Colman Noctor: Children need our support as they readjust to school life
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Last week I moved from the kitchen table to my office in UCD. While the commute and having to queue for a coffee is a pain, I am delighted to be back, teaching third-level students face to face.
It is wonderful to walk across the campus and hear the loud thumping music echoing around the square and seeing students sitting out on the grass with their bags of promotional goodies, chatting and laughing. However, I have found the absence of social distancing and the bustling crowds a little unnerving. I disliked working from home and was counting down the days until I was back on-site, so was caught off guard by my anxiety.
I am not alone. I have heard from parents who say their children are struggling with being back in school. This is not the typical junior-infant child who is going to school for the first time, but rather older children who have had no previous issues with school attendance.
There is a term in child and adolescent mental health services called ‘school refusal’ which alongside ‘oppositional defiance disorder’ I have a problem with. School refusal suggests some form of wilful intent not to go to school, whereas in 90% of these cases anxiety is the origin of their difficulties. It is no mystery so many children are struggling with being back in school, especially given the rolling news stories surrounding the transition.
While there is an overriding relief at being back on campus, there is also palpable anxiety in the classroom setting. Many of the students’ in-class interactions seem rusty and there is a shyness or awkwardness in their demeanour.
Last week was the first time I had facilitated in-person teaching with face coverings and it was interesting to see how they seemed to affect interaction. When I heard a muttered answer to one of my questions, I had no idea who said it. I decided not to ask for fear of embarrassing the student.
As I re-negotiate my return to the workplace, I can relate to what this has been like for children in school. The young people in my therapy room have spoken of how ‘different’ school is now compared to how it was before. The two-metre distance markings on the floor, the presence of face coverings, the need to utilise sanitising stations and the possibility of being reprimanded if you are caught interacting with anyone outside your pod is stressful. This has been especially challenging for those who have additional needs or anxious tendencies.
I understand the urge among educators to catch up on the curriculum, but if I have learned anything from the feedback of my adolescent clients, upping workload demands is counterproductive. I have heard many stories of excessive homework as teachers try to make up for lost time. However, this has served little purpose for the students I’ve spoken to, with most reporting feeling overwhelmed and deflated. Perhaps we need to resist the urge to go ‘hell for leather’ with the curriculum but focus instead on developing the emotional intelligence of our students.
The young adults in my classroom are nursing students. I know from being a mental health nurse for over two decades that this role requires a robust emotional intelligence and resilience to manage the inevitably tense situations that occur. This is something I think schools, colleges and workplaces need to also be mindful of in the coming months.
We cannot underestimate the power of relationships in all our environments, including school, college, work or home. Good relationships help to motivate, ground, and support us. We need to prioritise this concept and perhaps provide even more social and emotional scaffolding for young people at this time of transition.
As adults, we have learned and refined the skills of social interaction, but younger children have not. They also have missed out on core social and emotional development opportunities. For example, if a young person entered lockdown as a 14-year-old they may be re-emerging as a 16-year-old. The steep developmental trajectory in childhood and adolescence means that the social and emotional demands of a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old are considerably different, especially when it comes to emotional and social maturity. These young people need to be given time to catch up with their peers and curriculum.
There is no health without mental health. We need to safely encourage connection, teamwork, support, and community. The culture of any educational environment must be conducive to learning and if psychologist Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is to be believed, the basic element of ‘feeling safe’ in your environment is the foundation of this. So, let’s safely nurture community, connection and meaning.
A mistake I believe we have made in secondary schools is to dispose of the concept of the traditional ‘retreat’. I am aware that the religious connotations may have made it unpopular in recent years, but the value of coming together, sharing a space where academics are not the focus and just being in each other’s company in a non-structured way has never been more necessary than it is now. But alas in the true spirit of busyness we tend to dispose of what we need in favour of the pursuit of what we think we want, or what others want of us.
There is a correlation between a rise in mental health issues and surges in the pandemic, which has tended to spike as restrictions ease. The re-settling, re-boarding and returning phase can be the most difficult part of a hibernation period. Although we want to be free, autonomous and in control of our own actions, we might also seek some guidance, support, direction and facilitation.
Parents, schools, educators and communities need to step up and show cohesive support of each other and carve out a dedicated space for young people to be open and share their worries, hopes and desires with each other. Perhaps this is a necessary first step as we re-board the merry-go-round of life and it might stand us in better stead than a pure curriculum focus.