We are 4 weeks into Term 1 of the academic year 2020-2021 and we have had a year like no other. Overnight we have had to adjust and then readjust again everything that we do and Term 1 has brought about another level of readjustments. Looking back at March of this year, we did not expect to still be in the situation that we are in, but we have managed to grow with what has been happening, to our best abilities.
When we closed schools, we told young people that it was because of the virus and to keep us safe, we were all to stay at home. Now even with the cases higher again we have returned to school but with precautions in place. The KHDA, DHA, and MOE have all been looking closely at schools and how they are providing care and support for students to make schools as safe as they can be. We also know a lot more about the virus now as compared to before.
I do not know all the ins and outs of what happens and how; there are other people who work specifically in this area that would know better than me. This post is about what I do know and understand to my best abilities and how to support your own well-being and that of others around you, including your children, at this time.
Some of the precautions or procedures included all staff getting tested before students returned, different entry/exit gates and times for students to avoid congestion, temperature checks every morning, a specific isolation room with a nurse to support students who have a high temperature, grade bubbles, and seating charts so students are in less contact with others and so on. There is a lot more, but we will not get into them all today.
With these procedures, what also comes into play is if there is a student who has tested positive. The reason for smaller groups and bubbles is to limit students’ contact with others and to know quickly and easily which students have been in close contact with each other. It is a lot of planning and effort on the school’s part and very stressful for parents and students as well.
Parents must now leave their children at the gate where they must get temperature checked, wear a mask, keep their distance from others, and so on. Parents are missing out also on the social aspect of meeting with the teachers and other parents in the morning, even if it was a simple ‘Hello, how are you?’. It is challenging to not have this anymore. For parents who are at home, all of this can be more isolating and adding on extra stress if another student in the school or even your child’s class tests positive.
Most parents will forget or not even think about how they are feeling, focusing just on their child and how they are feeling and coping with everything.
Here are some tips on how to help support you and your child with the changing situation.
- Talk to your child and let them open up and express their worries and concerns. You may be worried about them, while they are managing their feelings and emotions effectively
- Focus time on your own mental health and wellbeing as a parent. Imagine yourself as a jug of water; if you keep giving everything you can and filling others cups you will eventually run out of water
- This is also important as children can’t regulate their own feelings and emotions, so, are reliant on us to support them with this
- If something is genuinely concerning you reach out to the school, be it the counsellor or a member of the senior leadership team. The problem with anxious feelings is that it builds things up in our heads and can make something seem worse than it is and there may be an explainable reason for whatever your concern is
- Have a conversation with your children about why things are happening and how they can help themselves
- Help them understand it is not always someone’s fault that they test positive. It can be for different reasons, but we can do our best to protect ourselves.
- Talk about how this person who is sick might be feeling physically and emotionally, that they will need you to be kind to them now and when they return to school, and not exclude them. If they are back at school they are well enough to be there.
- Eat healthy, not just your kids, but you too. Make sure you have enough food to sustain your body. It is coming into flu season and so our body needs everything it can get that is good.
- Have an outside of school routine. This can include going for a walk on the beach after school, having ice cream on a Tuesday or whatever you see fit for your family, but make some time for fun quality time together
- Stay connected with others. I attend supervision with other counsellors and the best thing I get from this is, not feeling like I am the only one going through situations.
- However, saying that, WhatsApp groups are not always helpful. So, putting some on silent may be more beneficial
- Do not get consumed by the news and don’t share more than your children need to know
- Be understanding to the teachers and the school. No one really knows what might happen tomorrow or how we even got to where we are today; everyone is doing their best.
- Get enough sleep, which is so important.
- Talk to your children each day about something you are grateful for and ask them to share also
- It is hard to see and believe it but this will not last forever, we need to support each other
- Recognise when it is getting too much and you may need some extra help and support for you and/or your child
- Reach out to the school counsellor if you have any questions or concerns. With the changes, they are not able to be as active around the school as normal and so need your help as well
- Finally, keep doing your best.