BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Teachers have been tasked with transitioning students back into the classroom and helping them adjust to their new schedules, but experts say parents also can play a key role in easing anxiety.
After being sent home to learn remotely in the spring and having to spend time away from friends during a lockdown, Tiffany Buongiorne says her sons are worried about having to do it all again. And if they are focused on fear, she says she’s concerned they won’t be as focused on school.
“I feel that if their emotional health is distraught, that their learning ability will be a struggle," Buongiorne said.
She says her sons have been nervous about the changing world around them and will carry that with them to school. “My personal opinion, that it may take a few months to get into a routine that this is the new norm and then maybe the educational part will come," said Boungiorne.
“Anxiety does affect our thinking circuits and our problem-solving capacity," said Dr. Andrew Rosenfeld, a family psychiatrist with the UVM Medical Center. He says fear and anxiety in kids, especially around change, is normal. The body’s natural response to stress can affect a student’s ability to learn. But he says there are ways to make sure students make the jump back into the classroom and focus on academics.
“I think teachers do well to sort of assess the social-emotional environment of the classroom and probably prioritize that, because otherwise the learning is going to be a lot less effective," Rosenfeld said. He says helping students build a strong foundation can make a world of difference. “In the end, I think kids need something in the middle of enough structure and routine to keep them going, to keep them motivated, to keep learning happening, to be the scaffold for their social-emotional learning for their academic learning."
Rosenfeld also says one of the biggest things parents can do is take care of themselves. “I think the number one thing parents can do to support their kids is to take care of themselves as parents. Sort of putting your oxygen mask on first before you assist the person next to you," he said.
As Rosenfeld recommends -- and as Boungiorne has found -- appropriate positivity can ease some stress. “We’re gonna do the best that we can. I’m so grateful that we live in Vermont, and I’m so grateful that we are able to go outside. I am so grateful that we are able to go to school," said Boungiorne.
Rosenfeld encourages that parents take time to explain what is going on by having family meetings where they address what is happening in the world and help students understand how what is going on relates to them. He also says parents expressing some fear and anxiety to their kids is good because it helps validate their experiences and feelings.
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Expert explains how parents can ease students' back to school concerns - WCAX
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