II.01.2021 - Virtual School: The Struggle is Real
In my early 20’s I worked as an Executive Assistant supporting the Executive Team at one of the leading outplacement firms in Canada. Overall, this was a rewarding experience. These folks had extremely high expectations. But I learned and excelled in my role. EAs can help bring out the best in their managers’ performance. I dealt with a range of challenging personalities. I remember the feeling of being pulled in many different directions at the same time. It was stressful, but strangely satisfying. I thought that my experience would be an exceptional point in my career. It was not.
Fast-forward to 2021. I crashed through my mid-30s a few years ago and now I’m living in a world I only recognize from sci-fi books or movies such as Contagion. Based on my previous experience on Bay Street in Toronto, I expected that I could easily teach my three young kids (8,6,4) at home and continue to grow my entrepreneurial business. But the demands of supporting my tiny executives far exceeded those of the suits downtown. The energy that my dynamic trio exudes requires a constant flow of snacks with preferences that change daily.
My days are much longer and more stressful since the pandemic started 10 months ago. My feet ache every evening in the same way that they do after eight hours walking through the Toronto Zoo. Every morning, I wake up optimistic and think that today will be easier because I will organize my time better. But I have discovered that my struggle is not a matter of me being unorganized or wasting time. And I have concluded that my expectations are unrealistic. Many generations of women before me raised children in a world with a predictable school schedule and, as I experienced when I was a child, daycare. According to Statistics Canada, in 2018 the number of dual income families was twice as large as households with a single parent. Families today rely on a dual income and, in turn, rely on a reliable school calendar and childcare that allows both parents to work.
Now, back to my point about online learning due to the pandemic. Logistical issues aside, parents are concerned about their children spending too much time staring at screens. In a 2018 Forbes article, 
Alice G. Walton states, “One new study finds that time spent on screens is linked to not-so-great shifts in brain connectivity.” Walton continues, “…what may be even more important than looking at the brain is looking at the behavior and the psychology of kids who use screens. Researcher Jean Twenge’s famous book [iGen] has shown strong links between time spent on screens and depression and suicidality in teens.” Why are educators and parents being forced to use a virtual platform for many hours during the day when the evidence has demonstrated that too much screen time hurts our children?
My bottom line? Online learning may be working for some families, but the vast majority of families in my social circle (and beyond) are struggling right now. Depression, suicidal ideation and the significant increase in the number of children taking their own lives is a devastating, collateral problem caused by the pandemic. Parents and teachers are burning out and many are retiring. We need a better solution for working parents who are trying to manage an impossible workload. For the sake of our children (and parents), we need to reduce screen time and prioritize easy access to mental health services. Or, as the late Steve Jobs famously said, we need to “Think Different.”