As people across the world are taking precautions to guard themselves, their families and their communities from COVID-19 it is also essential that children can continue to learn, and that they can do so in an environment that is respectful, welcoming, supportive, and inclusive to all. Schools and teachers play a vital role in this. Sharing science-based facts and accurate information about COVID-19 will help reduce students’ fears and anxieties around the disease and support their ability to deal with any secondary impacts in their lives.
Being the Best School in Faridabad, Saraswati Global School has some suggestions about how teachers can engage students of different ages on controlling and preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses. Any activities or conversations must always consider the specific requirements of children, the guidance offered by your school, local and/or national authorities, and be based on trustworthy sources.
- One of the most excellent ways to keep children safe from COVID and other diseases is to simply promote regular hand washing, for at least 20 seconds. It does not need to be a scary conversation.
- Pay attention to communicating good health behaviors, such as covering sneezes and coughs with the washing hands and elbow.
- Have students analyze texts to recognize high risk behaviors and suggest ways to change them.
- Encourage students to prevent and confront stigma. Discuss the reactions they might experience around discrimination, and explain that these are normal reactions in emergency situations. Motivate them to communicate and express their feelings, but also explain that fear and stigma make a hard situation worse. Words matter and using language that enables existing stereotypes can drive people away from taking the actions they need to guard themselves.
- Include relevant health education into other subjects. Science can cover the study of disease transmission, viruses, and the importance of vaccinations. Social studies can pay attention to the history of pandemics and the evolution of policies on public health and safety.
- Emphasize that students can do a lot to keep themselves and others safe. For instance, introduce the concept of social distancing, and pay attention to good health behaviors, such as covering coughs and sneezes with the elbow and washing hands.
- Media literacy lessons can allow students to be critical thinkers and make them effective communicators and active citizens, which will perk up their abilities to distinguish misinformation.
These are some of the simple ways using which education can be imparted to students regarding COVID in school.
Pradeep Kumar