Page 26 - Blue Valley Issue 4 2020 print.pdf

LIFESTYLE

weeks of school closures, etc, will be felt into
the foreseeable future. Gaps in attainment,
physical and emotional health will have
widened amongst children previously not
identified as requiring assistance. Planning
to provide extra academic, physical and
emotional support will need to be included
in the future both at home and at school.

Boundary crossing:
Online schooling has brought about a
previously un-thought of ‘boundary crossing’.
Children and teens, depending on where
they do their online schooling, be it at the
dining room table or in their bedroom,
cannot control who enters their home or
their private space. Whether we realise it or
not, some children and teens do not want the
class or the teacher to have access into their
private life. With online schooling, teachers
and friends may enter rooms or private
spaces without the child or teens being able
to deny access. The same goes for teachers.
stability and structure, these transitions for the team or when peers outshine them
Teachers are teaching from their homes, have unbalanced the system which means in the science test. These ‘behind the scenes’
which implies a boundary of privacy has we need to work proactively with the school balancing activities at school and in sports
been crossed for which there was no choice system to assist children in gaining stability create more stable and competent children
given and no permission granted. The online again. going into society.
realm has provided us all with a glimpse into
the private lives of people which we need to
acknowledge and navigate, very respectfully. Friendships and bullying: Within the private and public schooling
Children and teens have been kept away from systems, inequalities have been highlighted
friends, grandparents and people in general. in terms of internet access as well as access to
Uncertainty:
Uncertainty has become our ‘go to’ approach. Attachment is a concept that we think of devices. Concerns have been raised regarding
teasing, resulting from what device your
in terms of infancy but we are engaged in
One day we feel we know what’s happening, attachment behaviours throughout our lives. child has taken to school. In extreme cases,
the next day the lockdown confusion hits us Teens have attachment relationships with bullying has reared its ugly head as children
again. What are we allowed to do and with peers and significant adults which may have from more financially able parents find it
whom? In ‘normal’ life, rules and structure
provide security for children. But their level been strained or disrupted during lockdown. acceptable to comment on or even bully
children with less expensive or older laptops
of security and feelings of safety are being or cell phones.
challenged. Parents who previously lectured Friendships have taken strain during the
their children and behaved in law abiding extended lockdown including as a result of
ways, have started transgressing the rules laid social distancing. Children and teens will Leaving children to their own devices:
down by government. This leaves developing have communicated with their friends over As adults, we can attest to how challenging
young minds in confusion. Which rules social media, while others will have had little it is to disconnect from work in the digital
are ‘allowed’ to be broken? Teens may lack contact. As peer groups are important for age. It is no different for children. With many
confidence as they have seen adults struggle teens, this may have resulted in some teens schools going virtual, it is crucial to help
with uncertainty and argue about how to lacking the social support they ordinarily create clear boundaries and ‘end times’ for
manage the crisis. Fundamentally, their sense would have received to assist them in where life begins and tech-time ends. We
of reliance on adults to be able to keep them managing stress. are placed in a double bind, where we need
safe may be in need of reassurance. to embrace technology while at the same
With the increase in communication via time moderate its dominance. Children
Attending school has also become something social media, the escalation of bullying have difficulty in transitioning from using
electronics to electronic-free time. We need
they can no longer rely on because one day has also been seen. Children who are not to help children give up their electronics for
they can go and the next they are not allowed familiar with the do’s and don’ts of social the day. Give a 10-minute warning for when
to. media communication have been thrown
into the deep end of navigating an online electronics are done and have the children
world and identity, which is often ahead of take up some activity straight after handing
Transitions: their developmental stage. Teens, who have over their electronics to keep them motivated
As public schools had to close and August crafted out a bigger social media presence to give them up. We cannot expect children
holidays commenced for private schools, the since lockdown, may have an inflated sense of to hand over a fun device and then have to sit
usual preparation that would have happened self and identity. Such teens may be prone to doing nothing exciting.
(with all the learners in the country), for their
bullying others due to their self-importance
transition into the next term, will be lacking. and minimal ‘normal’ counterbalancing In teens, the dominance of electronics since
This will be particularly challenging for activities within the school and sports lockdown has been staggering. It is more
children starting school at the end of 2020, environments. Online grandiosity is a result difficult to assist them in moderating their
moving from primary to high school and for of modern technology and was present screen time, as their devices have become
those leaving school. Those teens who are
pre-COVID-19 but the sport and school the only way to communicate and socialise
approaching the end of their school time and environments have previously assisted in with friends. While devices have played a
face the impact of exam results, employment restoring the balance. For example, teens vital role, the problem comes when teens
opportunities and admissions to tertiary who become over-confident because of are spending the majority of their day online.
institutions will find these all hanging in the their online presence are quickly brought We need to realise that children and teens
balance. Where schools once represented
down to size when they do not get selected cannot self-regulate their online behaviour or

24 • Issue 4 2020 • BLUE VALLEY NEWS