A number of teachers speaking with The Malta Independent raised concerns over the government’s handling of the scholastic year’s opening.
Concerns about students returning to school are high due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Educators in state schools are taking the week to prepare and evaluate the situation in their schools, after the government decided to postpone the date when students in such schools return by a week. Some independent schools did, however, open yesterday. Church schools also postponed their opening date to next week.
The Malta Independent spoke to a number of educators about how they feel in terms of heading back to their classrooms with all the new measures and protocols. They were asked about their main concerns about this new and very different scholastic year.
The teachers who spoke with this newsroom are all from different levels and range from state, independent and church schools. All spoke under the condition of anonymity.
All the educators felt that the pandemic and the education situation could have been handled better by the Education Ministry.
“One doesn’t have to be an expert in the field to realise that the ministry could have better tackled the situation. Schools have been closed since mid-March, and guidelines were issued in September,” expressed one Church school teacher. “The Ministry could have invested much more time in devising strong online teaching methods, establishing good contingency plans and supporting families who need a good internet connection, or additional devices for their children to follow online schooling.”
One independent school teacher said that independent schools took it upon themselves to start preparing for certain scenarios long before the guidelines were issued by the Ministry.
“I think the situation was tackled by people who haven’t been in a classroom in years, if at all. In some instances they are oblivious to the realities we face,” said another teacher.
When asked how the teachers felt about going back to school, many expressed a mixture of emotions. “On one hand I’m looking forward to being back at school and getting back into a routine. On the other hand I’m anxious, especially since a subject like mine is not easy to teach online and with such restrictions in place in classrooms,” explained one drama teacher. Others expressed how they felt motivated to see their students but are worried about how the measures will take a toll on themselves and the students. Another said that with her schools plans, structure and policies in place, she feels confident going back.
Whilst government schools are to fully reopen next week, certain Independent schools are providing a hybrid of both online and physical learning. Some teachers said that as the country is experiencing high numbers of COVID-19 cases, students should start their scholastic year from home via online learning. “This could obviously change as the situation ameliorates, however if we look at what’s happening around us, schools are hot spots for the transmission of such a virus, so by keeping kids safe at home, we can save lives,” said one Church school teacher.
Another teacher expressed similar concerns due to the increasing numbers of positive cases and deaths, but highlighted that schools cannot remain closed for a long period of time. “I believe that, this scholastic year, we all need to be flexible and ready to switch from physical to online overnight,” an Independent school teacher said.
“As a parent I agree with hybrid models, as I understand that parents feel nervous about sending their children back, but as a teacher I believe the hybrid option can cause too much stress on teachers and the schools,” explained another.
The teachers also highlighted that if the situation had been planned properly, workplaces could have made the necessary arrangements to be more family friendly and increase remote working.
When asked how their schools tackled organising and preparing for the new scholastic year, all teachers praised the hard work their schools and administration had done in such a short period of time.
“The school has kept us in the loop with the decisions and often tweaked such decisions with the educators’ suggestions. Communication is key and unfortunately the Health Authorities took long to issue guidelines and protocols, which put everybody behind schedule,” explained one teacher.
Most of the teachers felt well informed and kept up to date with the preparation of schools starting, apart from one who said that her school held no meetings to share ideas on how to make the transition easier for children and educators. “I don’t feel well informed as the situation is constantly changing.”
Mental health
When asked what was their main concerns about returning back to the classroom, all spoke about the way the new measures will affect students’ mental health. “School will be so different, it is almost unrecognisable. Students have to sit at their desks, barely move from one class to another, and break time is no longer a time to socialise with friends. School will feel unnatural,” explained one of the teachers.
Another highlighted that very anxious children, children without friends and those who are bullied will suffer and that she hopes schools will have some form of system in place to target such social problems.
“Apart from the student’s mental health, I am concerned that I won’t be able to reach the parents when opting for online learning and of course I am worried that I might contract the virus and put my own family members at risk,” said another.
Two primary teachers highlighted their concern that their young learners might not be able to focus for such long periods of time sitting down and not interacting.
Discussing people can help each other in the process of going back to school, all highlighted the importance of communication, kindness and support. “People tend to vent their frustration out on each other when under immense pressure and this can be harmful,” explained one teacher. “We need to encourage each other to keep pushing through these tough times and we will surely make the days a little brighter.”