The pandemic, a racial injustice movement, and massive experiment in remote learning has left students academically and social/emotionally behind. Stores are opening back up. Masks are coming off. Vacations are starting again. But what still remains is the collateral damage of the trauma-filled year our kids had to endure. So what do we do now? Here is what we know.
This generation will be different. In many ways, this is not a bad thing. When quarantine orders were enforced, people began to slow down a bit, reflect more, and care less about the unnecessary. In another breath, one can argue that this generation of students missed out on an entire year of interacting with others and academic growth to the degree of what previous generations have been exposed to. Students not only experienced a shocking chain of events, but the exposure to it for such an extensive period of time plays a critical role in this situation. Bottom line, all studies point to students needing the adults and mentors in their lives to help with their mental health and well-being right now. Where to start? Mills Virtual Tutoring believes it needs to start with academics…
Students Are Behind Academically, Socially, and Emotionally After Covid-19
EdWeek (2021) released stats from a recent student and teacher survey report stating students are behind, academically and socially, resulting in lack of confidence and motivation. The numbers were mind blowing. Below are just a few percentages released in EdWeek's article representing the amount of teachers who reported an uptick in their students' behaviors compared to what they have seen pre-pandemic:
74% not turning in completed work
64% getting lower grades than they expected
56% no longer participating
51% feeling isolated.
46% skipping
36% more tired/unmotivated in class
(Full article can be found HERE)
How To Help Our Kids After Covid-19
The good news? There are ways to mitigate these issues and help students get back on their feet. Will our World be exactly the same prior to Covid-19? No. Should it be? Probably not. However, if we did have to choose a place to focus our energy, it most definitely should be the future leaders of the World, right?Students received an education during remote learning, but most teachers would agree that it was impossible to fully cover the entire curriculum this year at the same depth they have taught it in prior years. This left academic gaps everywhere in our educational system and student learning. Come August, students will now be faced with entering a new grade level unprepared and already behind. In the most basic form, when kids feel behind or uninformed, they will retreat to the sidelines, avoid tasks, and hope no one notices. When kids feel smart, they gain confidence. When kids feel confident, they will do more, say more, care more. This means If students return to the 2021-2022 school year refreshed, prepared, and feeling confident, they may have a chance at beating the Covid-19 slide.
Let's Fight The Covid-19 Slide, Together
Academically, students need to catch up and fill the academic achievement gaps missed during remote learning, but social/emotionally, students need this summer vacation to rest and recover from this past year. While summer school is definitely an option, most public school programs consist of 5 hour days for 3 weeks straight. If this is too much commitment and time, a virtual academic summer camp may be a great solution, consisting of much shorter class times and the ability to still travel while taking your course on the road!
Mills Virtual Tutoring is ALL IN on providing summer opportunities solely geared to getting students back on track and walking into school on their first day with preparation and confidence. We are holding our routine academic summer camps for grades K-12 (which sold out last summer), as well as, attacking those soft skills of executive functioning and emotional awareness/growth through short-impact, virtual remedial courses. Mills has even partnered with a college prep program for 9-12th graders to help prepare them for college! Other ways Mills are fighting the Covid-19 Slide listed below:
Academic Coaching (soft skills, executive functioning, class preparedness, organization & prioritization) for grades K-12
Exploring Emotions course for grades K-12
Managing Student Emotions for Parents
2-Day College Workshop for grades 9-12
Academic Camp for grades K-12
Private Virtual Tutoring
Academic Virtual Summer Camp is NOT Distant Learning
Friendly reminder! Academic Virtual Summer Camp is NOT the same as Distance Learning. Distance learning involves long hours, tons of work, multiple classes with high student/teacher ratios and grades that count. Academic Virtual Summer Camp is amazing for these reasons:</p>
Receive small doses of remediation, 30 min. to 2-hours per week max for only 3-5 weeks!
You can take the virtual camp with you on vacation!
Will help build confidence walking into the next school year!
Super affordable! ($50-$350 per camp)
All tutors are current teachers in the school system!
1:5 student/teacher ratio!
We at Mills believe THIS is a good start to fighting the Covid-19 slide. THIS is what students need this summer. THIS will make a difference.
Below is a facebook live discussion with the CEO of Mills Virtual Tutoring, Jennifer Mills, and former high school educator now blogger and youth education advocate, Jenny Goff Phillips, discussing the Covid-19 slide and the benefits of doing an academic virtual summer camp. You may encounter a few funny moments/Live video bombs as you watch it all the way through! :)
Whether you register your child for one of the courses this summer or not, we encourage you to find ways to help your child get prepared before the next school year comes. If you need additional workbook suggestions, educational apps, etc., comment below and we will be happy to send you some!
There are only five slots per course and they sold out last summer. For this reason, we encourage you to sign up and snag a spot before they are all taken!
Passionately,
The Mills Virtual Tutoring Academy Team