How to deal with the Online classes of Schools

Since the schools have started their classes online, parents are facing a lot of difficulties. This article aims at addressing a few of them.


1. Students are watching screens beyond the recommended time

How to deal with this- Explain to children how excessive screen time is harmful to the brain. It increases stimulation threshold, leading to other activities appearing boring, reduces focus and concentration, disrupts the sleep cycle, leads to inactivity and therefore loss of muscle mass, eventually leading to restlessness, body pain and obesity, and increases chances of depression.
The school classroom time is the ALLOWED screen time, and not additional screen time. Their games, TV, YouTube etc is the additional screen time.


2. Children are not cooperating: 

How to deal with this: Online classes are a temporary arrangement we have accepted because we don't want to send children to the schools, which would be dangerous at this point. The online classes are a makeshift arrangement which is inconvenient but apparently the best and feasible option. There's a price to pay for it, and we can refuse it, or take it. We have to choose what's best for the child right now. If this means getting the child additional devices for a few months, do it with the agreement they won't overshoot the recommended screen time. Involve them in the decision process and help them be self-responsible by asking them to monitor their own screen time. It's not an overnight process for sure. If you think your child is irritable, not acting responsibly, has excessive screen usage and not cooperating, consult a trained therapist in your region who works with children and adolescents.

3. Its a hassle: 

How to deal with this- Of course the whole life is full of hassles. Do not talk negatively about the online classes in front of the children, they will be even less engaged in the classes. Focus on the positive aspects of it. Tell them it will be a lot of hassles initially but then they will get a hang of it, as when the first time they held a toothbrush in their hand, it was difficult, not anymore. This way they can master how to attend the classes soon. Ask the school's technical team on how to deal with certain technical issues. Practice beforehand by creating a 'practice classroom'. Spending some time in familiarising with the technical aspects will reduce a lot of hassles later. Ask the children to thank the teachers for their efforts and their friends for cooperation to maintain the decorum of the online class.


4. Can't focus: 

Recommended sleep duration in 24 hours
including day-time naps.
By American Academy of Sleep medicine

How to deal with this- Lack of focus is common and suggests overuse of screens elsewhere in more engaging content Eg. exciting games or videos. That's the culprit, not the online class. Also suggests sleep deprivation. Make sure your child gets the recommended sleep. Besides this, the reduced focus is natural when the teacher can't give them consequences as they aren't present physically. Boils down to self-responsibility.




5. The school isn't reducing the fees:

How to deal with this: It's natural to think that the school time has reduced, so they should decrease fees as their use of resources has reduced too. Imagine if your employer asks you to work from home, and then also reduces your pay, would you consider it completely fair? Your bills and expenses are constant and stable, and you still have to make the payments. The teachers are facing a lot of difficulties switching to the online mode, working overtime and keeping students engaged is an additional hassle. Cooperating with schools is an option and so is being hostile. We are the best judge what will make learning more effective. The hassles are not going to last forever hopefully will end in a few months.

Encourage your children to be self-responsible and adaptable at this point in time, and not crib and whine about the hassles. If you join them in the blame game, you are sowing seeds of externalizing problems, and they are more likely to blame situations for their failures in future instead of lack of effort, and possibly someday blame you too, unfairly. 



The author is a psychotherapist trained in Children and Adolescent issues and also trains mental health professionals on the same subject. He is also a founder of the CORE personal development program that runs in schools. 
www.coreforschools.com