Parents give schools an A+ during covid-19 lockdown

The virus has done one thing, parents now hold teachers and the work they do in higher regard since the lockdown and remote schooling.

A study by E-Lab with Deakin University, surveyed 1,000 parents with children in primary schools in NSW, all of whom were from a diverse range of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, found that:

• 98.5 per cent of parents reported that they were satisfied with the communication they received from the school during that period.

• 99.7 per cent of parents said they were satisfied with the work of their child’s teacher.

• 96.6 per cent of parents reported that they felt supported by the school during the COVID-19 home schooling period.

• 86.8 per cent of parents reported that their child was moderately to highly engaged in learning during the COVID-19 home schooling.

Dr Adam Fraser, a peak performance expert and Director of research company E-Lab says, “There is no doubt that 2020 has been a tough year on everyone, and as a father of two young girls, I can attest to how hard it’s been  for children specifically too, given the rapid changes they needed to adapt to. This data highlights that even through these difficult times where people were struggling, parents and teachers have done an extraordinary job in making students feel supported. With many wondering if another more widespread lockdown is looming, it’s crucial that parents and teachers prepare their children for new struggles that may come their way, so they are more equipped then they first were back in March.”

Fraser’s tips to helping your child cope with 2020 and build better relationships with the teacher include:

• Find out how your child is feeling about COVID-19. Have open dialogue without judgement, talk to them about their feelings. What they miss, are they scared? What are their concerns about COVID-19 life? What changes did they like about COVID-19 life? How do they want their life to look differently moving forward? Is it less activities, or more time with mum and dad?
• Have something to look forward to. Give them things to look forward to, what are the fun activities we can do. If you can’t do a holiday, what is it that they like about the holiday and how do we do that at home. For example, is what they like about holidays is that mum and dad are really present and not doing work.
• Focus more on them, and less on performance at school. If they don’t perform as well as they hoped – resist the urge to say “Why did you only get ….”. Instead, ask your child how they feel they went in the test, and what will they improve on next time? This type of conversation stops your child feeling like they are being judged and criticised, instead it focusing their mind on how they can get better and improve. Talk to them about what you thought they did well. How you saw them grow and evolve and get better.
• Thank, and connect with your child’s teacher. The key thing is to thank your teacher and point out what you thought they did really well during COVID. Tell them how you appreciate what they do and how hard the job is. Parents, the key thing is to let the teachers teach. What schools have shown us is that when everyone gets out of their way they do an amazing job, but parents often fall into the trap of micro-managing our teachers. However if you do have suggestions use the two stars and wish technique: tell them two things you are happy with and make one suggestion.

Fraser concludes, “It’s important to note that the key reason respect of teachers went up was that parents learned how hard the job is and how much work they put into daily lessons, and the level of dedication and passion that goes into planning lessons. There’s no doubt that keeping children engaged for long periods of time is no easy feat! Another factor is how much more frequently communication was occurring between teachers and parents, so going forward, this is a practice that should continue.

For more information, or to register for Fraser’s webinar for parent and teachers on how to develop resilient children on August 18, visit https://www.dradamfraser.com/live-webinar-event-august-2020.

*Note, the questions in the study were also translated into Arabic, Dari, Assyrian, Indonesian, Chinese to ensure a diverse mix of respondents were secured.