As I complete twenty-five years as principal at a local primary school in a completely ‘different’ year, I have been reflecting on how hard it has been to hold on to the ethos of a school this year. This comes, by and large, from the way the principal and staff interact with school families, the children and each other.
Many ‘normal’ social school behaviours have had to stop such as face-to-face parent meetings, new pupil and staff interviews. To create the ‘personal’ touch via Zoom and other online platforms is much more difficult, and so schools have had to be creative about keeping the ‘gees’ alive!
Drop off and collection time has become very important for family connection. Staff have said that they are seeing more of their parents this year, and that the little chats and interactions shared in the mornings and afternoons have definitely made them feel closer to their families.
Some families and children have become much more anxious this year so creating a safe place to support children who arrive and struggle to detach from their families really helps: a toy from home, wearing civvies to school and having their teacher meet them at the car door has definitely made a difference. The classrooms have also become more homely, incorporating blankets, pillows, beanies and soft toys. The animals have also played their part in dampening anxiety: if an anxious child arrives, the staff take the child into the quad with the bunnies and a warm stroke of a compliant white rabbit often makes them forget their unsafe feelings. Restricted movements at breaks and in classroom spaces, have given children more time to get to know their teachers and their peers too.
Sending Whatsapp personal messages out of school hours has also proved a success for children and staff. A ‘thinking of you’ sent on a Sunday can just make the next week seem do-able! FaceBook and Twitter have become much more important because celebrating children’s achievements can still be done this way. Parents like to get a glimpse of what their children’s days look like. It gives them peace of mind knowing that their children are safe and celebrated. Having this insight overcomes fears around social media usage.
Staff have been challenged to create a good vibe for children and each other. Dancing the Jerusalema with children at break time is one example of how this is achieved, making the disappointment of missing out on soccer at break, much more bearable. I am hoping that schools take the learnings from 2020 and add them to their daily operations in the future…. School communities will certainly benefit!
