Letting Our Kids Be Teachers

As this crazy year rolls to a close I find myself reflective. The pandemic has changed everything, and for a lot of things those changes are likely to be permanent. In education, it provides us with an opportunity to take a breath and assess what we really should be teaching and how we should be teaching it. What is working and what is not?

Teaching social and emotional skills has never been more important, with remote learning only increasing already high anxiety levels and loneliness. But teaching it at a distance is not easy.

As a parent to two young kids, I am hyper aware of how easy it is for students (young students in particular) to disengage, to become distracted, zone out or simply suffer from zoom fatigue.

Talking at (or lecturing) anyone, is not an ideal way to teach anything. I am an adult and well accustomed to long presentations and lectures, but even I start to feel like I am looking at one of those 3D graphics, with faces moving as I zone out of my zoom call.

I think there is a tremendous power ion letting students take ownership of their learning. That’s why, in our My Mama Says Inside Me Lives A Village school workshops (that continued virtually), we always ask the kids to bring home what they learned, turning them into the teachers that they are.

The result is not just empowered student voices but a stronger family relationship with their school and of course a lot of wisdom, unfettered by the systemic restrictions life puts on us as we grow up.

Here is a video of some kids giving very wise advice on emotions!

We would love to hear from you! If your child has some advice on emotions, please email us at contact@mymamasays.com!