The lockdown came through the COVID-19 global pandemic. It was swift and scary and we were certainly on the back foot when it was announced. The coronavirus had been in the news since the beginning of the year, with the virus spreading across the world and really hit NZ early in March. Things ramped up about a week before the lockdown was announced so during that week, we were making plans, having meetings, gathering ideas for what learning might look like once lockdown started...we knew it was inevitable. The speed at which it came we were not prepared for, the government gave us literally an hour. The announcement was made at 1:45pm and school closed to students at 2:45pm. Schools were then given 2 days to prepare some semblance of learning for home. Teams of teachers met and discussed what they were going to give to their students and got to work, resourcing, photocopying and writing information to put in packs for parents to pick up from the school office. It was a very stressful time but staff showed amazing resilience and care in getting things done for their learners. Staff were instructed to make contact with their families, touch base and offer support with the learning packs that were sent home. Of the 350 students in the school, 60% of our families picked up their packs. 40% hadn't, so teachers made particular efforts to connect with those parents and try to email the student's learning to them.
The Ministry of Education informed us that the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday of the first week were considered school days, the following two weeks were to be considered the holidays (moved forward by 2 weeks) and that learning from home would begin the day after Easter Tuesday - 15th April.
So, it is now the second week of the holidays and I've spent much of my time sifting and digesting a myriad of information constantly being emailed and phoned through from the ministry and other sources. It has been draining, but at the same time, quietly exciting as the realisation of the shift in educational paradigm is happening as we move through this lockdown. There is still much to be done and as a staff we have much to learn. Some staff have been dabbling in the digital space for a while, some have attempted very little in it. This situation has opened the eyes of many to the affordances that digital spaces offer learning. We have had online meetings this week, a new experience for many of us. We have shared ideas to support learning at home, and we have reconnected with families to check online capabilities. Our government will have a lot of work to do in our community as many homes have no connectivity so learning packs are being delivered to them before Term 2 begins.
It is a work in progress. A new direction. A new paradigm. It's exciting...
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