HOW TO HELP OUR KIDS AFTER COVID-19

Stores are opening back up. Masks are coming off. Vacations are starting again. But what still remains is the collateral damage of the trauma-filled year our kids had to endure. So what do we do now? As a former high school educator of 15 years, my primary concern was what effect is this going to have on our future leaders of the World…our kids. I read article after article, study after study, on the effects of what a post-pandemic World will look like for our children. And here is my consensus; This generation will be different. In many ways, this is not a bad thing. When quarantine orders were enforced, people began to slow down a bit, reflect more, and care less about the unnecessary. However, there are SOME scary things we need to take action on as a society in order to nurture the good things we want to come back. Our children not only experienced a shocking chain of events, but the exposure to it for such an extensive period of TIME plays a critical role in this situation. Bottom line, all studies point to our kids needing us, the adults, to help with their mental health and well-being. Where to start? Academics…

Students Are Behind Academically, Socially, & Emotionally After Covid-19

EdWeek (2021) released stats from a recent student & teacher survey report stating students are behind, academically and socially, resulting in lack of confidence and motivation. The numbers were mind blowing. Below are just a few percentages released in EdWeek’s article representing the amount of teachers who reported an uptick in their students’ behaviors compared to what they have seen pre-pandemic:

• 74% not turning in completed work.
• 64% getting lower grades than they expected.
• 56% no longer participating.
• 51% feeling isolated.
• 46% skipping!
• 36% more tired/unmotivated in class.

(Full article can be found here: https://www.edweek.org/leadership/the-pandemic-will-affect-students-mental-health-for-years-to-come-how-schools-can-help/2021/03)

How To Help Our Kids After Covid-19

The good news? There are ways to mitigate these issues and help our kids get back on their feet. Will our World be exactly the same? No. Should it be? Probably not. However, if we did have to choose a place to focus our energy, it most definitely should be our future leaders of the World and their well-being. Students received an education during remote learning, but most teachers would agree that it was impossible to fully cover the entire curriculum this year at the same depth they have taught it in prior years. This left academic gaps everywhere in our educational system and student learning. The biggest ones affected are our kids, who will enter a new grade level next year, not prepared. I do not believe academics will solve all the issues, but it is certainly a great start. In the most basic form, when kids feel behind or uninformed, they will retreat to the sidelines, avoid tasks, and hope no one notices. When kids feel smart, they gain confidence. When kids feel confident, they will do more, say more, care more. This means If our kids return to the 2021-2022 school year refreshed, prepared, and feeling confident, they may beat this Covid-19 slide.

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LET’s Fight The Covid-19 Slide. This Summer

I am not advocating to skip out on summer by any means. In fact, I find it more important to soak up this summer and get some much needed relaxation time in. While summer school is an option, most public school programs consist of 5 hour days for 3 weeks straight. If this is too much, a virtual academic summer camp may be a great solution, consisting of much shorter class times and the ability to still travel while taking the class.

For this reason, I personally enrolled my rising Kindergartener into MillsVirtualTutoring.com. They offer virtual academic summer camp for grades K-12, as well as, so many other amazing add-on classes! Full disclosure, I partner with Mills Virtual Tutoring to promote them occasionally on my social channels. There is a reason why I decided to partner with them. Simply put, they know what they are doing and make a difference in every kids’ life they work with. In fact, the monetary funding I received this month to post on my social media channel (not write a blog about) was almost immediately sent back to them when I enrolled my child into their program. Mills combines the remediation of academics along with tending to the social/emotional gaps brought upon this current generation. Summer virtual camps for K-12 start the first week of July (and filling up FAST)! MillsVirtualTutoring.com has also partnered with a college prep program for 9-12th graders to help prepare them for college! Other ways Mills are fighting the Covid-19 Slide listed below:

• Academic Coaching (soft skills, executive functioning, class preparedness, organization & prioritization) for grades K-12
• Exploring Emotions course for grades K-12
• Managing Student Emotions for Parents
• 2-Day College Workshop for grades 9-12
• Academic Camp for grades K-12
• Private Virtual Tutoring

Academic Virtual Summer Camp is NOT Distant Learning

Friendly reminder! Academic Virtual Summer Camp is NOT the same as Distance Learning. Distance learning involves long hours, tons of work, multiple classes with high student/teacher ratios and grades that count. Academic Virtual Summer Camp is amazing for these reasons:

• receive small doses of remediation, 30 min. to 2-hours per week max for only 3-5 weeks!
• You can take the virtual camp with you on vacation!
• Will help build confidence walking into the next school year!
• Super affordable ($50-$350 per camp)
• All tutors are current teachers in the school system.
• 1:5 student/teacher ratio 😮

THIS is how I plan to beat the Covid-19 slide. THIS is what our children need this summer. THIS will make a difference. If this is not something you can do this summer, then I encourage you to still find ways to work on academic preparedness and social/emotional growth with your child before the start of the next school year. If you need help with more suggestions, message me below and I will be happy to get back to you.

This is a facebook live discussion with the CEO of Mills Virtual Tutoring, Jennifer Mills, discussing the Covid-19 slide and the benefits of doing an academic virtual summer camp. You may encounter a few funny moments as you watch it all the way through.

PS – At the risk of sounding like a cheesy advertisement, it is important for me to tell you PLEASE don’t wait and and lose out on this opportunity! Get your child registered at millsvirtualtutoring.com right now! There are only five slots per course. Last year, over 100 kids took advantage of Mills’ Academic Virtual Summer Camps & Courses and it is expected grow this year. Did I mention that Mills Virtual Tutoring has been around for five years and has a 100% SOL pass rate for any students who have taken their courses? Sign up before all the spots are taken! I may even see you there with one of my little ones!

To learn more about how and why LET’s by Jenny, LLC was started, click here!

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