This too will end, but, when it does, we will emerge into a totally transformed world, in which every aspect of our lives, socially, economically, and politically, will be reshaped by what we are about to experience.
When our schools closed suddenly on Thursday March 12 teachers did their best to prepare students for the new world into which they were about to be plunged.
Some gave their students guidance relating to work which could be undertaken in the weeks ahead. Others set up online contact networks to enable their students to continue working with them over the internet.
Some teachers, due to the lack of broadband in their home or locality, or due to their own lack of IT skills, are not providing any support to their students.
Following the Taoiseach’s address to the nation on Tuesday evening, it is crystal clear that schools will not be reopening on March 30 or on any date this side of the summer.
So, what does that mean for the hundreds of thousands of children now locked down at home for the foreseeable future?
Having spoken to many of the key decision makers in the Irish education system in the past few days, I can assure every student that they will never be disadvantaged in any way by the fallout from this public health crisis.
When we in Ireland emerge blinking into the post Covid-19 world, whether that be in September 2020 or January 2021 or some date beyond that, the education system will be re-established.
We already know that lessons learnt over the coming months will be applied to every aspect of human endeavour, including education. How learning is both delivered and consumed will change radically, in primary, post primary, and in higher and further education.
There is no point in speculating how this will affect the Junior or Leaving Cert or college exams or on how learning is organised in the post school environment. Nobody knows, and it is a waste of energy on the part of parents or students in speculating about these issues now.
What we do know is that any current days or deadlines are totally redundant and worrying about them is a complete waste of time.
When this crisis is all over, whatever decisions are made by those who manage our education system will be taken in the best interest of our students and our society, and any assessment tasks then put in place will treat every student fairly. Plenty of time will be provided to prepare students for whatever assessments are put in place.
The only certainty in our lives today is that we will be confined to our homes for months ahead. It is imperative that we create structures within each family unit to enable us to remain physically, psychologically, and emotionally healthy.
Learning each day we live is part of all human beings’ growth and development. Every individual who is currently in formal or informal education should engage with the subject content of their current programmes of work, so that they will be able to take maximum advantage of the education system they will re-engage with when this nightmare of Covid-19 passes.
Parents should sit down with their children now and agree a structure of learning for each week that we are confined at home.
One of the new realities today is that we will all have to become experts in home schooling in the weeks and months ahead.
There are huge resources available online on every subject known to man, as well as websites dedicated to the specific content of all school subjects.
Where lack of broadband issues in localities deny students online access, the State may have to organise for locations such as public libraries to remain open, so that online access is made available to students. Obviously this will create challenges around social distancing, etc, but we as a collective will confront each challenge as we move forward in the weeks and months ahead.
Each one of us may feel totally powerless and disorientated in the world in which we now find ourselves. But we must remind ourselves that we all still retain total control over how we respond to this new reality.
For young and not so young people still engaged in formal education, retaining a schedule of study and reflection on the bodies of knowledge we are currently engaged with, will provide structure and focus to our days and weeks ahead.
If you have 10 subjects for your Junior Cert , seven for your Leaving Cert, or three for your third level exams, it is your responsibility today to continue to engage with those subjects in a structured plan of work. New knowledge and learning are never wasted, so build its acquisition into your daily life, and the months ahead will pass quickly.
Continue to stay healthy in mind and body by observing the instructions provided by the HSE and national media daily, and if you do that, know that you will emerge a little older and wiser into a bright new world when the time comes when we will all put our shoulder to the wheel to rebuild our society and economy.
