Under Quarantine, Let's Plan our Day

Daily pills to help students (and families) organize their study in Covid-19 times, when almost one billion children have seen their schools close. Signed by Marcello Bramati and Lorenzo Sanna, deans and teachers at Faes high schools in Milan. As reported by Time magazine, they are teaching online during the lockdown, in an ongoing experiment in remote learning. Every morning at 8.30 a.m., their advice, tips and good practices for students of all ages.

Four weeks without school in Italy, at least one week in many other countries. At first it looked like a mirage, but now even for young students it is starting to get difficult. That's why it's time to tidy up the week.

Even if online, the school helps. Because it guarantees deadlines, morning hours of live lessons (if not all, many have organized them) and homework to be done and to be sent to the teachers. In times of coronavirus, oline lessons can be a distracting and challenging factor. Not surprisingly, many on Saturday and Sunday miss them.

In addition to the study, the whole day must take a shape. No more time-consuming daily commute, recreational and sports activities, lunches at grandmother's and dentist appointments. First of all, the students should avoid doing nothing, because it leads to entire afternoons between the sofa and the fridge, with terrible consequences for the diet, intended as a healthy and balanced element for the growth of young kids.

Secondly, the children need to have a place of their own. If you are thinking of temporarily moving a desk, a bookcase, a shelf, you'd better take action. Your kid will not stay for a limited period of time at the study station, but for most of the day.

Regarding the house timetable, it would be better to follow a routine: regular meal times and sleep time as usual. We are not on holiday: it is not Christmas, it is not July.

Finally, everyone should help with daily chores at home, never lived-in as in these days. New tasks, small responsibilities: it's time to invest in team work, in this case family work. The children can feel part of the project, they must feel involved and certainly not a burden, not an annoyance in the days of their parents' smart working. The day at home is very long, the school plays its part and helps, but let's make sure that the rest of the day goes smoothly.