Deb Weston COVID19, Mental Health, Resilience, Teacher Wellness, Teaching online, Wellbeing, Wellness

No Tired, Like Online Covid Teaching Tired – Rest, Sleep, Restore

ETFO’s position on in-person learning remains unchanged. The union firmly believes that the daily, in-person model of instruction and support best meets the educational, developmental and social needs of students, provides the best experience for support, and is the most equitable learning model for all students. ETFO’s expectation is that elementary virtual learning in any capacity, including through hybrid models of instruction, will end once the pandemic ends.

It’s been 6 weeks since I started teaching synchronously online and it’s draining me. Before the winter break, I was teaching synchronously online and in class. As a few of my students are solely online, I tried to make them feel included in all our lessons. Being physically in school gave me the opportunity to interact with people, from a distance. I enjoyed my days teaching physically present in school.

But teaching online all day is different. Interacting all day in a virtual class forum drains me.

Teaching online is also lonely. Yes, I get to spend my day talking to students through my online meeting platform. But in this lockdown, I am isolated as my partner is often away working for the Red Cross. It’s just me and my 19-year-old cat, Whitney.

When I was teaching in class, I had a chance to go for a walk, stretch my legs, visit with colleagues (via social distancing) and get outside during my recess duty. While teaching solely online, I am stuck in my home office at my desk.

For me, teaching is more than just explaining and guiding via lessons. Teaching is all about reading how students are feeling about their work and figuring out how to help them understand content and the ideas within the content. When I teach exclusively online, I feel blind as I cannot use my senses to read students’ moods and body language. This means I need to focus solely on students voices and asking questions to promote clarifications within students’ work.

One day, it was particularly challenging as I was dealing with a student who was having challenges attending online. I dealt with constant interruptions while teaching. I told the student that I would help them separately on a one-on-one basis. Their mother was also calling me on my cell phone about this student’s behaviour/mood. I heard the student state that “My mom wants to talk to you right now!” I informed the student that I would help them later and that I would call their mother after school was over. When I did go to help the student, they had left the online meeting. Mom did not pick up when I called.

I usually have a solid attention span, but this situation threw me off. While teaching about the surface area of 3D solids, I made a mistake forgetting that the formula for the area of a triangle is base times height divided by two. It was embarrassing but I turned it into a learning opportunity by explaining that I learned about math by making many mistakes.

I find being online all the time, exhausting. It’s pushed me towards burn out were I sit wanting to do nothing. I am also dealing with ongoing insomnia. My mood is leaning towards more being cranky than experiencing anxiety.

Being online sucks my “social” energy until it is gone.

As I try to write about issues that are informative and helpful to teachers, I’ve included some things that I’ve found helpful being isolated during this lockdown.

Acknowledge Yourself

Taking steps to care for yourself is not a selfish act as it is critical to your happiness and wellbeing. Without self care and setting limits with work, your physical and mental health will be impacted. Your effectiveness in your work will deteriorate. Work less to be more effective.

Restore Yourself

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Take time to do something you love.

This could be taking up a hobby you’ve  done in the past or reading books you’ve wanted to read. I’ve learned if I work too much, I become less effective. Taking time to restore myself with non work activities makes me more effective as a teacher in my practice. My hobby? I’ve returned to my cross-stitch, focusing on making “Really Cross Stitch” by @haleykscissors which has been fun and cathartic!

Calling Friends and Colleagues

Talking to friends and colleagues connects me to others and gives me joy to hear their voices. I have not seen some of my friends and colleagues, face-to-face, in over a year now. I miss the regular collegial conversations we once had at work. Reaching out to others also supports them in this time of isolation. It keeps us connected, even though we are apart.

Sleep Hygiene

Getting to sleep is an ongoing issue for me. Waking up is worse as I feel like “molasses flowing in February.”

When I am overworked, I find it hard to relax enough to fall asleep. Being relaxed before sleep means sleep comes quicker. I takes steps to make sure that I do not take any stimulants past 1 pm, drinking only decaffeinated teas at night. I even refrain from chocolate.

