Montessori is Covid-19 ready
Lebogang SekgwamaModderfontein Montessori Primary School Grade Seven learners have been back at school like the rest of South Africa?s Grades Sevens and 12 learners. Sunita Parmar, the head of the school, shared more on how the new reality of school during lockdown has been so far.?We have 26 learners with three classes running."The school head said at first it was challenging for children to cope with the new rules of social distancing.?They had missed each other after two-and-a-half months apart. We had to get them to understand that they cannot hug one another. They have adjusted to the social distancing rules as we have markers on the floors and tables help to remind them." Sunita spoke more on how this new normal has changed their school.?From a Montessori point of view, our ability to make use of the concrete materials has been affected. We have adapted to this by having sanitisation stations in different areas."She said when children work with materials, part of their packing away process is to sanitise the equipment with an alcohol-based spray. ?Playtimes have also been limited. Where a teacher needs to do a one-on-one lesson with a child, both teacher and child sanitise first, the teacher wears a new pair of latex gloves and then works with the child. These are then disposed of at the end of the interaction."The school head added there has been positive support from the staff, parents and children in adapting to this new norm. ?We have open discussions with the older children where they express their understanding of Covid-19 and social interaction limitations.""Prior to commencing contact school, some of the classes had a project where the children redesigned their classroom to meet the social distancing requirements.?Sunita said learners had to draw their class to scale, measure out the number of tables that would be permitted and how they would fit in their environment.?Having them involved in the changes also helped them to know what to expect upon resuming contact lessons."Sunita added a Department of Health representative also visited the school who offered support and guidance to the school.The school also conducts continuous training for learners and teachers.?Staff and children are reminded of the do's and don'ts to ensure that they do not become complacent,? said the head.Learners are not the only ones who had to face a new normal, so did the teachers.The head said as each group of teachers come in the school, they are given Covid-19 safety training.?We have trained ourselves as adults that we need to set an example for the children. Each Monday morning we have grace courtesy lessons to remind them of the hygiene and social distancing during school," explained Sunita. According to the school head, teachers have been coping well with the new and heavier responsibilities above just teaching.The school has also been proactive in helping learners maintain the new Covid-19 school rules.?We have posters around the school, sanitiser stands, each child has a box of tissues, wet wipes and hand sanitiser on their desk as this reminds them to use it each time that they stand up."Children are also permitted 'fresh air time' in roster fashion, to allow them a time to step outside the classroom individually and have two minutes without their mask on."?Winter season has not made the transition to school easy during the pandemic."The school initiated ways learners can remain warm, such as having heaters in the class, although windows must be open to allow free flow of air. ?Children are permitted to bring a small blanket to cover their legs if they get cold."Sunita urged parents to remind their children of the rules to sanitise frequently and keep their masks on.?They must ensure that their child is comfortable with their mask."They must also sanitise their bags and contents at the end of each school day. We have not offered aftercare yet.?She added fetching children at 1pm has been vital in ensuring that they have limited social contact outside of learning hours. To accommodate the needs of different families, the school has offered a hybrid learning system for parents who wish to keep their children at home. ?Families are free to make the decision that best suits them.?Sunita added their school continued with learning online from the time of school closure. ?Our children have not missed a day of learning.?
Lebogang SekgwamaModderfontein Montessori Primary School Grade Seven learners have been back at school like the rest of South Africa?s Grades Sevens and 12 learners. Sunita Parmar, the head of the school, shared more on how the new reality of school during lockdown has been so far.?We have 26 learners with three classes running.”The school head said at first it was challenging for children to cope with the new rules of social distancing.?They had missed each other after two-and-a-half months apart. We had to get them to understand that they cannot hug one another. They have adjusted to the social distancing rules as we have markers on the floors and tables help to remind them.” Sunita spoke more on how this new normal has changed their school.?From a Montessori point of view, our ability to make use of the concrete materials has been affected. We have adapted to this by having sanitisation stations in different areas.”She said when children work with materials, part of their packing away process is to sanitise the equipment with an alcohol-based spray. ?Playtimes have also been limited. Where a teacher needs to do a one-on-one lesson with a child, both teacher and child sanitise first, the teacher wears a new pair of latex gloves and then works with the child. These are then disposed of at the end of the interaction.”The school head added there has been positive support from the staff, parents and children in adapting to this new norm. ?We have open discussions with the older children where they express their understanding of Covid-19 and social interaction limitations.””Prior to commencing contact school, some of the classes had a project where the children redesigned their classroom to meet the social distancing requirements.?Sunita said learners had to draw their class to scale, measure out the number of tables that would be permitted and how they would fit in their environment.?Having them involved in the changes also helped them to know what to expect upon resuming contact lessons.”Sunita added a Department of Health representative also visited the school who offered support and guidance to the school.The school also conducts continuous training for learners and teachers.?Staff and children are reminded of the do’s and don’ts to ensure that they do not become complacent,? said the head.Learners are not the only ones who had to face a new normal, so did the teachers.The head said as each group of teachers come in the school, they are given Covid-19 safety training.?We have trained ourselves as adults that we need to set an example for the children. Each Monday morning we have grace courtesy lessons to remind them of the hygiene and social distancing during school,” explained Sunita. According to the school head, teachers have been coping well with the new and heavier responsibilities above just teaching.The school has also been proactive in helping learners maintain the new Covid-19 school rules.?We have posters around the school, sanitiser stands, each child has a box of tissues, wet wipes and hand sanitiser on their desk as this reminds them to use it each time that they stand up.”Children are also permitted ‘fresh air time’ in roster fashion, to allow them a time to step outside the classroom individually and have two minutes without their mask on.”?Winter season has not made the transition to school easy during the pandemic.”The school initiated ways learners can remain warm, such as having heaters in the class, although windows must be open to allow free flow of air. ?Children are permitted to bring a small blanket to cover their legs if they get cold.”Sunita urged parents to remind their children of the rules to sanitise frequently and keep their masks on.?They must ensure that their child is comfortable with their mask.”They must also sanitise their bags and contents at the end of each school day. We have not offered aftercare yet.?She added fetching children at 1pm has been vital in ensuring that they have limited social contact outside of learning hours. To accommodate the needs of different families, the school has offered a hybrid learning system for parents who wish to keep their children at home. ?Families are free to make the decision that best suits them.?Sunita added their school continued with learning online from the time of school closure. ?Our children have not missed a day of learning.?
