Dear Kingswood Community
As I write this, we are nearing the end of our first week of lock down here in South Africa. While many of you would have undoubtedly enjoyed this time – picking up hobbies, catching up with your reading or series and movies on Netflix, doing all those odd jobs around the house – many of us will also be finding these restrictions somewhat oppressive. Not being able to go outside to enjoy our beautiful countryside and this lovely autumn weather; not being able to exercise; not being able to at least nod to others walking past.
And for all of us, there is probably the underlying fear that is being so aptly fueled by our televisions and every social media channel: What is going to happen to us? What does our future hold? How safe are we really?
On a much more pragmatic level we may also be wondering: What about our children? Will they lose out on their schoolwork? How much work should they be doing at home? How do I know if I’m teaching them properly?
If, as adults we are experiencing this gamut of feelings and emotions, how much greater is the impact on our children?
Therefore, I decided that for now, I would put aside my report writing and, having reflected on some of these questions and concerns, share with you my thoughts and ideas.
At heart, I am a teacher, and that is what I will always be. So, I may come across as rather a pedagogue, especially as there has been so much information dispersed in the last little while. However, I am a teacher because I care so deeply for young people: in this instance, the young people who are at Kingswood College.
While at present, they are not physically in my space, their welfare still concerns me greatly, so I trust that some of what I share may be of value to you and your children during the next 14 days.
You may have been surprised at our decision to stop the e-Learning earlier than planned. Our decision was driven by the heightened stress that both our staff and the broader Kingswood community were feeling as we raced into this period of lock down. We are cognisant of the need to continue with the curriculum, and staff are quickly becoming more adept at using this platform of teaching should it need to continue.
However, we felt that if we pressed pause, this would take the pressure off you as parents to be the ‘teacher’, and off our staff to always have relevant content available, as well as off our pupils to try to keep up.
As a community we are dealing with something none of us has ever had to experience and we thought it was important for you as parents, our pupils and our staff to just take a moment to adjust to this new state of affairs.
When, and if we recommence on-line teaching, please don’t feel that you are the replacement for the teacher: you just need to be there to help your child get into a daily routine.
At Kingswood we aim to build character, and I think that the e-learning process thus far has shown the self-discipline we have tried to instill in our pupils whilst in our care.
This leads me to my next reflection: it is important to remember that many teenagers are easily distracted by devices and television and during this time. The temptation may be to let them spend too much time on sedentary, mindless time wasting.
It may be very important to establish routine schedules. There are countless websites that give ideas to keep kids engaged, so I won’t give any advice on this score, but I would certainly advise that physical activity be incorporated on a daily basis. Your son/daughter may well be one of those people who need no encouragement to exercise, so the following may not apply to you. For the rest of you, read on...
To start with, I am a firm believer in the value of sport. I cannot stress the importance of physical activity enough. In short, exercise produces endorphins and the release of endorphins makes us happier, less irritable, sleep better and reduces stress. We all need exercise, and so much more so during the times we are experiencing now.
As an active cyclist, cycling is not merely a form of exercise: it is a space where I disconnect from the world and get my thinking done. Not being able to be outside and riding my bike has been very difficult for me.
And your children? They all, for the most part, do at least one hour of sport a day. This allows them to be active, engage socially, have time out but also be challenged. The lockdown is going to have an effect on the kids, so in trying to keep your child active I would like to suggest a few options:
• Firstly, this is an excellent time to focus on core strength which will lead to injury prevention. There are numerous YouTube links and online platforms that provide body weight (exercise using body weight rather than gym equipment) regimes that can be easily done in the living room or an outside space.
• Secondly, this is a good time to focus on the micro-skills of the winter sports where possible. Hockey is an excellent example, where simply doing yard sticks, v-drags and so on will enhance overall skills. Top players around the world do these on a regular basis (as opposed to simply spending time on the astro hitting balls)
• Lastly, this is a good time to be start thinking about exercise differently. One of the main aims of exercise is to elevate the heart rate: this can be done in a variety of ways from jumping on the trampoline to creating obstacle courses around the garden or house. The more parts of the body that are used, the better.
This is also a time that your children can develop experiential learning. There are so many beautiful opportunities being offered for free online at the moment such as:
• David Walliams is releasing free audio books at 11h00 (GMT) each day. Although these are better aimed at younger children they are still a wonderful break from our new day-to-day regime. To hear these audio book click on the link: The World of David Walliams
• The Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow is broadcasting several classical opera and ballet performances live on YouTube. To see when they will be screened click through to the link: Bolshoi Ballet Performances
Finally, and probably most importantly: being asked to stay in our homes has given us the gift of family time which, for mainly parents of boarders, but also for all of us is a rare gift. I encourage you to make the most of this time. Science and Maths can wait. Use this time to connect, to discuss, to laugh, to play together.
However, although this is precious family time for us all, we must also stress to our Grade 12 parents and pupils that this April holiday should be utilised to revise for the end of May examinations coming up. Take some time, recover and then get stuck in with your revision!
In closing we want you to know that we are thinking of all in our community as we move through this unchartered territory. What is becoming increasingly apparent is that the better we lock down, the sooner it is likely to end. Remember that you are a part of a community that is diverse and far reaching and there are plenty of Kingswoodians everywhere to provide support.
Strength to you all.
Warm regards,
David Wright
A video we made earlier in the week to thank those who are unable to stay home during this time.
And a reminder to our Kingswood family:
Although we cannot all be together right now,
Kingswood is waiting to welcome you home...
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I attach links below to two interesting articles, for those of you who would like to read them:
Why You Should Ignore All That Coronavirus-Inspired Productivity Pressure
The Coronavirus Is Not A Motherhood Contest
And one last thing...
In case you hadn't heard
This extended time in your homes will give you the opportunity to evaluate what you need, and that which you do not need. It will provide you with the time to do that long overdue "spring clean" or to reorganise or sort through your cupboards and take stock of what may be taking up unneeded space in your homes.
The challenge is simple!
- For each of the 21 days that we are in lock down, organise an area in your home and place one item into a black bag/box per day.
- After the lock down is complete we have created a space at school to sort through these items so that we can donate them to varying needy charities in the Grahamstown community.
This is a project of the Kingswood Pebble Project where we hope to turn small actions into waves of change.
To find out where to drop your bags/boxes after the lock down is lifted please contact:
d.hobson@kingswoodcollege.com or s.bouwer@kingswoodcollege.com
If you are part of our bigger Kingswood family, perhaps initiate this project in your community, suburb or city.
We urge our pupils and their families, as well as the greater community to take up this challenge.
The needs of our community at large will be great after this lock down is over, and together we can make a difference!