“Children live what they learn; children learn what they live.”
What is it that our young children are learning now during this COVID 19 pandemic? Maths, Phonics, Reading etc. Many in the Early Childhood Institutions (kindergarten, basic, infant, nursery) are trying to absorb what is being taught to them through the different modalities. Many of them are struggling to understand the new norms of the teaching/learning process.
Our young children need a holistic environment, one that is conducive for learning. Children have to be coaxed during teaching. They need eye contact, lip reading and a smiling face for encouragement and reassurance that they are on the right path.
This does not happen when a teacher is struggling every 10 minutes to reboot the tablet or calling to students to pay attention, or parents complaining there is no electricity, no Internet access, no time to work with the children or no credit on phone. So what do we have here? Frustrated students, stressed-out teachers, and discouraged parents as they struggle with coping skills.
Children need contact time with their peers and teachers. Hands-on activities are a part of their daily routine at school. Play is a child’s world— children learn through play; they learn to explore, thus building their cognitive skills and their scientific minds. All these are being robbed from our children. They are literally distanced from learning.
Our stay-at-home students have now become fearful, withdrawn, doubtful, and in some cases, aggressive, as many of them are home with friends, family or siblings, sometimes even a younger sibling, who often put them under undue pressure in one way or another.
We know we have to live with the new norm; however, we must “give special” consideration to our young and vulnerable students, and particularly those with special needs. Let us give each child the blessed assurance that he/she is loved and needed.“You are a child of the universe you have a right to be here.”
Audrey Saddler
Principal, St. Simon’s Basic School
