Zoe MacDougall believes that students, parents and teachers are all finding the challenges of the latest Lockdown to be tougher than those of last Spring.
Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again ?
Lockdown Three is grim. Firstly, we’ve been here before; the novelty of Lockdown One is missing and, as a parent, the energy to make this time memorable is much harder to find. Secondly, it’s grey outside and, by the end of the home-school day, it’s too dark for a run in the park. Even though we may go outside for unlimited exercise, the question is, can we actually do so" Thirdly, as a nation we are coping with an ongoing sense of loss that is tantamount to national grief. Whether it’s a social life, a holiday, public exams, a job or a loved one, coronavirus has taken something away from us all. This month, are we all finally facing our Waterloo" Super Troopers
At the beginning of the month, schools faced chaos as the national decision to open or close real classrooms was debated. Schools closed overnight. The next day, before you could open your break-time packet of crisps, our independent schools re-opened. Online. And the online classroom is a remarkable phenomenon. Whilst we’re wearier, we’re also wiser than we were in March. In Lockdown One, the novelty of Zoom lessons came with many and much-discussed frustrations. In Lockdown Three, this has been replaced by a regular timetable of smoothly run, virtual reality experiences in full school un...