The Kid Who Likes Remote Learning

I know this kid who likes remote learning. He is fortunate to have a laptop and a solid internet connection at his house. He doesn’t miss attending school all that much. But, he does miss his friends and some of his teachers, though.

Here is how this kid’s typical day goes while staying at home due to the COVID-19 crisis.

1. He wakes up at 11:00 a.m. instead of 6:30 a.m.

2. He sits down and eats a good breakfast with a spoon or fork, not a rushed one in order to get out of the door with a Pop Tart in hand.

3. He either does some house chores or hops in the shower for a 15 minute refresh, not the 3 minute soap down and rinse at 6:32 a.m.. Things seem cleaner around this kid’s house too.

4. He hops on the computer to do an inventory of what he needs to complete for his classes. He prioritizes his assignments and puts together his daily schedule. He notices that one of his teachers is setting up a group chat on Google Meet. He’ll be there at 1:00 p.m..

5. He starts to do his work. It is neatly written or typed out. He takes great care in his work, maybe even more than he used to because he has more time. He was always a good student though. His presentations are solid and creative. He works at his own pace and heads out of his bedroom to grab a snack from the kitchen in between his assignments. He opens the back door and breathes in the fresh air. He sits on his porch for a few minutes, listens to the birds, and watches some cars go by.

6. He decides to take a walk for 45 minutes. Sometimes, he jogs.

7. He eats dinner with his family and then watches a movie with them, afterwards.

8. He finishes up his school work and starts to wind down for the day. It is midnight.

9. He listens to music on his phone while lying in bed. He doesn’t feel stressed out about much of anything.

10. He closes his eyes and sleeps well. He dreams about having pancakes in the morning and sitting in the sunlight for lunch . . . tomorrow . . . another day of his new schooling.

What can we learn from this kid? What has he gained? What has he lost? What does he cherish? How has he coped? This is one kid in one school with five classes. But, we might know more kids like him . . .

The kids who like remote learning.