When Panic Hits
“There are no educational emergencies.“
This one’s for you. Education is an opportunity. It’s a slow unfolding of understanding balanced against sudden insight. We offer instruction and we address limits and struggle with creativity and patience, and we seek help when we need it.
It’s tempting to treat everything as an emergency. Whether it’s conserving toilet paper, wondering how you’ll pay your bills, or protecting yourself against a virus. There’s an underlying alarm to these behaviors.
Education— learning—is not an emergency. It’s not even urgent. So if you feel yourself ramp up, or are worried that your child is behind, or wonder if your child is learning enough, ask yourself if that isn’t anxiety spilling into your home school. Because my hunch? It likely is.
And then, deliberately slow down. The best learning happens when we
- are patient,
- adapt the lessons to a child’s capability,
- and provide kind support.
If you’re finding it hard to get it all done, go back to baby steps. One ten minute session today—draw a subject from a hat. Then tomorrow, try ten minutes in the morning and ten in the afternoon. Do that for a few days. Rotate subjects, until you’ve covered them all.
Now’s a time to “go slow to go fast.”
When panic hits, remind yourself: There are no educational emergencies.
This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!
