Considering Remote Learning as an Option For the Long Term

By:  Maura L. Johnson, LCSW, PMH-C

When I think back to the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, so many things come to mind. My husband and I had just returned from a weekend visit to Toronto, narrowly making it over the border crossing before the world shut down. Having never conducted a telehealth session in the entirety of my therapy career, suddenly we were moving to seeing all patients remotely. Luckily several online mediums existed to make this possible; however, this certainly was not the case for most schools.  

Students went from daily, brick and mortar schooling to being home, with little to no plan, essentially overnight. As the remote infrastructure was frantically created to make pandemic learning a reality, many students (and parents/caregivers) struggled to adapt. The social isolation, paired with Zoom fatigue and less opportunity for collaborative learning, proved challenging for many.  

And yet.

While much of my therapy practice centered on supporting clients through various pandemic related struggles, including illness, grief/loss and major disruption to their short- and long-term plans, I began to notice a small subset who appeared to be thriving in the socially distanced world. They found themselves more productive working and learning remotely, with more time to rest, tend to their home and spend time with immediate family. They were spending more time outdoors and prioritizing things they lost during long commutes and 8+ hour days spent in an office or school building. In particular, I began to notice that some of my school age clients truly began to find their groove in the remote learning space.  

I realize many of us did not find the remote learning days of the pandemic particularly enjoyable. We were all learning as we went, in terms of how to balance our own work and family obligations, along with adding “teacher” to our title for months on end. However, as life returned to some semblance of normalcy, I began exploring the option of remote learning as a long-term option with some clients. They did not wish to return to their physical school building, for a variety of reasons. Many found they were able to complete work more quickly at home and connected with the asynchronous, as well as live versions of lessons. For older students, they were able to more easily balance part-time jobs and save money for life after graduation.  

 Perhaps most frequently, many students cited the ongoing social pressures, bullying and difficulty focusing in an overstimulating environment as reasons they were thriving remotely. Their caregivers were understandably curious as to whether this was the right choice and had many questions. We often discussed the longevity of the many accredited, K-12 institutions having already created and maintained the infrastructure for students to succeed. While many school districts went on to create their own online academies in response to the pandemic, online schools remained a reliable and consistent option. I’ve often thought of how the decision to create the online academies was in part born from the discovery that there has likely always been a higher need for them.  

So how do you make the decision to transition from traditional schooling to a remote-based learning model? Consider your goals, along with your child’s: Do you have the correct balance and support to make this a reality? Is your child able to manage their time effectively in a more autonomous, remote environment? Have they found themselves desiring separation from daily exposure to peer interactions that may be more harmful than helpful to them? There are many different things to consider but as the popularity and availability increases, it’s comforting to know that different options exist to create lifelong, engaged learners.