With the main aim to help students and parents maintain mental wellness in this time of pandemic and new normal in education, the Aurora State College of Technology’s (ASCOT) Education Department, through its “Alay-Kalinga Extension Program,” held a webinar entitled “A to D Para sa Kalusugang Pangkaisipan at Pangemosyonal ng mga Bata,” via Zoom, April 12.

Starting her topic with the flashback on how the COVID-19 pandemic people’s lives mainly in the field of education, Mrs. Rolina M. Fajardo, MASPED-DD, and also the Education Department’s Extension Coordinator served as the Resource Speaker wherein she also discussed how parents should appropriately do their role as their children’s learning facilitators and teachers in this new normal mode of learning where students are having their schooling at their homes.

Mrs. Fajardo shared some tips and techniques to parents on how to become effective learning facilitators to their children that will not only increase the knowledge and learning of their children but will also help improve and maintain their mental health amidst the possible anxiety in adjusting to this new setup in education because of the pandemic.

Sharing possible effects if parents will not be responsible “teachers” to their children in this new learning mode, Mrs. Fajardo also discussed what may negatively happen to their child in the future, like having low self-confidence and low self-esteem.

After giving the virtual participants this background, Mrs. Fajardo stressed the importance of the A to D that parents should apply to maintain and develop the mental well-being of their children at present and even in the future.

According to Mrs. Fajardo, this includes A for Attention, B for the Best option is always the key, C for Caring Attitude, and D for Do Encourage. Mrs. Fajardo stressed that these four steps would help their children be well-prepared not only academically but, more importantly, applying these techniques will help children prepare to face the different challenges of life.