Covid-19 Pupil and Teacher Feedback

Gershom Aitchison, host · [00:44]Gavin, I think the most important thing is that our goal has not changed, and that is that school is happening, our students are going to be assessed throughout the year, and that the students are going to finish the year and be promoted to the next grade. One of the biggest questions that a lot of learners are asking right now stems from uncertainty about what school looks like, what education looks like. And what I can say is that we've got this. The system that we're using at the moment for online schooling or schooling at home is working. I mentioned at the very beginning that there'll be a few curveballs and we, we build in this aeroplane while we're flying it. But the aeroplane is flying, and I think everyone needs to be a little bit patient with things that aren't working, communicate some of those frustrations, specifically with the teachers in the classroom, and give feedback on what platforms are working very, very well in terms of getting content across, in terms of learning, and then in terms of expressing that learning has been done.

Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [01:38]What has changed, since we've gone into lockdown now is that the whole family's at home. When we started the online schooling, in many cases, it was just the children who were at home and having to do the online schooling without the interruptions or, distractions of other people in the house. Now everybody's at home. Now everybody's in lockdown and everybody's trying to work. So that has definitely changed, and the only message there is to reiterate the points we put across in the first podcast, and that's just to say you have a space at home. That is school from home. Sit down, be at your desk at the normal time for school. Let's get through your daily schedule. And for the parents, you are not in the classroom when the children are at school, so please don't be in the classroom when your children are at home.

Gershom Aitchison, host · [02:24]Jax and I also had a conversation with the grade eights, the grade nines, the grade elevens, and grade twelves. We managed to connect with them on Friday, and we've connected with all the teachers. And the common theme is that a lot of people are enjoying working at home. They're enjoying the independence, but they are finding being alone quite a challenge. They're missing their classmates, they're missing their peers. And I think the most important thing, the message that I'd like to give right now is find time to have some face time with people, not just chatting in WhatsApp. Pull them up on a hangout or something like that and actually see their faces, talk to them. Make comments on what their hair looks like and, you know, the teddy bears behind them on their bed, et cetera. I think human beings crave that connection, and I think being able to see people is very, very important, not just chatting and hearing them on WhatsApps and chat rooms.

Gavin, intro voice or played clip · [03:13]So the novelty is worn off. It's down to hard work now.

Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [03:17]Absolutely. There was a lot of excitement when we started this process, both from the, the students and the teachers, and while there is still a lot of excitement at how well it is actually working, The reality of the situation is setting in, and the reality of the situation is that there are unexpected hard bits, and the unexpected hard bits is the underestimation of how important that contact, that quick contact time with the teacher is, being able to just establish the where or the why of a specific task or when it needs to be done by. It's, it's just more difficult at the moment. We don't get the quick answers necessarily as we would when we were at school. So the students are definitely feeling that, and I, I believe the teachers are feeling that too, that lack of connection with their colleagues as well. At this point in the process, what's really, really important is to maintain as much connection as possible to facilitate the process as positively as possible.

Gershom Aitchison, host · [04:27]The biggest message that I'm getting back from most of the students is that they are fundamentally enjoying this process. They're enjoying the independence of working from home, and while some of them might feel a bit challenged with the lack of contact with their teachers, they are really enjoying working at their own pace. If they get the work done quickly, the work's done. If they need a little bit of time, that they can take their time to do it.

Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [04:48]One of the downsides that we've heard coming across quite consistently between students and teachers is the fast pace of learning on these online platforms that they are required to use. They are also saying that they're enjoying the process of upskilling.

Gershom Aitchison, host · [05:03]A big plus for all the students has been that they can wake up later. That time that they would spend in the traffic, they are now being able to spend in their beds, and in the afternoons they can spend on their own personal leisure time.

Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [05:15]Well, let's be honest, that's a plus for the teachers as well.

Gershom Aitchison, host · [05:17]One of the biggest challenges on the flip side is making sure you're out of bed in time for class, even if you arrive in there in your pajamas.

Gershom Aitchison, host · [05:27]Gavin, I'm enjoying working at home, being able to work on the business and not necessarily in the business at the moment. There's a lot of macro stuff that we're busy looking at, planning for, talking about. We're spending a lot of our time talking to other schools who are really challenged at the moment, especially government schools that we have relationships with. I'm also spending time catching up on some reading and podcasts, which in our day-to-day running around as busy as we are, we don't get to do, and it's important for looking into the future and understanding what space we're operating in at the moment.

Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [05:59]There are odd dichotomies that we haven't been faced with before, where working from home but still being at school can be a little disconcerting at times, but If there's one constant, when you run a school, you're constantly adapting to change. Change is inevitable, and it happens almost every day. So, so that hasn't really changed too much for us, constantly facing the challenges as they come up. But as Gersh said, we are enjoying the extra headspace that this has provided where we're not sitting in meetings every day, but we are able to actually connect with other schools, help them out, give them a few pointers, do a bit of training with them, have conversations with them. We miss our kids. It's important for us to have our, our hangouts chats with them and to see their faces because we are very used to seeing them every day and touching base with them, and we're not getting that at the moment. Obviously, we hope to see them again very, very soon.

Gavin, intro voice or played clip · [06:54]We always talk about the children understanding what's in their control and what isn't. Yeah. This feels like an extreme example of that. Sure. So what are your guidelines?

Gershom Aitchison, host · [07:03]So one of the things that we talk to kids about a lot is about exerting control and understanding what they can control and what they can't control. And I think while it's very challenging at the moment to be sitting at home in a situation like this, and not just a national situation, but an international situation, is it's a great opportunity for introspection, for self-understanding, and analyzing how you work best, what your strengths and weaknesses are, without the noise and distraction of what's happening in the classroom. Mrs. Aitchison's got some good tips and ideas on how to exercise that control and, and feel that things are actually happening the way that they should.

Jacqueline Aitchison, host · [07:39]The departure point on this is always to understand what we can do nothing about. And the reality of the situation is that we can do nothing about the virus other than stay at home, and all of us are already doing that. None of us can do anything about the economy right now. It's not under our control. We can't do anything about the people who are ignoring the lockdown and possibly prolonging our isolation, and we can't be responsible for how others are experiencing this and for their fears or anxieties. But we can recognize where our own stresses are coming from, and we can actually forgive ourselves for being a little overwhelmed sometimes. We can focus on what we can control right now, which is the schoolwork. We can control the schoolwork, how we prepare it, how we implement it, and how we actually get it done. We can make sure that we're getting exercise so that our brain is releasing the correct serotonin and dopamine and all those other little things that help us get through stressful times. To be constructive in all of our online relationships, in other words, we can keep them positive and supportive and helpful of each other and beware and not engage in relationships that are negative and perhaps drag us down. We can reach out individually to teachers when we need help on things. One-on-one hangouts are there for us, we can use them whenever we want. We can be patient with each other and that we can understand that we all have personal fears, we are all worried about our families, financial situations, and what this means for the future, never forgetting that you, our students, are always our priority. Finally, you can always reach out to your teachers and ourselves for help or for support or for perspective whenever you need it.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [13:00]I do miss students chatting at break time, listening to snippets of different conversations, and do admittedly miss the excited gamers.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [13:10]I feel like I, I get less distracted from other students.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [13:15]It's taught me independence and how to manage my time correctly.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [13:20]It's challenged myself to do things that I wouldn't normally do and I'm actually really enjoying it.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [13:27]For me the the largest challenge has been the lack of social interaction with the students.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [13:33]I like working on laptops, it's much easier than than writing and it's also a lot neater so it helps.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [13:40]I do enjoy the freedom of it, I feel like I can work at my pace, but I do miss seeing my friends, like

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [13:47]I I do miss them.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [13:49]My biggest challenge right now is not getting hugs from my friends.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [13:56]I really enjoy working from home. I feel this approach to teaching really accommodates not only the children's individual needs and pace, but also the educators.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [14:07]So far, I'm really enjoying the independence and being able to work on different platforms, and I think it will really help us in the future in the workplace.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [14:17]I don't pack lunch at school, and now I'm constantly well-fed.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [14:21]It requires greater preparation, more than a usual class, because things go a lot quicker.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [14:26]It's quite uncomfortable because you have to actually do the work yourself. You are accountable for your actions. It's a really fun thing that we could do, and I look forward to keep doing it.

Unidentified speaker, intro voice or played clip · [14:36]Most learners are embracing the online teaching, therefore making this a positive experience for me.