There is the old adage in sport, “Never let ’em see you sweat!” alluding to the fact that you can intimidate the opponent by showing them how composed you are. It shows them that you barely need to work to defeat them. It shows that you have it handled and that they are up against someone strong. They do not stand a chance against such a cool cucumber.
That’s not what we should be doing in education. The students and the community are not our opponents and we are NOT trying to intimidate anyone. This is not sport, this is not business, this is not poker. This is education. This is the work of care givers and humans that simply want to make a path for children that helps them grow into strong responsible adults who can make sound decisions and lead a healthy, moral, awe inspiring life.
COVID-19 has attacked the confidence of children and adults alike. Where once, veteran teachers waited in anticipation for the year to begin, they were a little more anxious this year. Where students couldn’t wait to reunite with their school chums, there was a little hesitation given the precautions they would need to take. Everyone is a little on edge. It’s okay to sweat. It’s okay for you to let them see you sweat. When students are anxious, knowing that it is okay to be a little nervous when things are different is not simply permissible but down right necessary. When you acknowledge to a nervous child that you are a little nervous as well, it can normalize it a wee bit. Kids don’t see themselves as outliers in their fear if adults feel a little the same way.
I write this with a caveat. They need to see that you have found a way to deal with your fear too. This is a teachable moment in their lives Those of you who work in schools know that – it’s what you do. The secret is in showing how you handled it. In the past years, you would have sat down on your comfortable classroom rug and had a heart felt talk about how change is hard and how we deal with this difficult time through looking out for each other. While you cannot have that chat on the rug any longer, you can still have that chat. Kids need to know that you are a little out of sorts with this whole new regimen but that you can handle it. You are a little nervous about how your classroom will run but you have the personal power to work through it. As you work through it, have a chat with them. Show them how that the little change you made worried you but that it all worked out. They need to see that we all have the power to be nimble and get through the tricky new time. In the long run, they will come across things that make them nervous. Now is the time to model the way to get through these times.
We can be strong together and we can get through this together. Show them you are a part of making this better and show them that they are too. They have the power to alter the regular way we do things and find alternatives that fit now.
One small piece of advice – from my perspective at least. DO NOT call this the new normal. That implies that we will be handling this virus for years and years. We need to embody hope – we need to tell them this is not a forever change. Things will get batter, just as it typically does and we can go back to hugging our friends . We can play tag in the playground. We can go back to our sports and our fun. This is simply a small adjustment we are making for now.
Everyone is trying. Let’s really stick together during this tricky time
Stay safe, keep learning.
Dave
Be First to Comment