Social rupture, lack of routine, separation from nature, excessive exposure to screens and a turmoil of emotions and feelings amidst a wave of uncertainties… How has this new way of living impacted the lives of children? What has it done to their bodies and souls? And how can us adults help them through these times of deep changes?
The pedagogical team at be.Living has been pouring their hearts and souls into these important questions to focus on our children, in order to truly understanding and meet their needs amidst such volatile times.
Our hybrid learning proposition is an attempt to bring back the school’s social environment, a common place where the children interact, make new friends, play and learn how to deal with conflicts, move their bodies and learn from their teachers and peers. A place where knowledge is ingrained in all actions and relationships.
According to our Early Childhood Education Coordinator, Camila Maia, after such a unique year outside the school environment, deprived of so many important aspects of life, such as interaction, playtime, fresh air, and all of the challenges that come with these interactions – such as coming up with strategies to handle conflicts, solving problems and gaining more independence –, we must now keep a close eye on the behavior of the little ones returning to school.
“They were deprived of crucial experiences at such an important stage of their development. We are now observing two different types of “bodies” returning to school after such a long period away. On the one hand, teachers have been seeing a more flustered body that needs to let out some steam, lacking an external limit or any proper procedure for everyday situations or playtime activities. And on the other hand, we have children showing an actionless body, depleted of energy and out of touch with the possibility of playing freely, running, interacting with other children and nature”.
Camila explains that, in light of this scenario, the first thing that we adults can offer to these children is a warm welcoming, understanding these feelings of insecurity and anxiety that have taken over precisely because of all of these deprivations and changes going on in their lives. “We will see several different feelings manifesting themselves in children’s bodies when they’re still unable to name them, let alone deal with them. That is why this it is so important for teachers to welcome and embrace both the children and their families right now. It has been a much different beginning of the year, filled with fears and doubts surrounding all relationships. So, in this sense, a warm welcoming approach helps strengthen the relationship between teachers and the children, as well as between the school and families, and the families with their own children.”
Camila shares that, based on these initial observations, the school is outlining a diagnosis to better understand how to shape the school curriculum for the year. “All of the knowledge we bring to the children has to have a starting point, and that is what the teachers are figuring out right now. We’re promoting challenging situations, especially when it comes to social interactions, evaluating and probing to have a clearer picture of the children’s competencies and skills and start helping them out of this place they’ve been stuck in for the past year.”
Elementary School Coordinator, Gabriela Fernandes, remembers that in 2020 we had an experience that clearly showcased the importance of school for the mental and emotional health of children. In addition to the historical moment – permeated by fear and uncertainties –, social isolation really took a toll on them. “Anxiety, stress and fear are feelings that prevent us from planning ahead, for example. Prolonged exposure to different kinds of screens has a direct impact on concentration. It is important to note that having a specific routine and procedures to follow is also crucial for children’s mental health, since that is how they build a sense of security even in today’s uncertain times. The main idea right now is to make sure the children returning to school are able to reconnect with this space of safety and well-being, where education experts are ready to give them all of the support they need and help them reorganize their bodies to continue learning and resume their social and cognitive development process, both at the school and at home.”
Our consultant for sustainability-related issues, Livia Ribeiro, from Reconectta, adds that children are experiencing a feeling that experts have referred to as “ecoanxiety”. “Even before the pandemic, scholars identified among the little ones a common feeling of anguish, responsibility and impotence in relation to life on the planet and the environment. This is extremely impactful in children’s lives. As adults, we must look at this with utmost respect, embrace such a genuine feeling of anguish and think about how to counteract it with possible future prospects of what can be achieved through a more localized approach, focusing on what is within our reach. It is important to embrace these feelings and become a source of inspiration for our children, acting as partners in this challenge, rather than merely depositing our expectations for them to save the world. Their inspiration will come from how we change our own attitudes towards nature, how we organize ourselves as a society, and especially in terms of consumption, since unconscious consumption is very impactful for children’s lives and our entire planet as well.