My need to fall asleep challenges me as my partner virtually falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. I end up listening to him and my cat softly snore while I toss and turn, flipping like a fish in bed. The worse thing I can do is look at the clock, noting how long it has taken me to get to sleep. Some nights one, two, and three hours pass before sleep finds me.

When reading up on how to get a better sleep, I’ve found some tips that might promote sleep and establish an improved sleep hygiene :

  • Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day (even on weekends!)
  • Set an alarm to go to bed, as well as to wake up
  • Take a bath with bath salts
  • Hydrate with warm caffeine-free drinks
  • Skip alcohol before bed
  • Try to let go of your daily “drama” related to work and/or family
  • Big one for me – stay off social media (I’m known for my late-night Twitter posts)

Readers, if you have any other tips to pass on, please note them in the comment section.

Wishing you more rest, sleep, & restoration,

Collaboratively Yours,

Deborah Weston, PhD

Deb Weston Technology in school

Less Screen Time, More Play

 

24 hour movement guidelines

 

An April 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) study highlighted the need for children to be more physically active and get more sleep. It particularly stressed the need for children under 5 to spend less time “sitting watching screens, or restrained in prams and seats, get better quality sleep and have more time for active play if they are to grow up healthy” WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that “early childhood is a period of rapid development and a time when family lifestyle patterns can be adapted to boost health gains” (World Health Organization, ‎2019)‎.

The WHO developed new guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age. The guidelines were developed based on the effects on young children of inadequate sleep and time spent sitting watching screens or restrained in chairs and/or strollers (World Health Organization, ‎2019)‎.

“Improving physical activity, reducing sedentary time and ensuring quality sleep in young children will improve their physical, mental health and wellbeing, and help prevent childhood obesity and associated diseases later in life,” stated Dr. Fiona Bull, WHO program manager for surveillance and population-based prevention of non-communicable diseases (World Health Organization, ‎2019)‎.

The WHO stressed the need to set healthy physical activity and sleep habits early in life as this helps shape healthy habits for the rest of peoples’ lives (World Health Organization, ‎2019)‎.

“What we really need to do is bring back play for children,” says Dr. Juana Willumsen, WHO focal point for childhood obesity and physical activity. “This is about making the shift from sedentary time to playtime, while protecting sleep” (World Health Organization, ‎2019)‎.

Recently, The American Academy of Pediatrics (Yogman, Garner, Hutchinson, Hirsh-Pasek, Golinkoff, & Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, 2018). released a policy statement characterizing exercise through play as critical to the developmental and neurological development of children. In addition, play encourages learning and “joyful discovery” (Yogman et. al., 2018). Play enhances social and emotional skills important to children’s development and mental wellness (Klass, 2019; Yogman et. al., 2018). Further, ” the importance of interacting with children, responding to their cues and questions, the value of the old-fashioned kind of face time, with parents and with peers, and the importance of helping kids find a variety of experiences that are not all about screens and screen time in a world that is increasingly virtual for both parents and children” (Klauss, 2019; Yogman et. al., 2018).

The WHO stated that prolonged restrained or sedentary screen time  should be replaced with more active play and quality sedentary time spent in interactive non-screen-based activities with a caregiver, such as reading, storytelling, singing, and puzzles (World Health Organization, ‎2019)‎. The WHO stressed that this interactive time is very important for child development. The WHO further linked inadequate physical activity, too much sedentary behaviour, and inadequate sleep time to having an impact on the “physical and mental health and wellbeing” of children (World Health Organization, ‎2019)‎.

Recommendations at a glance (World Health Organization, ‎2019)‎:

Infants less than 1 year should (World Health Organization, ‎2019):

  • Be physically active several times a day in a variety of ways, particularly through interactive floor-based play; more is better. For those not yet mobile, this includes at least 30 minutes in prone position (tummy time) spread throughout the day while awake.
  • Not be restrained for more than 1 hour at a time(e.g. prams/strollers, high chairs, or strapped on a caregiver’s back). Screen time is not recommended. When sedentary, engaging in reading and storytelling with a caregiver is encouraged.
  • Have 14–17 hours (0–3 months of age) or 12–16 hours (4–11 months of age) of good quality sleep, including naps.

