By Smart Osadebamwen.
If you were born and somehow became an adult in 2020, you would think facemasks have always been a necessary item of clothing. It is a testament to the overall shift in the understanding of human well-being. We have transitioned from a race that promotes social interactions and human connection to one that actively discourages it and encourages isolation and social distancing, as a means to stay alive.
–LOCKDOWN! –
Events, meetings, and flights into the UK were cancelled, as obvious ways to mitigate the cataclysmic deluge of deaths from a nefarious disease, even the Olympics, a global event was not spared the indignity of cancellation. But the closure of schools, religious centres and a ban on movement was unimaginable.
With death tolls still on the rise and top pharmaceutical companies working round the clock to develop vaccines, human beings had to come out to save the crippling economy in the ‘siege’ against the COVID-19 virus. Months later, the world gradually started to re-open, and businesses began operations, but nothing was the same. The world as we knew it was gone, duly replaced by virtual hangouts, meetings and zoom calls. Our new reality has been dubbed THE NEW NORMAL! But what happens to the development and education of the young, the torch bearers of the future? Surely, their education should not be allowed to go south. Below are tips to get the best out of your (/your child’s) education within the restrictions of the new normal.
- Create a Timetable
Education like most other sectors of the world has become mainly virtual to prevent people from gathering. However, the reality is, it is more difficult to keep to lesson times when not in class. The single most important factor to ensure a child or young person’s education does not become derailed is Discipline. There is a need to establish a strict learning time that ensures that you do not skip lessons or miss out.Nevertheless, breaks and fun periods must be built into this schedule to make learning fun and prevent burnout.
- Wise internet usage
Having a learning schedule is one thing but using the internet and smart devices for said learning is another. It is important that parents and guardians do a thorough and deliberate monitoring of their wards to ensure unsafe websites are censored and the internet is used for the right purpose. Access to some websites can be restricted or blocked outrightly to prevent children from dabbling into sites that might corrupt them (if you’re not sure how to do this let us know in the comment section below). If it was difficult to keep a child from smart devices pre-Covid, it is even more so now. The onus, therefore, is on the guardians to guard internet use jealously.
Young people should understand the potential harm if they access inappropriate websites with dangerous and corrupting content. The internet is a useful tool to access knowledge and important skills but can also be a dangerous tool if not disciplined.
- Make them understand what the new normal is all about
Depending on age and exposure, children might not be able to correctly understand the extent to which the world has changed, with varied impacts on health, livelihood, and the need for protection. A good explanation that does not scare them emphasizes the need to observe all the safety protocols that the Covid-19 virus requires. This will help guard them against the intentional flouting of rules. Listen and respond to questions, explain why their personal hygiene is even more important and try not to hold back with detailing the potential risks to them. Stress the risks involved, but also the protection that the right habits can provide.
- Spend more time with them and be in touch with their learnings
The lockdown and flexible work schedule that most companies have been forced to employ should be an opportunity to spend more time with children. Teach them, coach them, correct them, play with them and be more involved with their lives. Apart from monitoring their education, as discussed, children would learn more from parents being more accessible and available. They would follow your actions, ask questions, and watch you work from home. It is important that for those working from home, you are dedicated and disciplined with your work so that the children in school can see your zeal, passion and learn from it. They will pick up and act on both the right and wrong things exhibited by you.
- The power of prayer
Prayer remains the ultimate master key to life. Our spiritual lives including that of children, youths and young adults remain an utmost priority. Prayer gives succour, life, happiness, protection and binds the family together. The pandemic has not changed this, nor has it affected the efficacy of the prayer of a righteous man (James 5:16). God is the same before, during and when we get into the post-pandemic phase. Remember He is always ready to listen despite the pandemic.
The points discussed above are important factors that will guarantee a flourishing education without having to miss out on anything in the new normal. May God help us all. Amen.