Dear Students Who Are Struggling During COVID-19,
Regardless of whether learning from home has added to your existing difficulties or introduced brand new issues, please do not lose hope in your ability to learn and succeed. There are many reasons why distance learning may not be an ideal setup for you. Let’s take a look at why you may be struggling to learn from home and how we can make improvements.
Boredom
You may be bored with distance learning because you miss the social aspect of school, whether that means seeing friends daily, being able to interact with the teacher in person, or benefiting from academic competition among peers.
You can also be bored if you are not feeling challenged. You’re likely to experience this if you didn’t have to work too hard for good grades in the normal school setting.
How can you fight boredom? The first step would be to brainstorm with your parents. Your next step may be talking to a teacher or finding ways to supplement your education. Doing an auxiliary program, like Foundations in Personal Finance, can give you interesting real-world application and teach you invaluable skills for the rest of your life.
Lost Learning Confidence
Do you often say, “I’m just not a good student,” or “Schools not my thing?” These statements might be true. Maybe your personality traits really don’t lend to success in school. And maybe a few years down the road you’ll realize that you naturally thrive in the workplace. Regardless of these scenarios, if you’ve lost confidence in your ability to learn and perform in the school setting, it will probably take you a while to find confidence in doing other things in life.
It’s time to set yourself some reachable goals. Share those goals with your parents for accountability. Discuss how you can achieve these goals with your teacher. Soon, you will be on your way to building up your confidence again.
Poor Study Habits
If you scraped by with some poor study habits before distance learning, it’s likely that your habits haven’t improved now that you’re home. This is your opportunity to learn some new studying or learning strategies that could help you for the rest of your life. Talk to your parents or teacher about ways they think you could study better. If both of these sources aren’t sure about how to help, speak with an educational specialist or certified tutor. These professionals will be able to teach you ways to study or learn that are personalized to your strengths and weaknesses.
Learning Disability
Many people get pretty far in life without knowing they have a learning disability or condition. Some learning challenges and conditions can include struggling to understand what is being said, an inability to focus, difficulty finishing tasks, and more. An assessment is recommended to determine the cause of such issues. When I do assessments, I not only provide a diagnosis and plan that can be submitted to your school (or workplace). I also help you identify your specific strengths and weaknesses.
You Can Do This
If you are struggling during COVID-19, please take some comfort in the fact that these are strange times. People around the globe are having to find new ways to learn, work, and live. That being said, you do not have to go on dreading school or feeling like a terrible student. Do not put off making a plan or seeking professional help! Please reach out if you would like to talk about more ways you can get your academic career heading back in the right direction.