Advice for educators in the times of Covid 19

Today we will launch our 10 pieces of advice for educators during lockdown.

When a crisis or a disruption like the COVID-19 occurs, we all respond differently and our responses will change over time. School closures may remind us of past traumatic experiences like the outbreak of a war or civil unrest, or the sudden destruction of an earthquake or terrorist attack. Some of us had an opportunity to pack up and say goodbye to colleagues, students, and friends; some of us did not have that opportunity. Some of us are stuck in our apartments, spending most of our days alone. Some are far away from the community in which we were living, balancing parenting and teaching in a new environment. Some of the new environments in which we are living are chaotic and lacking privacy. Some of us have found enclaves of educators in the same situation, and are finding comfort in these pop-up communities. The experiences are as diverse as our community. There is no right or wrong response to this crisis, there is no “one way”. But there are actions we can take to help us not only get through this current crisis, but to emerge from the crisis wiser, stronger, and more connected. How can we do this? First, we have to understand that resilience is not a personality trait, or a fixed characteristic that some are born with. Resilience is a learned capacity, a process of adaptation, a strength that we build over time. As the American Psychological Association reminds us, “resilience involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that anyone can learn and develop. The ability to learn resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary.” Below is our first suggestions of how we might take an active role in building our own resilience throughout this experience.

1. Understand the normal emotional responses to a crisis.

Before you judge your reaction or the reaction of others to this crisis, understand which feelings are typical in this kind of a scenario. The following are all normal responses, and they may play out differently for each of us:

• Fear: Is my family safe? Will we be okay?

• Anger: Why didn’t they prepare us for this? How could that person possibly be posting all of those cheery tweets? People back home just don’t understand!

• Confusion and Frustration: What is my role as a teacher now? Where are we going to live? I have no idea how I’m supposed to juggle all of this!

• Guilt and Self-Blame: I’m not comfortable with digital technology and I feel guilty that this is affecting my teaching. I should be back in Spain where my students are. I’m not being the kind of parent I’d like to be right now. I should have had a better plan.

• Shame and Humiliation: I see colleagues online who are thriving, and I’m embarrassed to admit that I am not. I feel humiliated because I’m not sure how much longer I can financially support my family under these circumstances. I’m embarrassed to say that I’m weary of going back to school.

• Sorrow and Grief: I didn’t get to say goodbye to my friends and students, and now I don’t know if I’ll be back next year. I miss my routine, my neighborhood, and my community. It’s just not the same here.

All of these emotions are normal. Let this be a reminder to be compassionate and understanding of ourselves and others should we be experiencing any of these feelings. With support and intentionality, we will get through this, but we need to exercise patience with ourselves and others in the meantime.

For more information on mindfulness and emotional intelligence courses please get in touch. Our standard 25 hour online course on moodlecloud now has an over 50% reduction until the end of lockdown.

#selfacceptance #lifestyle