Students whose routines and plans for school have been upset by the dispute between the provincial government and the BC Teachers' Federation may need support to deal with their anxieties, says a longtime counsellor with School District 43.
Rissa Wilson, vice-principal of CABE (Coquitlam Alternative Basic Education School), said parents may be anxious themselves about the ongoing dispute but should avoid sharing their fears with their kids (talking to another adult is better). She also recommended children not be glued to the TV set when news about the dispute comes on.
"Don't expose them to television news around this because I think that is a big source of anxiety for people, too, because it doesn't seem to be moving forward," Wilson said.
Wilson said it's important to understand that children will react to the situation differently depending on their age.
For younger children, it's best to be reassure them that school will return one day soon, and when it does, the teachers and administrators will be there to make sure everything goes well.
A more direct and honest approach is more acceptable for older students, and parents should listen to their concerns but, rather than "fixing them," she encouraged parents to tell their kids to take action, such as logging on to an app called MindShift, offered by Anxiety BC, an agency that provides resources to children and teens with anxiety disorders.
As well, Wilson suggested routines be reinstated as much as possible to give kids some some structure.
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KEEP KIDS' ROUTINES
Sports, daycare and family activities all help keep kids busy, active and in learning mode, and she encouraged families to use the extended break to spend more time together. Planning activities with other families is a good idea, too, she said.
"Just continue to do all the things you usually do to be with your children," she said, adding that it's important for parents to understand that reading together, playing games or even shopping and counting change together are also opportunities for learning. "There are lots of things we do all the time, we just do them naturally."
Still for some children and youth, anxiety is a concern and Wilson suggested several resources, such as anxietybc.com and www.forcesociety.com. BC Learn Now, meanwhile, has resources for families that want to continue to hit the books while school is out.
For the most part, Wilson believes students will get their needs met when school returns, and shouldn't be overly worried about a shortened school year, exam schedules or even university application deadlines because everyone at all levels of the education system is aware of the situation and will be working to ensure school goes forward as it has in the past.
