By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Students won’t only need to catch up on schoolwork but also recapture school morale, says Dandenong North Primary School’s principal.
Kevin Mackay says the second-wave classroom lockdown and Covid-19’s impact generally has been “devastating” for many children – who will begin to return to school from 28 September.
He compares the impact to generations who grew up in the polio pandemic in the 1950s or the Cold War’s threat of nuclear holocaust.
“One can only imagine the effects long-term.
“Kids are very adaptable but they’re reading the fear in their parents’ voices and body language.”
It’s been a particular challenge for a school community, in which 90 per cent of students are from non-English backgrounds.
Some parents misunderstood lockdown rules, thinking they weren’t allowed to leave the house at all.
They forbade their kids from their own backyards for light and exercise, Mr Mackay says.
“It’s worse the second time around,” he says of the latest wave.
“From what we’re hearing from the kids, they’re struggling because there’s no substitute for teaching in a classroom.”
School milestone events have also been cancelled, such as Year Six camps, Harmony Day celebrations and Book Week parades.
“We’re planning on making a special event calendar for the kids when they return,” Mr Mackay said.
“It’s to build up team spirit again.
“We will be losing more learning time however, so it’s a double-edged sword.”
Due to student and teacher burnout, lesson time has been reduced by two hours a day during remote learning.
Over a shutdown of 100 days, that equates to 200 lost hours per child.
Mr Mackay recently made headlines with his view that some Preppies at the school will need to restart Prep in 2021.
They won’t be ‘repeating’ Prep because they never really started it, Mr Mackay says.
“The research into the ineffectiveness of repeating grades is based on doing the same thing twice.
“These kids, though, haven’t done it once.”
He said the situation was unique to his school’s high number of non-English-speaking households.
Learning from home, these students are deprived of English conversation with teachers and peers. Fundamental skills wither, like reading, learning sounds and vocab.
In lockdown, students also miss critical socialisation skills – learning to share, take turns, put your hand up, gaining confidence to ask a question of a teacher.
Yet, there have been positive discoveries, Mr Mackay says.
Teachers have learnt new ways to use technology, students have enjoyed Webex video-conferencing to catch up with classmates.
As Mr Mackay speaks, he notes the classrooms are “unnervingly quiet” and without their usual “bustle”. The school has only been open for up to 30 children of essential workers during lockdown – down from 800 in term one.
“It’s like a ghost town.
“We’re looking forward to getting back as one school again.”
Under the State Government’s ‘road map’, Prep to Year 2, VCE/VCAL and specialist school students will be returning to school from 28 September.
The rest of primary and high-school students’ returns will be staged from 26 October.
