness, self management, social skills, a positive outlook.

At the start of this, when the schools were closed, there was a lot of talk about the pressure on parents to try and be home teachers. But at the same time, it was recognised that what our children need most is security and love when their lives are so unsettled. Rather than putting expectations on ourselves to be perfect home educators – in the absence of any warning, preparation or training – we can see instead that being emotionally open with our children, and encouraging learning in the broadest sense enables us to come through this well. 

This is where self awareness and proactivity come in. As we consider our behaviour day to day as this strange and surreal situation continues, what are we feeling, what are we leaking to those around us, and what choices can we make to ensure that TODAY we behave as the best of ourselves?

Consider the children in your life (your own or those you are close to). What would they say about what they have seen of you – your honesty about your own fears and anxieties, your willingness to make space to let them talk about theirs, your priorities?

Who do you want them to become?

That is what we can choose to model to them.

Because what you are modelling to them in this most acute of classrooms will stay with them.

As term ends, what can we celebrate with them of all that they HAVE achieved over this term of home learning?

And how do we continue over the summer to give them the broadest and richest education as they observe us and how we live and we model to them who we want them to become?