By Barbara Connolly For MediaNews Group; 8/31/2020

With many students beginning the school year virtually in 2020, one key for success is for parents to control the elements they can, such as establishing a dedicated learning space at home. (iStock)

The back-to-school season has never looked more uncertain. With many school districts having announced plans to offer instruction either partially or fully online, families are feeling weighed down with questions and concerns.

Everything we expect to affect a student’s chances for college admission, from grades and standardized test scores to after-school activities, has been disrupted in some way.

But don’t despair. Online learning presents both obstacles and opportunities, and here are five tips to help students navigate and succeed in these difficult times.

Control What You Can

One of the most challenging aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic is that there are many circumstances we cannot control. As the new school year begins, focus on those things that you can control. While you may not be able to take your classes at the school, you can still take concrete steps to excel. First, shift your mindset. Don’t say, “I wish this were different.” Think, “How do I make the best of this?”

Next, establish a learning space at home. If you cannot designate a location full-time, at least establish space that will be respected during school hours.

And finally, identify your support system. Enlist your family, friends, teachers and others to help you tackle these changes.

Motivation Makes the Difference

Staying motivated may be challenging for students this year. Teachers are innovating their approach to meet student needs, and many of the external checks that ordinarily keep students on task will look different in the virtual setting. You will not be chatting in the lunchroom with friends who remind you about assignments, nor meeting a teacher in the hallway who challenges you to try harder. More than ever, personal motivation will be needed for a successful school year.

Students, set concrete goals for yourself. Be specific. Use a calendar to track when you achieve your goals. Share your goals with people in your social network, including your parents, so they can help hold you accountable.

Parents, Pay Attention

Among all of our concerns for students, it can be easy to forget that this new educational landscape is a challenge for parents, too. Many are facing the dual pressures of career and child care. Although most parents cannot act as surrogate teachers, they can still support students by paying attention to their school life.

Maybe you can’t sit down and help with math homework, but you can check in and ask how everything is going. Maybe you can’t keep track of every assignment, but ask your child each evening about their projects, and it will convey that their schoolwork is important. Also, be sure to give praise for work done well. It is a critical tool for instilling motivation.

Look for Silver Linings

Children are natural innovators. This school year can be an opportunity to grow into new and improved ways of learning. Many families are already exploring educational augmentation with private tutors, including tutoring “pods” in which multiple families split the cost of one tutor among several students. This is just one example of new ideas emerging to make online learning more effective. But of course, what works for one student may not work for all. This is one of the constant challenges educators face, and a place where creative thinkers can take advantage of our current situation.

Make the most of this opportunity to accommodate your particular learning needs. You don’t need to re-create a typical school environment at home. Rather, you can construct a learning environment that works for you. What distracts you the most, and how can you eliminate those distractions? Students can experiment and get creative in setting the stage for their ideal education at home.

The Show Must Go On

For every year of school, there are educational goals. For many high school seniors, that goal is college admission. A year ago, the path to that goal looked different than it does today. However, the basic prescription for success remains constant, and that means a strong academic and extracurricular performance. To achieve that, you must take more responsibility for your education than you normally would. Do not slack off just because teachers cannot always monitor you. School may be virtual, but it is still very real — and it counts.

This could be the most productive and meaningful school year for students yet, because they will learn to be active partners in their education. In these extraordinary times, you can go above and beyond.

Innovate, create and set yourself up for a successful school year.

Barbara Connolly, JD, is the founder and director of Birmingham-based College Choice Counseling, and a certified educational planner. She can be reached at barbara@collegecc.com.