After months of lock down being able to welcome children back into our academies has been such a joyful experience. Whatever the rights and wrongs of safety, the confusion of last minute opening guidance, there is no escaping the delight on the faces of our young people as they returned to school. We humans are sociable creatures and watching the children walking back through the gates (albeit in their socially distances lines) was a reminder of how big a role schools play in the development, well-being and growth of the next generation.
The very real fears about Covid 19 remain and schools don’t feel quite the same. Students are in bubbles, staff are moving around the buildings more than they ever had to before and lunches are all staggered. We are becoming much more confident with using online learning and as bubbles need to self-isolate, staff are demonstrating once again how resilient they are. Despite the very real worries of many staff, over and over again they are putting children at the heart of all they do and overcoming their fears to do their best. I am constantly humbled and moved by the determination of our staff body to put their self-care behind that of their care of our children.
Times are not easy and the anxieties are manifold. I love these words by American Attorney, author and campaigner for health care, Elizabeth Edwards:
“She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.”
Let us adjust our sails and move forwards, so that this generation of young people can flourish and grow under our care and guidance.
Written: September 2020
