Worse than ever…….
This blog was set up as I retreated to the shed at the bottom of my garden to teach my lessons as we plunged into lockdown nearly two years ago. This morning I walked into my classroom to teach a class of twenty students. Five were present, the rest were all off with Covid. Some are ill, some are not. Two years on the effects of this pandemic are still huge in the education system. I have several colleagues off with Covid, way more than ever before. I am relieved that this so far does not seem to be influencing hospital admissions but I do worry about the long term effects of Covid on some.
The other massive effect of Covid that we are starting to notice is the lack of emotional development in some students. It is true to say that some are genuinely at least year behind where I would expect them to be in terms of maturity and outlook. My belief is that pro-active parenting went out the window sometime during the lockdowns as people battled just to get through it all and now we, as educators, are having to fight the battles not fought at home. Children have had access to all sorts technology over the past two years often without any kind of oversight and now we are dealing with 10 yr olds sharing audio files of rape and assault and not understanding that both the sharing and the acts themselves are despicable behaviour. Some days you feel you are swimming against a tide of horrendousness…
That’s the time to plug into something raw to slough off the weight. With that in mind something lively from The Rustlanders followed by some Sufjan and finally some 7 Worlds Collide
As ever take what you want or need.
