Moving Into a New Realm of Education and Parenting

• In Event: The Pandemic as a Portal: On Transformative Ruptures and (Im)Possible Futures for Education

Abstract

In Spring 2020, as my daughter’s remote program began to roll out activities to do at home, it became clear that I needed resources not readily available, leading families to become outside-the-box thinkers. How could we engage and educate our children without these materials? Yes, this was a minor dilemma, yet it unleashed our innovative creativity. We invented new games, utilized at-home items to engage in play, and made every moment a learning experience. For a moment, we all needed to unleash our inner child. Looking back at Spring 2020, school administrators and educators planned with a distinct perspective this 2020-2021 school year. Their mindsets had to account for families with internet difficulties, lack of technological support, multiple children who might use the same devices, and limited home resources. Certain schools prepared accordingly, providing materials to students with pick-up schedules, and engaging families in technology workshops before beginning remote learning. Thus, there has been evidence that these shifts are in the right direction.

Work and home-life balance, which sent many parents spiraling between deciding on in-person learning options, pandemic pods, or staying at home to support their family, has allowed them to reconsider their priorities. Parents have grown to become advocates on their children’s needs and ways they can obtain them, “[t]he added value of home education is that parents rediscovered their children and children rediscovered their parent” (Parczewska, 2020). Hence, the familial household environment has permanently shifted, as both adults and children recognize aspects about themselves they previously ignored. Parents began to see education more broadly, including sports, artistic projects, or partaking in household chores, such as clearing the table, cooking, and caring for their younger sibling/pet(s). In New York, standardized tests were placed on hold, and assessment collection system labeling students’ knowledge base on an array of subject areas.” Without these biased, one-sided assessments, students of color and diverse learners are demonstrating the unique ways they learn materials. They’re excelling within their classes without the added pressures of these examinations. Educators, freed from the assessments, taught to teach rather than to help students pass and score highly on these examinations, thereby shifting the curricular approach and recognizing students’ learning styles.

Our newly found voice as parents has driven us to shift the education perspective towards a newer realm of family empowerment, socially just educational curricula, and innovative teaching practices. Students and their families claim ownership over their schools’ next steps and educational supports, becoming more powerful advocates than ever before. As we move into this new realm of education and parenting, we ask ourselves, how can we continue to grow and ensure that our practices remain unchanged in the years to come? The skills learned during this time molded our education system, including administrators, educators, families, and students. As a parent, I cannot help but wonder how these benefits will continue to level the field for our early childhood, diverse learners. It also encourages me to look towards the future as we contemplate the steps taken to undo socially unjust educational practices.

Author

• Katherine Rodriguez, Teachers College, Columbia University