KUCHING: The Covid-19 pandemic has posed great challenges for students, teachers and parents when schools in the state had to be temporarily closed.
But in spite of all the challenges, St Joseph’s Private Secondary School principal, Father Francis Lim said his teachers still continued to connect with their students online.
“We keep going. Why? It is simple, because we care. We continue with our learning and teaching because we care for our students’ progress in education,” he said in a webinar entitled “Caring Teachers in the New Normal” organised by the Sarawak Catholic Teachers’ Guild on Aug 8.
The webinar was to discuss how to be more caring and effective teachers in the new normal.
“It’s a VUCA world — one that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. But can we view it differently? Instead of looking at it negatively, let’s look at VUCA positively, that is vision, understanding, clarity and adaptability.
“While we cannot control everything, we can control how we respond and react to situations.
“We do have a role to play as both members of the society and as educators to envisage what changes we want and need and we must play our role in affecting those desired changes.
“To help others, we must be good ourselves. How to help our students with psychological and emotional needs if we ourselves are not stable enough?” asked Lim.
He added, “In order for teachers to be able to help the students, they must first identify their ‘fear zone’.
“As teachers, it is very important to move out of the fear zone into the learning zone, and progress to the growth and spiritual zones.
“As Christian teachers, we have to have trust and hope in God who saves,” he said.
In providing the care needed by students, Lim said during the movement control order (MCO) and conditional MCO, the teachers tried their best to connect with them online.
“This connectedness gives the personal touch much needed by young people which they may not get from their own parents.
“A simple message, a concerned question, a checking-in… are all it takes for the connection. Of course, there is a need to be aware of the boundary between students and teachers,” Lim pointed out.
At the same time, he said as with an online class, teachers must not take for granted that students would be connected with them just because notes and assignments were sent to them.
“Even by talking in the classroom and writing on the board, teachers, too, cannot take for granted that the students are connected with them.
“We have to maintain that personal touch whether in a physical classroom or in an online virtual setting. That brings us to the education of the whole person which is the foundation of a Catholic education,” he said.
“Moreover, as educators, we can educate the young children to be resilient. We have to help our young to meet the challenges where they will emerge stronger.”
Lim said research had shown that most resilient children had a strong bond with a supportive caregiver, parent, teacher, or other mentor-like figure.
“As teachers, we can help children psychologically to be independent, to seek new experiences, and push them towards a positive social orientation.
“Resilience goes hand in hand with perseverance. Stressors of life can become so intense that resilience is overwhelmed. And perseverance comes with training. Never give up,” said Lim, adding that resilience and perseverance would be easier when God was in the picture.
