Too Much

I spent a lot of time yesterday reading the Sunday papers. The Sunday Times headline was a speculation about when schools will restart. The whole article makes it clear that these are just dates that ministers are speculating about. Three dates: May 11th, June 1st and when schools restart in September. It was clear that these were just discussions and that the Prime Minister will make the final decision when he comes back from sick leave.

If you know anything about schools the dates are logical starting points for discussions. Three weeks time, when the government next has to decide whether to extend lockdown and the beginning of the following two half terms. However, these are speculations because we still don’t know if we are past the peak of the epidemic. The problem with a flattened curve is that you can’t tell when you’ve started to go down.  It’s what makes Helvellyn so difficult to climb.

After this headline was published and everyone got their hopes up about getting back to normal in three weeks, or panicked that children would be sent back (as germ fodder) before it was safe, the daily briefing was an announcement that the government would be providing tech for poorer families, that their pals with an academy trust would set up an online school (Oak Academy Trust) and that the BBC were providing 14 weeks of schooling for every subject and every year group. The minister said things about children ‘catching up’

I’m a bit confused about the idea of ‘catching up’. Who are they catching up with? Everyone is processing this situation at the same time. No one is in school. Everyone is muddling through. I wish that, just for once, we could stop seeing education as a race. Our children’s brains are busy processing a national trauma. Hell, my brain is busy processing a National trauma. It’s a trauma that no matter how hard you work you won’t have been able to shield them from.
Since this started I have had Barbara Streisand singing Children Will Listen in my ear.

It’s the perfect song for the times and I do love Barbara. Teachers know that teaching isn’t just about content. They know that they can’t just open your child’s head and pour the knowledge in. They also know that children’s plasticine brains are moulding to whatever influences they pick up.

Different children and different families will cope in different ways. Just as this virus affects different people uniquely. About half never get any symptoms, which honest teachers will tell you is about what happens in any lesson.

As a teacher, I feel completely overwhelmed at the amount of content out there. I was already trying to keep up with the rhythm lessons and choirs and now there are lessons everywhere. If my children were still at school age I would be totally poleaxed by the sheer volume of things they could be doing. I suspect I could be saying, “Shall we do Cantonese or Latin today?” while getting them to run  round the garden 100 times, make me a lasagna for tea and learn the violin while standing on their heads.

I like the advice that is currently doing the rounds on social media about looking after brains.

It really is the most important thing. Find a routine. Be happy and healthy and don’t worry about falling behind or running ahead. Trust me: Swiss cheese brains are no fun.