Written by: Ms Anshu Sahi
Going to school provides critical social and emotional support to a child.
At the beginning of the lockdown, children might have thought it to be a pleasant surprise, a holiday. As time went on, slowly boredom may have crept in. There is a loss of routine, talking and spending time with her friends, playing together. There are so many things that they would speak to their friends about, but not their parents.
It is important to acknowledge that these factors are essential for a child's holistic growth and mental and emotional wellbeing. Due to the the COVID crisis, these emotional support systems have been disrupted or are missing from the child’s routine.
How do we continue to be there for one another in such a time?
Adam Silk, a psychiatrist at the Harvard Medical School runs a programme examining the importance of groups for teachers and students in the school. He feels that all of us need each other. When we are deprived of this support, it ends up ripping through our lives. Groups help us to connect to each other during a crisis.
If possible, here are some steps that you can take:
Meet more often but for shorter periods. Having regular meetings helps us take a break from our loneliness.
Talk about the current crisis. It is okay to be afraid and feel vulnerable. Talking about our fears helps us talk about the future. We can handle those things better that we can name. As a leader, you can take the first step in such an exercise.
Establish emotional connections: Virtual meetings have increased during this pandemic. The limitation they bring is that they do not feel real. It is like you are watching TV. It is important to make these spaces feel more human.
Reestablish boundaries and generate agreements. Leaders should take this opportunity to reestablish some norms and boundaries. Are the meetings still private for the participants? Can pets join some of the conversations? It is important to trust the judgement of the members and create processes accordingly.
Acknowledge loss: Many students would also feel sad or angry at not being able to attend some ceremonies that they would have wanted to be a part of. These can be weddings, birthday parties or simply playing together with their friends. It is important to acknowledge such grief and talk to the students that this experience is a shared one. All of us are inevitably missing some thing or the other.
Read more about this here.
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