Serious question - are the kids who "love DL" all introverted?

[Anonymous]

I’m sure the responses vary by age and whether an adult doesn’t work and can help.

[Anonymous]

Some of the kids like it better because there like not a lot of rules. They love waking up a bit later, and they can be on their phones and they can eat whenever they want and they don’t need permission for a break, aka bathroom break.
They can talk to their friend more if they can talk them and all, they don’t have to deal with the school food they don’t like, they can eat leftovers from last night, or they can make themself something.
They don’t get in trouble and they just don’t have to deal with kids they don’t like or the extra drama

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope.

OP here. So they are extroverted? How much friend time do they get? Are they in a pod? Just trying to understand.

I get the sense that you're trying to judge, not trying to understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, a lot of kids don't need constant external attention to feel fulfilled.

And a lot of kids aren't popular or just don't fit in, and every day going to school reminds them of that. If you have popular kids it's easy to forget how much of a grind it is for shy kids, or unpopular kids, or new kids, etc.

Actually, our experience is the opposite. My DD who has lots of friends has had an easy time adapting during the pandemic. My older son, who has a best friend, but other school friends, is extremely isolated now that those school based relationships have not been continued.

[Anonymous]

My kid is very extroverted, but she loves DL. She gets some to play with friends outdoors, and she loves having everyone home together all day. She's also a wiggly kid, and she likes that it's easier to get up and move around during DL than in the classroom. I don't think it's an introvert/extrovert thing. A lot of factors go into it.

[Anonymous]

Extrovert DD - Hates it.
Extrovert niece - Loves it.
Introvert niece - Loves it.
Introvert nephew - Hates it.

I’m wondering if it has more to do with preferred learning styles.

[Anonymous]

My kids are in school and often wish they were still in DL. I don't think of them as introverts, but they are content alone or with others, and when they are "alone" they usually are on line with others anyway. I think that having had a taste for learning in the comfort and privacy of their bedrooms, and getting to 'turn off' the social between classes if they want to, and getting to grab a snack in the kitchen, use their own bathroom, and wear play clothes, etc. is appealing sometimes. They also seem to have more time this way. Not just the lack of commute, but a chunk of the school day is spent in transition, so without that it feels like endless time to daydream throughout the day, even when it is really only five or ten minutes between classes.

[Anonymous]

I don't personally subscribe to the idea that people are either completely introverted or extroverted, but sure, I'll bite.

My kid -- 11yo boy -- is happy with DL. He claims to want to return to normal, but he also claims he likes learning at home. He has excellent grades this year and the work has not been a cake walk.

He finds it easier to focus and work in his home environment, which is far less chaotic than school. Additionally, he doesn't often need additional academic help understanding concepts. He does need writing edits and reminders about how to study, but he does not struggle in school. I actually think the adjustment to middle school for him has been improved with DL, because he's been able to tackle some of the organization stuff at home, and can ramp up when he returns.

Socially, he is not a very extroverted kid, in the sense that he is not always out and about and is not engaged in 600 activities with sleepovers each weekend. He has friends for sure, but often prefers to hang out at home. He likes playing sports with them, taking walks or going to bonfires with a few friends, and "talks" to them daily or multiple times daily via video games or the computer or texting. We check in about this often, and he insists he is socially content.

So DL works for us, and I suppose my kid is more introverted than extroverted, as are we are parents.

But I do not think that is the REASON some kids like it and others don't. Tons of kids hate DL but are still in pods or playing sports or running around their neighborhoods unchecked.

I think the main factor with whether kids like DL not are whether to not the kids are able to be successful academically without much strife or intervention, and how old the kids are (6 year olds need far more play, where as older kids really do need and often benefit from quiet time to focus!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, a lot of kids don't need constant external attention to feel fulfilled.

And a lot of kids aren't popular or just don't fit in, and every day going to school reminds them of that. If you have popular kids it's easy to forget how much of a grind it is for shy kids, or unpopular kids, or new kids, etc.

This is so reductive and tiresome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10:42 again. I missed one of your questions. My children were fine with school before, never having experienced anything else, but they never loved school as I did when I was a child. I think the difference is that I was always in small privates and they're in large publics, with a level of noise and crowding that isn't really all that pleasant for them. They're in great schools, with great teachers, and we're saving for college, so it's not as if we can afford to homeschool properly or pay for private.

But yes, we'll miss DL when this is all over.

This is also true for one of my kids, but she still asks why she can't go back to school yet every day. She's highly sensitive (in the sense that the book author meant it - she takes in EVERYTHING in her environment all the time), but that leads to her being extra sensitive to screen time also. So even though she's away from the overstimulation of school, she gets the overstimulation of too much screen time which wears her out also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Extrovert DD - Hates it.
Extrovert niece - Loves it.
Introvert niece - Loves it.
Introvert nephew - Hates it.

I’m wondering if it has more to do with preferred learning styles.

Probably this.

[Anonymous]

My extrovert likes it because it makes more time for friends outside class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, a lot of kids don't need constant external attention to feel fulfilled.

And a lot of kids aren't popular or just don't fit in, and every day going to school reminds them of that. If you have popular kids it's easy to forget how much of a grind it is for shy kids, or unpopular kids, or new kids, etc.

This is so reductive and tiresome.

Not really. It's pretty on point with the "fitting in" part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, we are an introverted, nerdy family and are very happy with distance learning. One of my children also has significant inattentive ADHD, and the home environment is much less distracting for him than school.

Omg YES
DD is able to go back and review the lesson if she wants focusing or needed a break, (she medicated) but she still
Moves around a lot especially for a girl and she’s not the weird kid that moves around a lot.

[Anonymous]

My son is 15. He's not introverted like I am but he doesn't need in-person interaction. He is perfectly fine meeting his friends online and talking to them while playing games. He does that every night. That's enough for him. He likes DL since he gets to sleep in and not have to wear anything except his favorite robe.