Success stories for remote learning

FranticFrummie

Tue, Sep 29 2020, 5:54 pm

Please do not post here to complain about remote learning! There are plenty of threads for that.

I'm interested in hearing about kids who did well, or even better, learning from home.

DD has always struggled in school. She has social anxiety, ADD, and trouble with bullies.

Ever since she's been allowed to learn from home, she's made amazing improvements. She's less stressed, more focused, and her grades have never been better. She's gone from C and D grades to mostly A's, with only one B this so far.

She says it's because "the computer doesn't judge her", so she doesn't feel intimidated. She loves that she doesn't get called on when she doesn't know the answer, and she enjoys not having to deal with kids that are more tough.

She does miss having friends to socialize with IRL, but she has a lot of friends online, many who she's known for years. She's very focused on academics right now because she's in her senior year of high school, and really doesn't want to go back to a classroom setting.

She's signed up for the option to learn from home for the rest of this year, and she can try to go to class if she wants, and not have to commit if it causes her too much anxiety.

amother

Jade

Tue, Sep 29 2020, 6:29 pm

I am so happy for your DD!
My DD is also a senior. She prefers to go to school, for the social aspect, but she was a lot less stressed last semester and got to sleep for an extra 1/2 hour in the morning. Her grades were the same and she had no learning issues. They were on Zoom. Teachers had office hours and the kids also made Zoom study groups.
In all fairness, she is 17 and she already lived in a world of WhatsApp and FaceTime. She already had a school iPad and her own laptop and cellphone-so she is not coming for a technology-free place.
I went to work (in a hospital) and was able to leave her alone for the day and trust that she would be responsible and do whatever she needed to get done. It would be different if she was 7 instead of 17. (You see, the silver lining of SIF).

FranticFrummie

Tue, Sep 29 2020, 6:32 pm

amother [ Jade ] wrote:

DD is also 17, tech savvy, and an only child. It sounds like they'd be good friends!

She has internet friends all over the world, (just like we had pen pals back in the day.) Many of these friendships she's kept for 5 years or more. I'm so glad she has people she can video call with. Otherwise I think it would be much harder on her.

The thing is, even if she did have lots of friends IRL, they couldn't exactly go and hang out at the mall or anything. She's in an area that still has very strict restrictions (living just outside Austin, TX.)

amother

Bronze

Tue, Sep 29 2020, 8:18 pm

I am a public school special ed teacher. Believe it or not, I had a few students who thrived during the lockdown. Their chief distraction in school was the social interactions all around and the classroom management/redirection piece. That removed, these kids showed what we knew they were capable of!

little neshamala

Tue, Sep 29 2020, 8:24 pm

My son did beautifully in zoom. BH he does well enough regularly, but tends to get bored and space out a lot in class, needing to be redirected.
But when zoom started he did so well...not even sure exactly what it was about it, but he loved it. He paid attention, did the work, interacted with his classmates and teachers...it was great

amother

Puce

Tue, Sep 29 2020, 9:56 pm

My son is currently not remote learning, but last year when his school went remote he did so well.
No bullying to contend with. Also, since he was remote he had less teacher/admin interactions, which decreased his difficulty with authority and school rules, disrespect etc., and especially being where he was supposed to be ie. In class, on time.
After a bunch of frustrating years for him in elementary school it was nice to see how well he did remotely.

That was 8th grade. Now he is in high school, but it's not the typical high school. He's also not with the same students he was with previously. So far so good.

TwinsMommy

Wed, Sep 30 2020, 12:00 am

Reena is 8th grade in public school and has autism and adhd. Hot snacks and lunches, shoes off, and as many fidget toys right within reach as she wants are making it a success. But I hate the lack of natural social skills practice during lunch and passing periods. And I hate when she wakes me from a nap to tell me funny things about class. Smile

her school is huge so I don't know when they're going back.

amother

Chartreuse

Wed, Sep 30 2020, 11:22 am

DS 11 has ASD and hates social interaction. He has a lot of anxiety when he's called on in class, even when he knows the answer. When we went remote last year, he really flourished. He loves that he can turn off his video if he wants to, he can ask his parents for help if he doesn't understand (he won't ask teachers b/c of his anxiety, which led to many many in school meltdowns), and he doesn't have to touch or be touched by anyone. Also so much less sensory input at home than in a classroom.

