Valuable lesson for our children

It’s a fair bet many people’s New Year resolutions included a wish to spend more time with loved ones. The level four lockdown has certainly helped in that regard, with families compelled to spend untold waking hours together. Whether it be parents working from home, or children getting to grips with home-based schooling, we’ve all been given a valuable lesson in resilience. And that can’t be a bad thing, especially when it comes to our children.

It’s understandable for parents to fret over the impact the lockdown has had on their children’s education. Aside from classroom learning, they have been unable to socialise with classmates, visit the library, or pursue sporting and extracurricular interests. They have probably learned very little through the official channels during this time, and that’s not a criticism of teachers’ online lessons, or other initiatives such as home learning TV. It’s one thing to get children to ‘‘be quiet and face the front’’; it’s an altogether different challenge to keep them engaged for hours on end.

Yet in many ways, Covid-19 has afforded our young people a range of compelling life experiences that no classroom lesson can match. Rather than reading about significant historical happenings that have shaped our world, school students have experienced such an event firsthand.

They have seen how the world has responded to the pandemic and watched as New Zealand and other countries retreat behind their closed borders. They have experienced the power of the state and its ability, when circumstances demand, to curb many of our basic freedoms.

And, importantly, they have witnessed the power of collective action and seen what can be achieved when communities work together and make sacrifices to overcome adversity.

Early in the lockdown, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern appealed to New Zealanders to follow social distancing rules, if not for ourselves, then for our older loved ones. The Covid-19 crisis has given us all a powerful reminder of how intertwined our lives are, and how our actions impact others.

On a smaller scale, children will have watched how their parents respond to these remarkable times. Hopefully, they will have seen their carers model attributes such as resourcefulness, compassion and kindness.

Many children will have joined their mums and dads in the kitchen, to prepare a meal or to bake, or helped with chores around the home. Each experience a potentially valuable real-life lesson. On occasions, they could have found themselves in the role of teachers, helping a sibling with school work, or assisting their less techno-savvy parents stay connected with extended family via social media.

For teenagers facing NCEA assessments this year, there’s little doubt the past month has been disruptive. Yet much of the school year lies ahead and our schools will be focused on getting students’ learning back on track. Spare a thought for young people in the northern hemisphere, where senior schools’ formal exams typically happen around May. The opportunities for students there to catch up is vastly more challenging.

So much of what we cherish and hold on to as adults stems from the memories of our childhood and adolescence. In that respect, these past few weeks have certainly been productive.

Covid-19 has afforded a range of compelling life experiences that no classroom lesson can match. Rather than reading about historical happenings, students have experienced such an event firsthand.