“Our children are faced with many challenges on different fronts during this time, and despite their schools being familiar spaces, that to which they are returning to looks different to what it did before,” says John Luis, head of academics at ADvTECH Schools.
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“On the home front, they would have been exposed to the concerns around fear of the Covid-19 coronavirus, the economic impact of lockdown, keeping their educational journeys on track despite not being at school, and many other stressors,” he notes.
And although the economy and schools are gradually opening again, with the daily lives of South Africans returning to some new version of normality, children will still have to grapple with many new challenges in the weeks and months to come.
“It’s important that parents help learners understand – in an age-appropriate way – that although we are going back to ‘normal’, things will be different for quite some time still, and to help them prepare mentally and emotionally for the changes that might be on the cards.
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“Parents should also be realistic and not expect them to bounce back into the school groove immediately – it is going to take some time to adjust to reshuffled curricula on the one hand, and the logistical requirements around staying as safe as possible for the foreseeable future, while the virus remains a threat. So, children must be prepared for the reality that although they are getting back into this routine, things will be very different from the way they were before. And this should not be viewed in a negative light, but rather accepted and embraced as the new way we’ll live our lives for now,” says Luis.
He adds that as a first step, parents should study the information they have received from schools so that they understand how adjusted logistics will work, what will be expected from pupils in terms of wearing masks and social distancing, as well as any other novel processes and procedures. These should then be shared and discussed with children to ensure they are not caught off guard by how things have changed on campus.
“Parents have an important role to play in helping their children understand the situation, acknowledging their emotional responses, and helping them navigate these feelings in a healthy way,” says Luis.
It is also necessary to design and start implementing new routines, he says. “School times might be staggered, and there will be no extramurals, so the school day will also look different. Parents who work might need to consider how they are going to manage these changed logistics and must devise a plan for how the day will look going forward.
Children would have, to some degree, become used to going through the day on their own time management and their own terms, so waking up very early again while it is still dark and sticking to a stricter routine could take some getting used to.
“There are many examples such as these, some minor and some major, of how the days and the lives of our children will change. These will also take their toll, which is why communication is so important, and also an acceptance of the fact that everyone is trying to find their groove again, but that it isn’t always going to be easy. We as parents have to be kind to ourselves in this regard, and also allow our children the space and support to find their feet again on their educational journey.”
What is vital is that some allowance has to be made for the fact that some pupils might return to find that some of their peers have, during lockdown, mastered work which they have not yet.
“Teachers are aware of this reality and will do all they can to get everyone on the same page once more. It is not worth adding undue pressure at this stage, which will only lead to additional anxiety for children, and between them and their parents. If a child is concerned about ‘being behind’, put their mind at ease that you will address the matter together and speak to the teacher to get guidance,” says Luis.
“The key to the coming transition is to understand that for most, things will be different and challenging at first, but that with understanding and regular, open communication, the road will become increasingly less rocky.”
