Learning At Home Series: “It Takes a Village”
Session #3
On September 3rd, PPS-SF held a multilingual workshop for families and educators to share the tips and tricks that have worked successfully to support students in remote learning. Participants were able to both give and receive advice and guidance across languages. PPS-SF decided to hold a joint session with English, Spanish, and Chinese speaking families so that parents and guardians across the district could share tips and techniques that work for their students. We are all learning how to navigate this challenging time together.
There were a total of 77 people in attendance on Thursday evening (9/3). After getting comfortable with the Zoom features and answering some poll questions, participants heard from several parents who shared how they have been navigating distance learning. There was then an extended period for participants to discuss their experiences in their primary language, in facilitated break-out rooms. There were 3 English language groups, 2 Spanish groups, and 1 Mandarin/Cantonese discussion group. Post small group discussions in the breakout rooms, everyone returned to the main session as a community to share some of the advice generated in the smaller groups. Many individuals expressed a deep appreciation for the inclusiveness of three languages coming together, as one parent shared: “I love the tri-lingual option. Thank you for providing the space to have such wonderful conversations.”
Some advice shared during group discussions:
Cultivate a private space dedicated to your children’s learning.
Create and maintain a tangible schedule for children to work off of. This also tied into the idea of treating their remote learning school days as if they were actually going to school in person.
Find a way to stay connected with teachers consistently. Many parents shared that they have been engaging in weekly lunch meetings with their children’s principles and teachers. This will help in staying updated with your child’s progress.
Tips for socialization: Embrace video games to a certain degree as it is one of the few social opportunities children currently have, allowing your children to Facetime with their friends (although some parents have reported that this results in a disappointment and sadness within their children once the conversation has finished), exploring the possibility of taking simultaneous virtual zoo tours with friends.
Find different apps or software that help support your children’s learning. For example, reading applications, language learning applications, emotional support applications, etc.
“Let go” and try to worry less.
In addition to advice, participants also shared their concerns about the effects of remote learning and how they will sustain this form of education throughout the school year. One of the most prominent concerns that rose to the surface was emotional and mental support for children. Many parents and caregivers have noticed a rise in anxiety within their students and would benefit from assistance or guidance in how to work through this, hopefully with the help of SFUSD.
Another common concern was the facilitation of social spaces for their students. Many families have found this to be tough without the everyday classroom interaction. Quite a few people also raised the question of, “How can we better support our vulnerable populations?” (i.e. children on the autism spectrum, families, and children experiencing houselessness).
As a community, we are all learning. We look forward to continuing to learn from each other and support each other during this unprecedented period, and continue to learn how to better survive, and perhaps even thrive in our “new normal.”