He's back in person now but I think that time at home really taught him a lot about himself and he's still doing really well. He would prefer to be at home but since I work from home, it's much better for us if he's in school. That said, every time the school or his class has to switch to remote, he's thrilled.

amother

Emerald

Wed, Sep 30 2020, 12:18 pm

So interesting for me to read this thread as a mom and a teacher-trainer (I teach in a teacher's college)! My daughter has been doing better because the technology has forced teachers to get out of frontal teaching, calling on the girls who know the answers every time, and giving book work as a default.

Last spring they had to do an assignment for Yom HaAtzmaut, and the teacher wasn't able to fall back on "write a composition about what you did" -- a task my daughter hates every single time. So she told them basically "do whatever."

My daughter made a video of herself as one of the torch lighters in the tekes, in a fancy dress, with a podium and torch she made, giving a speech in the same format: I, Plonit bat Ploni, light this torch on behalf of all children in Israel, in honor of distance learning, and to the glory of the State of Israel!" It was adorable and just like some of you said, her teacher could finally see what she's really capable of!

Glad to hear other kids are doing well; may they all have a healthy and successful year!

amother

Slategray

Wed, Sep 30 2020, 12:23 pm

Two of my kids are doing well.

One is a really good student. Normal classes are a bit slow for her which can be very frustrating. She does miss in-person learning in some ways, but OTOH now she has more time and energy for out-of-school learning, which happens at her own pace.

The other is very bright but struggles due to ADHD. It has been so so helpful for her to not have to sit properly in her chair, worry about the dress code, or stop banging the table. She can listen to her classes online while jumping on the couch or punching the air. And the focus is off of her behavior, and expectations are lower. It's just been good all around.

mha3484

Wed, Sep 30 2020, 12:33 pm

We did the phone school but it was not live. The live conferences described by others sound horrible. My older kid with pretty severe adhd loved some aspects like being able to call in on his own time when he felt he could focus the best which also reduced power struggles. There was no requirement to be logged on at a certain time. He liked being able to decide how his day would go.

He could sit anywhere or stand up, doodle, fidgit, basically as long as he paid attention so what no one can see him. He also loved that the rebbe just taught and did not stop to discipline anyone which was good for keeping the train of thought going.

He still missed the social aspects of school very much. So I give the experience a solid B and I hope we dont have to repeat it long term again.

amother

Honeydew

Wed, Sep 30 2020, 12:39 pm

amother [ Bronze ] wrote:

Sounds like my kids, they thrived on virtual school. I have one child who struggles with anxiety and behavioral issues in school. The change in him (for the better) was unbelievable. I think I'm the only parent who is secretly hoping the school gets shut down again Smile

amother

Lime

Wed, Sep 30 2020, 3:44 pm

My ten year old thrived. We were able to get her private tutors, which is always a struggle to fit into the school day and finally after years of different methods, she finally learnt to read Hebrew. This was huge, I think she had given up ever expecting to succeed in reading.
She is also very anxious and very very worried about what others think of her.its so strange cuz the teachers tell me that she's the class queen (I hate this concept) but all I see is the struggle and pressure to stay on top and do the right thing etc.
She loved being home, zoom social events were wonderful, she kept on saying "I wish school stays closed forever"
She also slept better, ate way way better (she hated school food and you are not allowed to send) and was so much healthier emotionally.

amother

Ruby

Wed, Sep 30 2020, 3:50 pm

I think I'm the only parent who is secretly hoping the school gets shut down again Smile//

You're not alone, honeydew! Me too! School is not a happy place for my daughter. When I overheard her phone classes, I knew why. Beyond boring. I just told her to forget them, it was causing so much stress. Our remote learning was a success because we did schooling how it worked for her, and not for a whole class. We painted and played and loved it. Even with me and Dh getting COvid very badly.

mommy12

Wed, Sep 30 2020, 5:27 pm

At the beginning of last school year, my fourth grader got a concussion. His behavior went downhill fairly quickly. Then he was diagnosed with ADHD and a learning disability with written expression. I was in contact with the school regarding his behavior constantly. He was almost kicked off the bus. Then Covid hit, and we switched to Zoom. He thrived. Well, he still didn't want to do his work, but he did much better than in the classroom! His teachers would do one on one Zooms with him and they marveled over the difference in him.

Now he is in fifth grade. We are in person as of now, and because of Covid precautions, a lot of stressors from last year are no longer there. There is no bus this year. Bullying seems to have either stopped in his class or toned down a lot. He is on an iPad with a teacher who is remote teaching. The school day has been shortened a bit. An administrator came to him yesterday to tell him that he has been hearing excellent reports about him. Between the Zoom learning last year and the restrictions this year, my son is doing so much better than he would have been doing if life hadn't turned upside down.