The gift of quarantine

So I promised the parents and the students of GC school of careers daily posts on how to keep sane during these insane times.

Today I found.myself discussing with my students how they are the luckiest students ever, because they have the most time from.all students in the past, to study destruction free. Actually, one.of my students said that she was amazed to see how much she has accomplished during these times. Another one said that he was amazed how long the day is. He also said that he realized how much he missed seeing his friends.

Besides academics, during these times instead of asking ourselves why me, let’s ask why not me, and start the habit of becoming grateful for everything you do have.

For those students and parents that are stuck on grades, well guess what. This is your second chance to reconsider what’s important in life. What if I am.an A* student but I experience daily panic attacks and anxieties, and hate the world, and the world hates me. What will I do with my A* grades with no one around me to share them with.

Parents, relax. Stop.pressuring your kids about grades. Encourage them.to have values above all. Teach them how to be grateful for what they have. Do not provide everything for them. Let them.work hard towards earning or a.privillage.

Studies have shown that children who have parents that give them everything,experience the same symptoms like children who have been abused. Depression and hopelessness. Why? Because human beings are made to be creative. When you provide everything for them ( including spoon feeding their homework, pressure them to get As) you take away their chance to develop abilities such as hard work, internal motivation and respect for themselves and others

You know where that leads them? To depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. Trust me, most children are already hard on themselves and are pressuring themselves. They don’t need you to do that for them. Encourage them to spread their wings and fly, set the standards, and set them free. An excellent book I reccomend for you to read is Growth mindset by Carol Dweck.

Challenge for today

Celebrate mistakes! Keep truck of all the mistakes you or your child makes and celebrate them as a chance to grow!