Lessons Learned as a Parent of a Virtually-Schooled Student – #3

Lesson #3: Distractions will come from within and without.

Mark my words on what I just stated, because it’s oh-so true.

And instead of giving some long explanation to provide visual context of what my son (Little Man) deals with as a student from home, I’m going to give you the abridged version – list-style.

Distractions from within (Little Man’s struggles with distraction):

• A shortened 10-year old attention span from time to time.
• A stomach that signals, “I’m hungry and thirsty and the kitchen is right over there.”
• A bladder that signals, “I need to empty out and the bathroom is right over there.”
• Knowledge of having access to the internet all day and a deep enjoyment of playing online educational games on ABCya! and the like.
• Being in the comfort of his home and knowing that he has more of a laid-back environment to function in, which may lead to a tendency to be lenient with self on taking a structured approach to organizing his workspace, working on more challenging assignments, and pushing himself to complete assignments in a more timely fashion. (Albeit, he’s doing a great job at getting all of his assignments in before the deadline and having work ready for discussions during class).
• The challenge of ignoring outside influences (many of them addressed below) that may inadvertently take his focus away from the task at hand (momentarily – not permanently). He quickly adjusts when these outside forces start their interference.

Distractions from without (dealing with Mom):

• Mom in the kitchen cooking and using noisy countertop appliances.
• Mom doing a myriad of light housekeeping chores (vacuuming, dusting, sanitizing bathrooms, loading and unloading dishes into and from the dishwasher, folding and putting away clothes, putting up groceries, etc.) that may create some noise that finds its way to the office where Little Man is schooling.
• Mom in the living room (next to the office where Little Man does his schooling), calling out to him to give her a report on what he’s up to at the moment.
• Mom coming in and out of office to look over Little Man’s shoulder to make sure he’s on task and not dozing off into Dreamland or playing some educational online game instead of working on an assignment.
• Mom listening (as quietly as she can while still being able to hear) to audio of scriptures or YouTube videos, expounding knowledge regarding content creation strategies.
• Mom interjecting her two cents with instructions on how to complete an assignment, sometimes causing Little Man to miss out on the instructions his teacher is actually giving him in real time.

Distractions from without (dealing with everybody else):

• Brother coming in the office to use the only printer in the office (to scan and email in an assignment for his online schooling, which he’s only had to do a handful of times during Little Man’s virtual instruction this school year because of the time-sensitivity of an assignment).
• Dad coming home from work (in the last hour of Little Man’s school instruction). Dad may come in and check on Little Man or have to enter the office to hang up his jacket or coat when he comes home from work. But for the most part, he tries not to disrupt Little Man while he’s schooling.
• Sister leaves for work before Little Man wakes up and gets home from work after Little Man is finished with school for the day, so she’s not a distraction due to her absence from the home setting altogether during the virtual school day.

Distractions from without (dealing with everything else):

• Phones ringing.
• Toilets flushing.
• Faucets running.
• Alarms going off.
• Music playing.
• Construction happening in the neighborhood.
• Dogs barking and birds chirping outside.
• Cars driving by.
• Planes flying overhead.

Hmmmm . . . in analyzing the list above, it would seem that I’m the BIGGEST personal distraction to Little Man throughout the day. And, rightfully so. I am his mother, after all. I’m home with him all day, which means that I have my own responsibilities to tend to at home. And, some of those responsibilities carry noise with them that’s unavoidable.

And regarding my ins and outs to the office to visit my son, I must admit that I intentionally plan on checking on his work progress throughout the day. That’s what a parent should be doing, right? However, I’m getting better and better at allowing him to more independently handle his business without my micromanaging his every move. Since he’s a fifth grader this year, I can do that with more confidence, knowing that he can satisfactorily navigate the online technology, follow his teacher’s instructions, and stay on task (for the most part) without having a bodily presence hovering over him every second. 

As an adult, I thought I was hit with a lot of different stimuli vying for my attention at any given point throughout the day. But in looking at the lists of distractions (above), it’s a wonder that Little Man is able to concentrate enough to learn anything at all.

But, here’s what makes all the difference in the world for Little Man: having a patient teacher who wants to see her virtual classroom of students succeed; who understands the challenging nature of learning from home; and who brings forth a level of engagement that can keep her class drawn in, motivated, and willing to work in spite of persistent attention grabbers seeking to get her children off track.

AND

having a household who doesn’t mind the inconvenience of becoming a little less noticeable during Little Man’s daytime virtual schooling experience.

I must say that my husband, older two children, and I have come a long way in controlling our natural tendencies to be visibly and audibly apparent in our own household. It’s, however, a skill that needs continuous perfecting. And, that’s quite all right. We’re up to the challenge of making ourselves less distracting, knowing that such action sets Little Man up with a higher probability of success, while schooling from home.