How to Treat All Teachers During a COVID-19 School Year
Teachers and parents will have the toughest time.
Educators who will be teaching this upcoming 2020–2021 school year will have to face a year of teaching like no other. Teachers will have a lot of pressure to be dealt with by many sources — notably, the stress from having their own and student’s health on their hands.
With the new school year fast approaching, both teachers and parents have to face the uncertainty of a good school year. The world seems to be divided about continuing online learning or to resort back to in-class learning. Some schools are letting parents decide, and others don’t have a choice at all.
Wheater your child or children are returning to this school year in person or remotely, teachers should receive the same level of treatment. Here is this list to guide you on how to approach teachers in an environment that evolves respect and communication for a stressful upcoming school year.
#1 — Show Them Respect
This school year will present new challenges for both educators and parents. Some of these challenges could be related to school work and school environment concerns. These stresses could cause everyone involved to become stressed and overwhelmed. Some parents will have difficulty teaching their children from home again, which has proven not to be an easy task to do that also takes time out of workdays.
It’s important to remember not to get frustrated with the amount of work given or difficulty understanding the material. Teachers might be required to provide a certain amount of work that students would be doing if they were in an in-person class environment. Don’t blame the educators who are also under a lot of stress. Teachers are still making themselves available to help parents and students understand the classwork. It’s an adjustment that both parties have to put effort into without placing blame on one another.
#2 — Have Compassion Towards Them
Remember, they are humans too. Teachers want to teach. They chose this career for a reason. They want to have a healthy class environment because most of them miss their students. It put strains on them to not be able to do what they love. But there’s also that stress factor about their safety. Teachers are allowed to feel afraid to teach in person because Covid-19 happened, and that is out of their control.
Teachers will have new challenges of enforcing social distancing in class and perhaps taking extra measures like wiping down tables, enforcing masks, and hand sanitizer use. It’s an overwhelming change, but they are necessarily required to keep students safe and minimize the risk of contracting Covid-19. They will not just be teaching but have to keep track of many students’ health. That is a lot of added pressure on them to prepare for the new reality for in-person teaching.
#3 — Practice Gratitude
In a time of uncertainty, the benefits of practicing gratitude can bring a more positive outlook. It can be overwhelming for parents to take over a job of teaching at home that they aren’t equipped for and challenging to do if they have their jobs to do. But education is complicated, and educators are aware of that. Learning online is very different from in-person learning and may not be the best for every kid.
It’s essential to remember that this is only temporary. Both teachers and parents can learn through the difficulties of remote learning, and one can appreciate the daily task of the other. For some, sending kids to school will be extremely difficult to do emotionally, which is hard on parents but also puts a strain on teachers.
#4 — Have Good Communication With Them
Communication is vital between students and teachers, especially when students are learning from home. Being aware of the material so kids don’t fall behind is crucial to understand for this school year. Staying aware of class safety also needs to be taken into account to ensure a peaceful mind. Communication will determine whether understanding and reassurance can result in a better school year.
It’s vital to communicate with teachers about classwork stress or for help to adjust to the learning at home environment that best works for you. It is especially important to prevent further disagreements with teachers. Communicate those frustrations with a calm approach and understanding so that the issue can be resolved.
Coming to terms that the pandemic is making some serious changes to the education system can be extremely difficult but also needed so students can still succeed in this school year. It’s especially hard because it can affect any one’s personal life when change is required to adjust to a Covid-19 school year.
Not everyone will have the same school year because in-person teaching will look different than online learning, but each will bring their difficulties. Parents and teachers need to remember that these changes are due to Covid-19 and are temporary to ensure safety for everyone. Approach this 2020–2021 school year with respect, compassion, gratitude, and open communication.
