This week I actually had a face-to-face assembly! It was very different, of course, as we still need to adhere to all the CV19 regulations, so I had to do three assemblies instead of one but it was worth it to just ‘see’ the children altogether. We had to ensure the two classes that attended each assembly remained well apart, with the external hall doors wide open and with these two conditions in place we managed it.
The children, like me, were just so excited to see each other, to be in the hall and to be together; it felt a little more ‘normal’. We spoke about Lockdown and what had been difficult during this time, and we talked about our emotional responses to the time we had to spend apart.
We then spoke about what they were excited about or felt good about being back in school. It was so lovely to hear from them.
The things they spoke about included:
And it really does. We are not there yet, but to have the children back and to be able to talk to them in this way was a delight. Teachers, and Headteachers, do the job we do because we care about children. We do it because we want the very best for them and want them to learn and enjoy learning, to make the most progress they can and feel safe and secure to take risks and become the best they can be. It really is so great to have them back.
Have a good weekend
Mrs Pipe
The children, like me, were just so excited to see each other, to be in the hall and to be together; it felt a little more ‘normal’. We spoke about Lockdown and what had been difficult during this time, and we talked about our emotional responses to the time we had to spend apart.
We then spoke about what they were excited about or felt good about being back in school. It was so lovely to hear from them.
The things they spoke about included:
- excited to see friends and not just see them, but see them face to face not on a screen
- excited to see EVERYONE in their class all at the same time, all face to face and all day not just for moments in the morning or end of day
- liking to hear everyone’s opinions not just hearing from the other children who had been in the pod all Lockdown
- liking the fact their learning partner was right next to them now and they could talk to each other about their learning and help each other if they needed to
- being able to do their learning straight away and not have to wait for their brother, sister, mum or dad to be finished on a device
- home being home not home/school. Home just being the place where they could be themselves with their families
- excited to see their teachers and have them teaching them face to face
- being able to focus on their learning in school and not be distracted by younger siblings- they said they loved their little brothers and sisters a lot but at times it had been hard work 😊
- space to play outside and being able to go outside and play throughout the day and play with their friends. Playing games that included LOTS of people was fun
- having other children to talk to and lots of other children to talk to
- doing ‘normal’ learning in school- it felt like it had before Lockdown and that felt good
And it really does. We are not there yet, but to have the children back and to be able to talk to them in this way was a delight. Teachers, and Headteachers, do the job we do because we care about children. We do it because we want the very best for them and want them to learn and enjoy learning, to make the most progress they can and feel safe and secure to take risks and become the best they can be. It really is so great to have them back.
Have a good weekend
Mrs Pipe