[Ed. note: This is one in a series of guest blogs by our Kartini School administrator, Mary Gunesch. With schools returning to at least partial in-person instruction we thought it a good time to focus on this subject.] 

When a student begins treatment at Kartini Clinic, we reach out to their school.  We find out what they should work on in their classes – what the learning objectives are – and we support them as they work to achieve these objectives.  Some teachers tell us to look at Google Classroom where they post assignments; some teachers stay in regular contact and provide extensive information; some teachers provide very little.

We support students, whatever their school’s response (or lack of response) may be.

We had a student who began with us at the end of January.  She was a senior in high school; she had two required classes to graduate.  We told the school that we could contract with them and partner with them to provide this student (who was very sick) with the support she needed to complete these classes.

The girl’s parents were afraid that she might give up and drop out.  They asked for our help.

The patient was in a dark place.  She was eating nothing.  The doctors were worried about her cognition.  They put in an NG tube.

In school, the girl told us she couldn’t concentrate. We gave her a graphic novel to read. She was able to do that.  

When we talked to her district, they said they didn’t need to contract with us; they would provide a tutor.  I told them that the girl was in treatment all day, each day of the week. They said, “No problem, we can get a tutor who will meet with her in the evening or on weekends.” They said the tutor would call me.  When the tutor called, she said, “I can do any day, Monday through Friday.” I asked about evenings or weekends and she said she couldn’t do that.

When I told the school district what I’d heard they said, “Oh, then the student can just wait until she is better, and we’ll give her a tutor then.”  I told them that the student did not want to wait, she wanted to finish what she needed to do and be done.  The student said she would do the district’s online program.  I asked the district about that and they said that program was full so she couldn’t do that.  They said, “But if you create a learning plan for her, we will be happy to accept the work she does with you.” 

So, that’s what we did. We designed an Economics class and a Senior English class.  She read Fahrenheit 451 and wrote an in-depth response.  She talked about how it was interesting that it was written over 50 years ago, but it is relevant today, with us spending so much time on our screens.  She also studied and discussed what was happening to the stock market in response to COVID-19, and she created a plan for economic recovery following the pandemic.

All along, she was recovering physically, slowly but surely. After 11 weeks, she was well enough to go home.  

The Governor had just announced that all seniors who were “on track in their classes and passing” would be done with school and ready to graduate.

Fortunately, we were able to report to her school that she was “on track and passing” in her classes.  They were happy to get our report.

Our student graduated this spring.

[Ed. note: This is one in a series of guest blogs by our Kartini School administrator, Mary Gunesch. With schools returning to at least partial in-person instruction we thought it a good time to focus on this subject.]

At Kartini Clinic for Children and Families we take the second part of our title, “for Children and Families,” seriously.  We treat children suffering from a wide range of eating disorders – from anorexia nervosa to high body weight – and in this work we know that the family (whatever that may be: Traditional, nontraditional, foster family, or something else) plays a key role in recovery.  The founding doctor of the clinic, Dr. Julie O’Toole, with 25 years of experience says, “Getting support from the family is critical to success.”

In our current situation, with schools either closed or limited to partial in-person instruction for the rest of another academic year, the same thing could be said about education.

Schools are working hard to provide learning materials. Many activities are accessible online; other resources are available on paper. There’s no shortage of what to learn.

But kids need more than the “what” of learning right now.  They need the “why.” 

Many children and teens rely on their relationships with teachers and friends to get them out of bed and headed to school every morning.  Now, “off to school” means 10 steps to the folding table recently set up as a temporary desk at home.

What can families do to give kids the motivation to learn in this topsy-turvy time? Here are some tips:

1. Do schoolwork with your child.  Whether your child is 6, 12, or 20, you can learn together. Your first grader’s work is cute – read the assigned book with them and ask them to act out their favorite character. Your seventh grader’s work may have you re-learning things you’ve forgotten (like phases of the moon); after they finish the unit, let them refresh your memory, and be sure to show genuine interest. Your 20-year-old’s college work may be something you never learned, but have them explain it to you; the ability to summarize is a fabulous way to understand better what they are learning.

2. This unprecedented time is an opportunity to focus on the content of what your kids are learning rather than how they are doing. Learning management systems adopted by schools in recent years, like ParentVUE and Schoology, tell parents how their kids are doing (they got a 78% on the test, for example) but they don’t tell parents about what kids are learning.

3. As it was with Goldilocks, the learning level needs to be “just right,” i.e., not too hard and not too easy. If the work is just ahead of their current level of proficiency, a little bit ahead of where they are, that is best. If the work provided by school is definitely too hard, communicate with your school. Ask about alternatives. (“My child still doesn’t understand how to add fractions with common denominators yet. Can we work on that before we do the problems with unlike denominators?”) A good teacher will work with you and be thrilled that you noticed. On the other hand, if the work is too easy, that’s boring for kids. Again, ask about something different. If fractions are easy for your child, maybe they can triple a recipe or change the scale of the directions to build a birdhouse.

4. Talk with your kids about what they will get when they complete the learning goal. Some children may need something material to aim for, like a new bike helmet they’ve been wanting.  Other kids will be happiest to get your time. Tell them that when they complete the assignment, you will play a game with them.

5. Speaking of games, there are many great ones for learning: Scrabble, Catan, Code Names, and many others. You can also modify a game to make it an educational game: At Kartini School we play Scattergories revised to have categories like: U.S. Presidents, State Capitals, and famous authors and artists.

6. Foster a growth mindset.  From the work of Carol Dweck, we know that kids do better when they think that effort is more important than innate ability. Try not to let your child believe they don’t have what it takes to do something.  There are many stories of hard work winning out over innate ability (e.g. the story of Rudy). Try to help your child use phrases like “I’m almost there” or “I’m getting it.”

7. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help. One school district recently posted a notice that they had been inundated with offers from people who wanted to volunteer. Reach out.

At Kartini Clinic we have a school, Kartini School, where we support students for weeks and sometimes months while they are out of their regular schools for medical treatment. We help kids understand concepts and achieve learning goals. What parents are doing now is the same: supporting kids who can’t be in their regular classrooms. This is challenging for sure, but the rewards are great. So tally-ho, temporary teachers, and remember to model a CAN DO attitude for your children and teens.