Dear parents freaking out about teaching your kids at home:

You looked forward to your kids returning to school after spring break, and suddenly schools were closed because of the pandemic.

Wait, you thought, I’m teaching them at home? Me?

Your kids don’t listen when you tell them to brush your teeth. How would you get them to complete daily writing prompts, let alone a research paper? You haven’t understood your kids’ math homework since fifth grade.

Calm down, said Jennifer Zamenski, a kindergarten teacher at Broadmor Elementary School in Tempe. You and your kids will be fine.

Jennifer was my son Sawyer’s kindergarten teacher. She’s been teaching for 21 years. Nothing flusters her. Not a kid who struggles to read. (He’ll get it, she assured me.) Not a skinned knee. “It will be better before you’re married,” she tells students.

She’s always right.

This happened late in the school year. Most teachers had taught the state’s standards to prepare for testing, particularly in upper grades. 

Keep up with online assignments, but don’t stress if you can’t. Focus on what they’ve learned, so they retain it.

WATCH: Story time with Ms. Zamenski

Focus on what interests your kids most: dinosaurs, architecture, the Middle Ages. Let them read and tell you about it.

Have kids help make dinner, following a recipe. There’s reading, math and science in that.

Now is a good time for them to take up something new, like chess or the ukulele.

“There’s so much learning that doesn’t look like learning,” Jennifer said.

If you’re overwhelmed, talk to the teacher. She tells parents, “You are doing enough.”

It’s OK to take breaks. Have kids call a friend or write a letter. “When you make connections with people, that helps you feel settled,” Jennifer said.

Most importantly, talk to your kids about how they’re feeling. 

“The parents’ job is to help them feel safe and happy and loved at this time,” Jennifer said.

You know how to do that.

Reach Karina Bland at [email protected]. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @KarinaBland.

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