Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1287818
in the Primary School. We are opting for different models in the Secondary School and Sixth Form," Bartolo said. In the secondary school and sixth form, where students move from one class to another, es- pecially for tutorial, labs and IT classes, large bubbles will cover the entire class year. The one bubble will make it easy for the students to move and for the staff to supervise. But it comes at great risk: if one student con- tracts COVID-19, the entire bubble of students will have to quarantine. "We need more supervisors, particularly before we start school and during dismissal time," Bartolo said. "We are still in dialogue with the ministry and the Malta Union of Teachers on the delicate points and I really hope we reach an agreement for the common good of thousands of learners and educators alike." And with schools emphasising the use of facemasks and hand sanitising, Mac an Bhaird says St Edward's will have newly drawn- up timetables with allotted time for handwashing. All school heads agree on the need to reopen schools instead of having online schooling. Bar- tolo said students want to be back in school and see friends they missed. Mallia agrees, say- ing they want the school return to be as seamless as possible, in- stead of having to go back to on- line teaching. But while online learning is the last option being considered, preparations have been made to get the infrastructure in place and staff up to date on the tech- nology. "I honestly think students prefer to be physically present at school. No virtual interaction will substitute the benefits of having students at school… We have to use the blended model as much as possible," Bartolo said. Amid the bad news, teachers' willingness to learn online edu- cation technology has been the silver lining. "I am grateful to our educators who are going out of their way to reach out to students of all abilities," Bartolo said. Transport But transport remains an issue of much concern among parents and unions, although schools appear to be pleased with the plans presented by the educa- tion department. "You have to understand these bus drivers are responsible. This is their busi- ness and they've been doing it for many years – they have an in- vested interest to make this work – and to make sure that things run as smoothly as possible," Mac an Bhaird said. Mallia said transport was vital but even this necessitates the need for additional superviso- ry staff to welcome students to school and accompany them to respective bubbles. "Unfortu- nately, some of these guidelines appear to have been based on industrial relations rather than practical implementation. We are doing our best to ensure stu- dents can return to school safely this month." Bartolo said St Aloysius College will abide by the directives from the health ministry. "Let us hope that the R-factor will continue to decrease before school starts," he said. "We will probably have another spike once schools start but let us not be too quick to close our schools. We are all in the same boat and we really need to support one another to stay safe and giver our very best for our learners." pcocks@mediatoday.com.mt 7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 SEPTEMBER 2020 NEWS Trust your children's resilience to keep them as safe as possible while at school. "It's important to point out that children pick up on what their parents say… so if the message they give to their children is one of panic and anxi- ety, that is how their children are going to react," Muscat says. And it is this that could lead to children being anxious or worried about going to school. "Some children might even cry because they wouldn't want to go to school," she warns. "Although parents should try and give chil- dren reassurance, they can never guarantee that someone at school won't get COVID-19 because that could happen. But if you try and reassure them that measures are being taken… a child is more likely to feel safe, and less anxious about attending school." The government's primary tactic to tackle the reopening of schools will be to enforce the use of masks, social bubbles, keeping desks 1.5m apart and appeal- ing for parents to keep children home if sick. But a small yet size- able cohort of parents are insist- ing on their right to keep chil- dren at home, fearing the school environment could be a breeding ground for germs. But even here, Muscat says at- tending classes physically will always be more conducive to learning. A 'screen teacher' might be less inclined to notice when a child is struggling because of online teaching limitations. "If a child is struggling to understand, it may be easier for a teacher to no- tice this when lessons are being held in person and provide the support that is needed." But Muscat acknowledges that children with social dif- ficulties, or those more prone to being shy, may struggle with the new protocols, specifically so- cial bubbles. "Children who have social difficulties or those who are more shy than others, may struggle if they are put in a class where they don't know anyone. They may end up isolated." The challenge for teachers will be encouraging these children to build their social skills, an impor- tant factor regardless of the pan- demic. "It might be good to look for the positive in this situation: children can use this as a way to build social skills, which they will need in other aspects of life," Muscat says. Younger children may find it harder t o a d - just, b e i n g e n c o u r - aged not to stay close to each other due to social distancing. "Younger chil- dren may like to hug each other so it's important that we teach them why we're keeping distance, and that they can still be friends with other children, even if they can't be physically close to them." Children who do not have social difficulties would probably enjoy making new friends. "Of course they'll miss their other friends, who they can't see in school. So options will need to be provided so that they can still be in con- tact, perhaps through video call- ing or meeting before school starts, whilst still keeping a safe distance. This allows them a chance to still see their friends who are in different classes." Are you happy or sad? The introduction of face masks is a hurdle for those who rely on facial expressions to see people smile (or frown.) While this may not pose challenges for adults, young children look for motional cues from caregivers to interpret novel or potentially threatening situations. That is, children rely on their caregiver's facial expressions and tone of voice to regulate their re- sponse toward people and new situations. Because of this, Muscat empha- sises that teachers will need to be more verbal. With half your face covered, non-verbal expressions might not show. So when some- one is smiling, it might be diffi- cult to see to see it. "So, in that case, I think we need to be a bit more verbal… I think now if teachers want to get a message across, a non-verbal action may not be sufficient," she says. "Now we need to verbalize it. Because it might not be obvi- ous from the non-verbals or the expression that is not showing. But I think as long as we are ex- plaining what is happening to them, or clarifying if children are confused, such as asking wheth- er they are understanding, that should be enough to help them understand the context." And with masks, the need to verbalise must also be extended to praise: "perhaps now along with smiling, teachers can say something such as: I am very happy with what you did." lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt Marilyn Muscat