The closing of schools during the COVID-19 was hard on students and teachers. It changed the dynamics that they’re used to in the classroom. Students had difficulty in focusing and keeping up with the lessons. Teachers, on the other hand, struggled with keeping their students enthusiastic and engaged.
But there’s another set of people that struggled with the school closures: the parents. They, too, work from home. That guaranteed safety from the virus, yes. But they also have to do their part in helping their kids keep up with school. So they became the teachers as well. Many parents were challenged by this newfound role. Data shows 19% of responders who are parents say that their biggest worry is managing their kids’ distance learning.
As a parent and an impromptu teacher, you worried about your knowledge and capacity to teach your kids’ lessons. Do you even still remember solving mathematical problems in fractions? Do you still remember To Kill a Mockingbird, enough to discuss its literary themes? Being a teacher to your children is not easy. You may even think that it takes up too much of your time and attention. But being a teacher to your kids is also beneficial to your professional work. It brings about traits that would improve your productivity, creativity, and outlook on work. Here’s how.
Improving Your Patience
As a parent, you know very well that dealing with kids is no easy feat. They require a lot of attention and guidance. They require a lot of patience from you. But it’s different when you fill in the big shoes of the teachers. Coaxing your kids into behaving while having dinner at a fancy restaurant is different from keeping them behaved and focused in the classroom.
So by working on their focus and engagement while learning, you are also working on your own patience. These traits are crucial to the workplace. You may not be working with kids in the office. But your colleagues can also test you. So it’s useful to have a seemingly endless pit of patience.
Strengthening Your Creativity
You may know this already but kids are a tough audience to please. So to keep them engaged, you had to come up with various activities. Otherwise, they’d just go back to their Nintendo Switch and play video games all day long. You couldn’t let that happen. So you got creative.
To teach them about animals, you worked together to build a chicken coup in the backyard and started caring for chickens. To teach them about plants, you brought out their green thumb and started a vegetable garden. By building such features in your backyard, you also got to teach them about basic household construction and management. You got to teach them how to use screwdrivers. You got to teach them what a set of diamond cup grinding discs are for.
Tapping into your creativity and skills in manual labor influences you to keep your work creative and interactive.
Keeping your Social Skills in Check
The biggest drawback of working from home is the loss of the social aspect in the workplace. Yes, technology helps in keeping you connected with your colleagues. But it’s just not the same. Brainstorming sessions aren’t as lively and exciting. Coffee breaks in the pantry are pretty much non-existent. Making presentations to your colleagues and clients through audio and PowerPoint slides can be boring.
But being a teacher to your kids makes sure that your social skills don’t get rusty. Sure, it’s different with kids. They’re not exactly prospective clients that you’re trying to charm and close a deal with. But, as mentioned before, kids make up a tough audience. So it’s up to you to come up with innovative ways to hold their attention.
Constant Learning and Inspiration
One of the key benefits of being a teacher is they never stop being a student. They are constantly learning about something. They attend conferences and lectures to learn more about their research fields. They pursue high levels of education, becoming professors and doctors. Teaching your kids allows you to learn new things as well. You learn trivia about science and technology. You read books you’ve never read before or don’t remember reading.
Constantly learning about new things gives you the inspiration that helps with your work. In turn, the pleasure of learning keeps you engaged and innovative.
Being a teacher to your kids during this pandemic doesn’t have to be a burden that you have to carry. It doesn’t have to be just a task that takes up a huge chunk of your time and focus. It can also be beneficial to your professional work. It can also lead to better work experience in your company and to career growth. In short, teaching makes you a better professional.
