Most of the work had to be done by Zoom and email. It seems harder to show empathy and to understand other peoples’ thoughts and feelings working remotely than when you are face to face. So, it was a relief to make a safeguarding visit to a school to see parents dropping off their children and to chat (at a distance) to pupils about school life.
I was happy to report to the head that the drop off routine was safe and that parents were very pleased with the arrangements the school had made to cope with the problems of Covid-19. The pupils that I spoke to were, as usual, eager to tell me what they had been up to. They were happy ad felt safe, secure and well cared for.
Not surprisingly, teachers were working hard with the additional roles of cleaning and sanitising, preparing material for pupils learning remotely and keeping different groups of pupils apart in a very small school. I don’t think teachers always appreciate fully what a huge positive impact they have on pupils’ well-being and welfare.
I penned a letter (really an email) to share with staff the thoughts and feelings that parents and pupils had about their teachers. I explained how heart-warming it was to hear what pupils had to say. They know that their teachers really value and look after them and that teachers are the ones they would turn to if they were ever worried or upset. Parents backed this up, describing how happy their children were to be back and meeting their friends and learning again.
I ended with a simple thank you.
(Jim is a governor at two primary schools in the New Forest)