REIMAGINING SCHOOL IN ENDEMIC

 

Schools are scheduled to reopen next month according to the latest update from the Ministry of Education. That’s more or less a month from now. It has also been announced that we are expected to shift to an endemic in which we are expected  to live with the virus.  

How different school life would be to students? What are the new challenges  awaiting and how can we possibly make peace with the new landscape of  education?  

In this month’s Mobile Journalism article, I’m highlighting social skills which are crucial in students’ personal development process. 

Throughout my few years of experience in teaching, I could see the differences  in the way my students carry themselves in a social interaction. Depending on  the child’s upbringing, personality and social circle, their ability to adapt to the seven social skills which are sharing, cooperating, listening, following  instructions, respecting personal space, making eye contact and using manners may differ. (Morin, 2021)

                                  

The aspect I’d like to highlight in this article would be latter three. As a language  teacher, these three are mostly expected to be nurtured inside and outside my  classroom. Let’s break them down:  

Respecting personal space 

In child development, educating about the importance of respecting one’s  personal space inarguably helps in fostering good relationships with peers,  family and teachers. Since the pandemic started, the ‘space bubble’ is pretty  much universal and restricted to a minimum of 1-2 meter physically.  

Back then when sitting side by side, shoulder to shoulder was a thing, we learnt  about reading body language and analysing non-verbal cues that says whether the  other party is comfortable with the interaction. That’s no longer the case now.  It’s as if it is a skill lost in time.  

                                               

                                                                 This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Realising this, I know I will need to strategize my lessons and tailor it to the new  norm. In fact, it should start during online class itself through discussions. This  will require introduction to culture as well. Although it is sad that our mobility is  limited and that we can no longer (for now) travel to experience colourful  cultures worldwide, technology allows us to do so through virtual  internationalisation. 

For us adults, who have had a taste of both pre and pandemic eras, we can adjust  easily with the experience we had. That’s not the case with our younger  generations who grow up in the era where everything is one DM/message away. No non-verbal cues to read nor do they have ample chance to analyse strangers.  In this case, the use of visual aids such as videos can be useful. 

Making eye contact 

This is yet another area that I am concerned about. Back then, students were  trained to acquire the skill through frequent personal and group interactions  inside and outside school. Training for speaking competitions and read aloud  sessions would be the simplest examples of activities that require making eye  contact.  

                                                         

Things have definitely taken a turn these days. Youngsters are now nervous, if  not anxious in making eye contact when speaking. You can go into any online  class and you will find a handful of students who would rather switch off their  camera or speak while only showing half their forehead. I used to interview  some of my teenage students about it. Most of them would say that they feel  shy and uncomfortable with looking straight into the eyes when talking.  Strangely, the same group of students are fairly active creating social media  contents in the form of videos. 

As the plan for school reopening will start with 17-year-olds and above, it is  important to have intervention sessions to help students to prepare themselves for this skill since they will be the closest to the working world. Otherwise, it will potentially affect their marketability. 

Mannerism 

“Manners maketh man”. Growing up in Malaysia, I couldn’t stress this enough.  The eastern cultures take mannerism seriously that one cannot simply cross the  line. Oftentimes, they are a set of unwritten rules, embedded in a community.  This aspect of self is learnt through social gatherings, upbringing and  experiences in daily interactions. It is closely related to the previous two, if I may  add. 

                                                              

It’s not uncommon to have students texting teachers at such ungodly hours  while using improper languages. I will personally correct my students in a less  offensive way. There are times where they don’t have the common sense that I  thought they had. A lesson for me, never to estimate without cross checking.  

Above all, we can all admit that the challenges we are facing now are leaving us  finding our ways without any pre-written guidelines. For sure, the ‘pandemic era generation’ will embark on a long journey of making up for the opportunities  ‘robbed’ from them. However, society can definitely assist them during this  hard time. 

#MOJOKitabySM , #SuaraMasyarakat #CommunityVoices#Education

Disclaimer: This MOJO content was produced with the financial support of the European  Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the  views of the European Union, Internews,or SOLS 247 or NGOhub.