I see you, parents. My siblings with kids. My friends with kids. Strangers with kids. I see you all and I hear you all.

Trying to manage work, home, and your children’s education all at once at home looks impossible. Frankly, it is impossible. I laugh so hard at your funny memes and your Instagram Stories where you are tearing your hair out and necking the chardonnay bottle.

I think that would be how I would try to cope as well. Humour and rage in equal doses. I can’t imagine the mental, physical and emotional energy required for what you have been asked to do. I know so many of you are giving it more than you’ve got right now, and in Australia, we’ve only just begun.

But at the other end of this unbelievably difficult situation are teachers. And we too are really struggling. I have never felt so stressed and anxious in all my working life.

On No Filter, ex-teacher Gabbie Stroud joins Mia Freedman to talk about what she wishes parents knew. Post continues below.

Here’s the issue. We can’t magically make remote learning work for everyone. There is absolutely no way we can meet all of your needs. And here’s why:

Here is some of the ‘stuff’ we are considering:

How might we ensure every learner feels connected and supported?

How might we compensate for the missing cues and prompts that teachers and peers would normally be giving learners either verbally or non-verbally in a normal classroom environment?

How might we differentiate to meet the needs of every learner whilst also simplifying the delivery of learning experiences so that they are accessible to all?

How might we create flexible timetables which allow families to access the learning when it is most convenient for them?

What opportunities can we create for authentic assessment for learning?

Replicating school is unrealistic. What is the alternative best practice for our learning community?

The most important thing right now is kindness. We are doing everything we can to care for your children and you by making it work the best we can. We hear you. We see you. We will do our best!

Feature Image: Supplied.

This article was originally published on the blog She Learns About Learning, and has been republished here with full permission.