So, as the festive season closes a new year begins and tomorrow will signify a new phase in this bizarre state of affairs that will be forever known as "The Covid Years".
Numerous emails from the 3 different schools that my 4 children attend, have been doing their best to update on "the plans" but in reality have only told us clearly that no one really knows what the plan is, if the plan will continue or if there will be another plan tommorrow.
For my two youngest I don't worry as much - maybe I should but they are in lower years and so have many more to catch up and recover from the COVID impact on their education and lives in so many ways.
For my older two it is more challenging - both in exam years and two very different children. My oldest shows concern over how he stands any chance of passing his A-levels having missed nearly 3/4 of his learning to date. He has also had 2 periods of isolation thrust upon him as classmates have tested positive, something he completely understands the importance of but can't hide his utter frustration of being beyond his control. Mocks brought encouraging results - two b's and a c that will do nicely but he isn't convinced this can be his final marks with so much coursework missed and is so frustrated at not knowing how or what final exams will look like. Teachers tell him not to worry that he will catch up, but he knows that really this can never happen, and the most he can hope for is some sort of continuous assessment to give him the expected grades he so deserves for the work he has put in. Field trip work and data collection missing from Geography can not be made up. Learning missed, that their college has not yet covered, but others in the country have mean that it can not be taken out of the final exams as the other schools have already covered it. Previous lockdown brought little on line work, no virtual lessons and no individual feedback on work done so his continued self motivation to continue with his learning was admirable but felt to him futile. The usual antics of the nearly 18year old have passed him by but were clawed back slightly with a successful driving test when lockdown was lifted. However, parties and social events that are so important for this age group have been lost and my telling him he has health and a family around him that are well and present really don't hit the spot! A -levels are hard enough but each day I see him lose the excitement and enthusiasm he had for his education. This aspect to him thrilled me but always amazed me at being present in a teenage near adult boy - is now being replaced by a feeling that it is all rather pointless, two years wasted with no idea of whether to plan for next steps or what those next steps will look like.
My second oldest hits the other end of the scale - virtually horizontal in his approach to his education and the impact the pandemic is having on it! He reassures me not to worry, "it's all going to be fine mum" with an honest response that he has barely looked at on line learning apps in the last few weeks and can't even remember passwords! But yeh it will all be fine - really??! How have we got to this point - only a few months away from GCSE's and no impetus until now to focus on the "exam years" . None of the work they did in the first lockdown was marked or fed back, instead just generic feedback to the whole class and more work set. When classes returned the sheer explosion of behaviour that most classes experienced was the nightmare teachers were having to deal with and defuse rather than mopping up on education missed. However his attitude will get him far in life, confidence in himself no matter what else and humour will go a long way and yes knowing him he will pull it out of the bag at the last minute. The stress certainly lies with me rather than him...
We call a family meeting and try to establish our plan for Monday .... 4 different laptops charged up, log ins all checked, passwords hunted for the agreed plan is that we can get them all around the kitchen table tomorrow in the hope that if we can't get one. of them on line, another will be able to help with out too much stress. This also means we can keep an eye on what learning is being done and if the 3 blocks of 90 minute sessions are being followed - probably more than they would have had in class once the rabbles were tamed and the bubbles maintained! How on earth single parent families cope, looked after children or those that don't have the space or IT that we are lucky enough to have does make you wonder how others are going to cope. Both my husband and I will be around, available to provide food and water and as much motivation as we can muster whilst trying to hold down our own jobs at the same time. But neither of us are teachers and whilst we both have our own skills sets in different aspects of their subjects, most topics are way above us now with only so much Mr Google can assist with! We will gently encourage, keep a watchful eye to ensure tick tock doesn't creep in and hope that the routine we will no doubt have to impose will not be rallied against too much. We will try not to lose our temper and remember it is as stressful for them as it is us and the most important thing of all is that we all safeguard each other through the impact this whole period has on all of us in different ways.
Luckily, COVID creeps around our family, insipidly but without direct impact - coughs and colds are all we have had to battle with thank goodness. We hear of many though - now not distant but relatively close who it has affected and some who have sadly died - are grateful but not complacent. A broken leg for myself was the proverbial straw at the time but actually if it was going to happen - a lockdown Christmas was the best time all things considered. The self imposed isolation it brings is nothing in comparison to others but my 2 night hospital stay made me appreciate even more just how terrifying this whole process must be for those with things that can't be fixed as easily or admitted with Covid itself. The simple thing as not being able to walk ( well crawl ) through A&E with a relative or have loved one accompany you to the ward to settle you in, bring you items you need, make sure you are advocated for, was scary and that was for me as a healthcare professional how knows how the system works. When I was in my bed, recovering from the surgery I observed the elderly patients in there with me, completely alone and so vulnerable reliant on a healthcare assistant having a brief moment to come by and offer a drink for a few minutes every few hours - impossible situation for recovery. Listening to an interview with an ITU nurse on LBC radio shows the fear around speaking out during the pandemic shows the immense stress that my peers are under and I am pleased to have an excuse to not be part of at present. There comes with that a small amount of guilt for not being able to do my bit, but more realism of relief as my priority has to be my family, to protect and care for them at this fragile time.
The next few weeks in our new normal will be challenging in so many ways but I am grateful for the cocoon of 6 - if it was just Andrew and I and one child I think the writing would have certainly been on the wall... Familiarity breeds contempt they say - spending so much time together may well have the same purpose, throw in a broken leg and an inability to move from the familiarity with 4 kids all trying to do on line classes whilst not killing each other, 2 mad dogs and the threat of lockdown - what can possibly go wrong...!