Rather than learning in a central classroom as part of a group, many students have been learning in kitchens and living rooms as individuals this year, due to distance learning. Because of this, parents and guardians have had to manage being both a caregiver and at times, a teacher.

To help ease the stress this can bring, the Center For Family Wellness in Duluth has created a free online course for families called "Supporting Emotional Resilience While Distance Learning.”

Erin Therrien, a therapist who created the course, explained that it is organized into five to ten minute lessons on a variety of topics, including: managing expectations, staying connected and close and providing praise.

“We wanted the lessons to be really brief because we know parents are short on time,” Therrien said. “They give you a hand-out and some actionable tools to practice at the end of them.”

Therrien said she was inspired to put the course together after she heard that the Duluth School District would be continuing their distance learning model until January 21st. Her hope is that it provides parents and guardians with tips to improve distance learning for their children and themselves.

“We want to be more than just a therapy practice. We want to be a hub for caregivers and young children in the Twin Ports community,” Therrien said. "We want parents to know they are not alone."

Morgan Johnson, a Northland mom, said she enrolled in the course to learn how to better support her son Marek as he attends kindergarten virtually.

“I am not a natural born teacher. I have strengths in other areas and my husband is the same way and so trying to navigate how to keep him excited about learning, but also make sure that he's not falling behind his peers was really important to us,” Johnson said.

So far, Johnson likes the course and has recommended it to other parents.

"It's a huge pull that the course is free," Johnson said. “I haven't seen a lot of resources similar to that yet, so it was a cool opportunity to jump on and support."

A link for the free online course can be found here.