Children 1-2 years of age should (World Health Organization, ‎2019):

  • Spend at least 180 minutes in a variety of types of physical activities at any intensity, including moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity, spread throughout the day; more is better.
  • Not be restrained for more than 1 hour at a time(e.g., prams/strollers, high chairs, or strapped on a caregiver’s back) or sit for extended periods of time. For 1-year-olds, sedentary screen time (such as watching TV or videos, playing computer games) is not recommended. For those aged 2 years, sedentary screen time should be no more than 1 hour; less is better. When sedentary, engaging in reading and storytelling with a caregiver is encouraged.
  • Have 11-14 hours of good quality sleep, including naps, with regular sleep and wake-up times.

Children 3-4 years of age should (World Health Organization, ‎2019):

  • Spend at least 180 minutes in a variety of types of physical activities at any intensity, of which at least 60 minutes is moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity, spread throughout the day; more is better.
  • Not be restrained for more than 1 hour at a time(e.g., prams/strollers) or sit for extended periods of time. Sedentary screen time should be no more than 1 hour; less is better. When sedentary, engaging in reading and storytelling with a caregiver is encouraged.
  • Have 10–13 hour of good quality sleep, which may include a nap, with regular sleep and wake-up times.

A healthy 24 hours for children ages 5 to 18 years old (Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth  for ages 5-17 years) :

SWEAT: Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity

  • An accumulation of at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity involving a variety of aerobic activities.
  • Vigorous physical activities, and muscle and bone strengthening activities should each be incorporated at least 3 days per week.

STEP: Light Physical Activity

  • Several hours of a variety of structured and unstructured light physical activities.

SLEEP: Uninterrupted sleep with consistent bed and wake up times

  • Ages 5-13 years old = 9 to 11 hours of sleep per night.
  • Ages 14-17 years old = 8 to 10 hours per night.

SIT: Sedentary Behaviour

  • No more than 2 hours per day of recreational screen time; Limited sitting for extended periods.
  • Preserving sufficient sleep, trading indoor time for outdoor time, and replacing sedentary behaviours and light physical activity with additional moderate to vigorous physical activity can provide greater health benefits.
  • Children 6 years and older should have established and consistent limits on the time spent using media, with parents ensuring that digital media doesn’t take the place of sleep, physical activity or real-life personal interactions.

One thing I gleaned out of this research is that adults should also follow this good advice for being more active. This includes (Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults 18 to 64 years):

  • To achieve health benefits, adults aged 18-64 should accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, in bouts of 10 minutes 
or more.
  • It is also beneficial to add muscle and bone strengthening activities using major muscle groups, at least 2 days per week.
  • More physical activity provides greater health benefits.

The bottom line is get moving, sleep enough at the same time every day, and get off your screens … the kids are watching you.

Collaboratively Yours,

Deb Weston, PhD

References

Klauss, P. (April 2019). Prescription for growth: Let your children play, New York Times, published in the Globe and Mail April 2019. Downloaded from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/20/well/family/let-kids-play.html

World Health Organization. (‎2019)‎. Grade Tables for Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age, World Health Organization. Downloaded from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/311663/WHO-NMH-PND-19.2-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

World Health Organization. (‎2019)‎. Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age: web annex : evidence profiles. World Health Organization. Downloaded from http://www.who.int/iris/handle/10665/311663. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO

Yogman, M., Garner, A., Hutchinson, J., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R. M., & Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health. (2018). The power of play: A pediatric role in enhancing development in young children. Pediatrics, 142(3), e20182058. Downloaded from https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/142/3/e20182058?utm_source=STAT%20Newsletters&utm_campaign=053c00c518-MR_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-053c00c518-150867485