Excerpt From Psychology Today:
COVID-19 is terrible for everyone, but there are risk factors to consider and attitudes toward it that can help you mitigate the collateral damage caused by the frustration, confusion, anxiety, exhaustion, anger, and disappointment we are all experiencing now.
The pandemic means a back-to-school experience unlike any we’ve ever known. Parents are stressing over sending their kids to “real” school, doing virtual learning, trying to do a hybrid version, setting up a learning pod, or homeschooling.
Most kids are desperate for the social environment and structure that school provides. Most teachers yearn to get back to the work they love and are good at. Most parents long for the good old days when they were free to do their work and know their kids were safe at school, having some fun and learning. But also, most kids, parents, and teachers know we’re in the midst of a pandemic, and no reasonable person wants to get sick or infect someone they love.
There is no easy way to keep everyone safe, at school, and happy. Your frustrations, confusion, and anxiety all make sense. There are ways to lower the risks, though, and to give kids and parents the school experience they’re hoping for, at least in those communities that can manage to keep their infection numbers low.
