It's hard - and help is available

JeriLee Unold is 32 years old and is studying the top-up BA in Communication Design at KEA. She is also the mother of two children who, like other children, cannot attend institution and school:
"The first few days after Mette Frederiksen's announcement about the lockdown of Denmark, I was struck by severe anxiety and fear. Until then, I had seen people as panic-stricken with their masks and hand sanitisers. But the announcement came at the same time as my 8-year-old son was ill with a fever and a cough. I was so struck by the whole situation that until Monday I did not give KEA, my studies and exams a single thought.

But reality caught up with me. Monday came, and now I only had two days to write my exam paper while being alone with my 3-year-old daughter, who was craving stimuli. On top of the exam assignment and my daughter came the daily submissions of assignments on my elective Photography and Field Engagement. It all came crashing down on me, and I didn't have the surplus energy to activate my daughter or keep order at home. And there was no way I could gather my thoughts about exam paper or group work.

Several times along the way, I wondered if I should submit a blank exam paper and re-sit the exam when all this is over. But the night before, I fought my way through it and managed to hand in the assignment. A week into Denmark's lockdown, a small smile could finally be seen on my lips again."
Although digital teaching works well technically, the lack of analog interaction with teachers and fellow students has been challenging for JeriLee:
"I am the type of student who learns best in classroom teaching, where I can ask a lot of questions and reflect on what is presented to us. I'm really missing that right now. I don't feel I can keep up at all, which is why I've sent my teachers a host of emails with all sorts of questions. The instructions on Skype have been really good at remedying the problem a little. At the same time, you also get to see another person while receiving guidance.
I’m a bit worried about our oral exam at the end of March and how it will work over Skype. And then I cross my fingers that we can soon get back to KEA and have regular teaching as usual."

 

KEA Study and Career Guidance is there for you
JeriLee Unold isn't the only one who feels that way. These days, KEA Study and Career Guidance receives many inquiries from hard pressed students:
"Life as a student at KEA has suddenly taken a whole new turn. From following a study with the expectation of much practice orientation and presence at the school, you are now sent home and have to study on your own to an extent you are not used to - often in the company of one or more children, who of course also claim attention. This is a challenge, and these days, KEA Study and Career Guidance receives a number of inquiries from students who feel somewhat pressured by the expectations of full study activity, even though the conditions for studying are new for everyone - and especially difficult for some," says Per Gad-Hansen, Head of KEA Study and Career Guidance.
Study counsellors can't solve problems at the flick of a switch nor help with childcare, but they can often help you get a good overview of the situation and come up with ideas on how to deal with the challenges.
"We are used to hearing this and that, which is actually part of the task: to be someone you can contact and unburden your heart to. And we are good at outlining opportunities in the given situation the student is in, and we also know tips and tricks on how to plan your time and maintain social contact even if you are at home," says Per Gad-Hansen.
Nikoline Scanholm is a study and career counsellor and is currently advising students who are struggling with the same challenges as JeriLee Unold:
"Earlier today, I provided online counselling to a student, where I suggested she make virtual lunch appointments with her fellow students/study group in order to get some social contact and the opportunity to discuss the ups and downs of the day. She readily accepted that idea.
Together with another student with children, we developed a home work technique. She decided on writing the tasks of each day on post-it notes , which she could then move from a 'to do' to a 'done' list. In this way, her two children could also keep track of how long it would take for Mom to finish work and be able to spend time with them in the afternoon."
You can contact KEA Study and Career Guidance on STUDIEVEJLEDNING@KEA. DK
Or find phone numbers of relevant study counsellors here.

Translated into English by Camilla Reslet