Middle Years
Navigating lockdowns
I would like to pass on my congratulations to Mr Ben Hawthorne who is going to be Head of Middle Years in 2022. I have worked closely with Mr Hawthorne over many years, and he will bring a wealth of knowledge and energy to the role. We are both passionate about Positive Education and wellbeing, and this area will continue to develop under Mr Hawthorne’s leadership.
As I finalise this article, the Victorian Government has announced that schools are continuing with remote learning. There is no doubt we are all feeling the accumulative effects of lockdowns, and the number one priority at this time is looking after our wellbeing, and the wellbeing of our family and friends.
This week we have held a number of Zoom meetings with parents, and I have really appreciated our discussions. There has been good feedback for me to take back to staff and mentors, and I am looking forward to working with families over the coming weeks to support you and your children. It has become clearer to me this week, that we are juggling the tandem needs of wellbeing and academic life. Families are doing amazingly well to ‘keep the show on the road’ and we appreciate all your efforts. We are following up with students if work is not being done, and I am working with staff and mentors to make sure parents are notified if the work isn’t being completed. I describe this as the blackhole of remote learning. Students are responsible for getting their work done, but for many students, engagement at this time is the biggest issue.
Here are my key points for this week:
Families are dealing with this incredibly well; and juggling lots of demands. When parents notice that students need a break from the screen, some parents are allowing students to have a break. Please send mentors a quick message, and we can arrange a class pass. Students can catch up at another point. There needs to be a balance and if students are getting anxious, then perhaps it is time for a break. Many parents are mixing it up at home and trying to find some fun.
Some questions and comments that came up with parents were – What battles are you willing to have at home? What routines do you insist on? There is no one size fits all approach at this time. Each family is finding their own way through this journey.
I am aware that many teenagers are struggling with low or variable moods, and some are withdrawing. They have lost their spark, and we need to help them regain their energy. They are also struggling to express this to parents. I encourage you to check in with them, and ask what is frustrating? What is working? What are the things you can do to help your wellbeing? Students have expressed that they are bored, and not enjoying remote learning. I like to acknowledge how they are feeling, and then try to look for ways to help them if possible. Many teenagers are struggling with the cancellation of sport, and they feel disappointed. The silver lining is that this will pass, despite current challenges. There is hope on the horizon.
Look at wellbeing practises:
- Sleep hygiene: some students are going to bed later than normal, but then sleeping in longer in the morning.
- Getting up and ready for school earlier: if this is possible and practical in your household, have breakfast before the day begins is a good start to the day.
- Writing up the day’s schedule: breaking the tasks down is helpful.
- Get outside each day and getting some exercise: hopefylly this spring weather continues and students can get outside and soack up the fresh air.
- Connect with friends: encourage your teenagers to call a friend. Chatting rather than messaging is beneficial.
- Think about your mindset: are you adopting a positive, calm, can do approach to remote learning? Are you optimisitic?
- Look for the silver lining and to the horizon.
The independent study day seemed to work better this week for Middle Years students. I am giving staff feedback that less work needs to be set on this day, to allow more off-screen time.
Andrew Fuller has articulated the feeling over the last week and writes:
“If you are feeling ‘over it’, fed up, tetchy, grumpy, and not your usual sweet, lovely, agreeable self, it is completely understandable. This sucks. Totally. We are all just a little tired of the ‘just breathe deeply, be mindful, just think about what you have to be grateful for, we are all in this together and don’t worry we’ll be through this soon’ advice being dolled out. We don’t believe it because… this totally sucks. Getting through this is tough but it isn’t impossible”.
He has clearly described the rollercoaster that many adults and teenagers have experienced recently. This article by Andrew Fuller was released last week on The Parents Website – it is worth reading.
Andrew also writes “But what about the learning? There has been a lot of talk about young people’s learning falling behind due to lockdown. Of course, every other student is pretty much in the same position so don’t stress too much about this. If you do want to do something about this don’t just stress yourself, read How to Use Uncertain Times to Surge Ahead Academically”.
Finally, I found this interesting, this article was in the Age on Wednesday 1/6/2021 - Examine: Children, Delta and schools: Are we worried about the wrong risk? Liam Mannix wrote: “What about learning? Here’s where things get tricky. Are findings from pre-COVID really applicable to the current pandemic? It’s not clear. And we’re doing things differently. Children’s learning hasn’t been shut down – instead, there has been a heroic effort by parents and teachers to move it online. A study in the Netherlands tracking the performance of about 350,000 students found an eight-week COVID-19 lockdown led to a drop in performance equivalent to losing a fifth of the school year – with the effects much stronger on children from more disadvantaged homes”. Link: Examine: Children, Delta and schools: Are we worried about the wrong risk? (smh.com.au)
Let’s keep going to the best of our ability, let’s keep a positive, calm, and can-do mindset.
Mrs Julia Winter Cooke
Head of Middle Years