Speaking As A Mom And Teacher About The Return Of Happiness To Schools Post COVID Restrictions

It’s school time again! We are getting ready for our work while our son is getting ready for his school.

We are probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad that comfort of teaching & learning from home is over.

Am I feeling nervous or a little scared on the first day of re-opening of school because of the return of the usual routines for my family?

We dropped him off at his school and headed for our institution. At present, we prefer to pick up and drop our child rather than letting him travel in the pool car.

The familiar sights and sounds in and around schools, missing over the past two years as campuses were shut because of COVID, have returned.

A buzz… of happiness

The gathering of parents outside the gate and the buzz of students inside the campus seemed to me as a long lost friend.

As I stepped down and entered my campus, this buzz of the students suddenly made me realize how much my heart was longing for it all these months.

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This buzz created a river of joy within me.

You will never know the value of something until it becomes a memory – how true!

Now I understand as an educator – the source of joy can be anything if  I become more attentive towards my surroundings.

The sound of happiness is back in the campus which was unusually quiet since last two years. Thankfully, the school is no longer a silent zone. The sound of giggles among close friends, chatter in the corridor and the scream of kids on the playground, the smell of lunch boxes, rows of colourful water bottles on the rack – the familiar sights and buzz is back.

It’s a huge delight to watch children rush out to the playground during break. Their faces say it all.

It is indeed a splendid experience to watch kids giving bear hugs to their friends and asking about each other’s wellbeing.

Our children understand much more than we realise

I stood there as a mute spectator. Some thoughts just flashed through my mind.

What they might have gone through all these months juggling between online and offline classroom?

Did they really know what had hit them badly?

Did we adults try to understand or read them carefully?

Did they ever miss their friends, their school, their teachers…?

I woke up as if from a deep slumber at a sudden touch on my back.

“Oh! Ishaan, tell me?”

“Ma’am! Why did you give so long holiday for us?”

“We all actually fell sick.”

“For so long…?”

“I missed you a lot and please don’t fall sick next time for such a long period of time.”

“Sure” I smiled and hold his cheeks in my hand.

Huh! What a kind gesture. A four year old is much capable of teaching you many things.

Some bruises are seen while some others are only felt.

We all had been through a phase of confusion and anxiety all these months irrespective of age and status for sure.

As a parent we extended all possible support to our 11 year old son during the pandemic time. We played with him; we had fun together and helped him in his studies. He was also seemingly happy and content with all these.

I gently stroked my son’s hair on picking him up on the way home and asked him, “So how was your first day in your old school?”

“Maa…we friends hugged each other and wept. We thought we would never meet again.”

I was speechless and understood that the reality was far away from fair.

Author’s Note: This is my personal experience on returning to work after COVID. Now I know how children are affected by COVID in multiple ways. I am happy and hope that happiness is back for kids and for all of us and here to last forever.

Image source: Deepak Sethi from Getty Images Free for Canva Pro

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