Jonathan Manley, Executive Principal at St Mary’s, takes a look at lessons learnt from last year’s challenges.
Schools experienced a challenging year in 2020. Teachers had to continue working during the lockdown and find ways to build community, inspire children and complete a curriculum with a shifting set of goal-posts. Internationally, teachers have been identified as one of the most stressed groups of professionals – given the challenges that they faced last year.
However, there were many valuable lessons learnt during the course of 2020. Firstly, that when there is a healthy working relationship in place, then switching to online learning can be effective. At the same time, it became very apparent that children need more than a screen and the internet to learn and develop in a healthy, holistic way. The lack of social interaction has led to many mental health concerns and brought into focus the shortcomings of technology in helping children, teenagers in particular, to feel loved, accepted and validated.
There were also difficult lessons to learn from 2020, and if we do not stop and understand what the implications are, then it is a high price to pay to remain ignorant. More so than ever before, we need to understand what children truly need now, not what the curriculum prescribes. As families, communities and schools, we need to articulate our priorities and then dedicate time to ensure these are addressed. We should be wary of returning to “normal” without reflection on what has transpired. We can rebuild our systems with this hard-earned knowledge.
The first idea most people have when they think of 21st-century learning is technology, but research tells us that people skills, relationship management and communication is more important. Schools are needing to invest more in mental health services and in lifestyle activities, so that we are able to address the authentic needs of children in light of their current context, where stress and uncertainty are higher than they have been in decades.
Our programme at St Mary’s has time dedicated to cultural literacy and understanding diverse perspectives. Schools which embrace these will be producing the game-changing leaders in business and society in time to come.
If we are to be successful as schools, then we need to be actively working towards making sense of what the pandemic has taught us. If schools are not asking big questions this year, then they will not change and fulfil their mandate to educate children for a changing world.
FOR MORE INFO: www.stmarysdsg.co.za, 031 764 9800.