Stress Level Is Important

 


What I've been reading:

A week ago I noticed that my kid's stress level was going back up. That's a major concern because when someone is stressed enough their physiology (including their brain) changes in ways that might help them escape an angry bear but reduce their ability to learn, remember, and connect. So I kept the routine and academic parts of homeschooling light and prioritized playing Minecraft together, prioritized time outside together, and prioritized baking together.

For reference, here's a snippet of the incredibly useful stress continuum chart, but I encourage everyone to click the link above and look through the whole chart.


On the first day of 7th grade, back in August, my kid was in yellow. The second week of school she was in orange despite me emailing school that she needed help. Around the beginning of November she was in red. Drastic changes at home and minor changes at school got her mostly back into orange. It's our seventh week of home schooling and recently she's been yellow with hints of green. I'm counting that as a success.


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