Embracing the new normal: Tackling the challenges of reopening school
“Stuck in a mask and can’t get out,” wrote eight-year-old Abigail Glasser from Massachusetts in the Pandemic Writing Project organized by WBUR, “and the vaccinated grow-ups just hop about.”
The experience has been the same for most students worldwide. In several submissions, it became clear that the past year and a half has been extremely difficult for the children. The detailed descriptions show how these children felt highlighted their anger, hopelessness, and loneliness amid the persistent lack of predictability.
It was just a normal day when the wild uncertainty of March 2020 led to people being stuck in their homes for an unidentified period. Every morning, when we reached for our phones, we were engulfed by the latest news, the number of new deaths, newly confirmed infections, and new speculations. In short, the pandemic provided no shortage of turmoil for people, especially the students. As one lockdown week morphed into another, the learning of millions of students was disrupted. The entire education world turned upside down, and without many options, educators had to make extreme adaptations to their instruction to continue learning online.
While a few students could find their way past closed school doors to alternate learning opportunities, the rest often remained behind when the schools shut down. The education sector continued to make rigorous efforts to ensure the continuity of learning. However, during this period, children and students had to rely the most on their own resources to continue remote education via the internet, television, or radio. Mostly, learners in the most marginalized groups, with no access to digital learning resources or lack the resilience and engagement to learn on their own, were at risk of falling behind.
The learning loss is colossal. The question now is: How do we help students who have fallen behind to catch up? As the pandemic is waning, after months of struggles and uncertainty, schools across the globe have started opening their doors, including Bangladesh. Nevertheless, the solution does not end here. Against the backdrop of longstanding consequences of the global emergency, the mental health of students has become a growing concern. School routines are important coping mechanisms for young people to deal with their day-to-day struggles. So, when schools shut down, they may have lost their anchor in life. Students, especially teenagers, who straddle the cliff between childhood and adulthood, could struggle for their post-traumatic growth.
The residue from our children’s mental health struggles may continue even with schools reopening. Returning to schools will definitely be welcoming and exciting for many students, but others may be feeling nervous and anxious. Indeed, these internal battles will interfere with many children’s ability to attend school and to meet the same high-pressured academic standards as before. Hence, schools must assist their students’ by helping them deal with mental health challenges in less conventional ways. For instance, incorporating yoga, mindfulness, and meditation in the curriculum can diminish the symptoms of depression and anxiety among numerous students.
In Bangladesh, schools and education institutions were doing exceptionally well in organizing remote instruction, but children learn more when they are in school. It provides a place for students to interact with their peers and receive psychosocial support. A return to in-person learning will not only aid in stemming learning losses but also ensure the wellbeing of students and reaching the most marginalized children.
The road to recovery in the education sector requires that all children return to school with quality remedial learning programs in place that are rapid and efficient. A comprehensive support system for the children and youth is necessary so that they are able to learn more effectively than before. Thus, ensuring safe school reopening plans, policies, and safety guidelines that are in the best interest of the child is of paramount importance.
We have known for a long time that parental engagement is directly linked to student achievement. With the recent shift to physical classes again, building a solid partnership involving parents and caregivers has become more critical than ever. Besides, educators who prioritize relationships with families experience better levels of student behavior, participation, and motivation in the classroom. Bridging the eighteen months of a gap in physical classes will not be easy, but if parents, teachers, and schools join forces together, we can improve the condition in a sustainable manner.
This September in Bangladesh, the start of the school year seemed more overwhelming than ever before. As students proceeded towards entering the school premises after a prolonged period, we all witnessed mixed feelings of excitement, joy, and confusion among the students, parents, and teachers. The first day back in the classroom may have been unusual and emotional, but the enthusiasm among students and the teachers for starting the education journey in person again is boundless.
COVID-19 pandemic has altered our life as we know it. Apart from the deadly consequences for those directly affected by the virus, the crisis has brought unimaginable change to the students’ lives. As schools have started reopening, if we can find a way to embrace, adjust, and even become creative, we will get through the storm a lot better. After all, the time to act is now; the future of an entire generation is at stake.
* Shivananda CS is principal of DPS STS School, Dhaka