Amazingly, last week during the Easter break, we were able to finally leave Qatar and head on holiday. My husband and I are both fully vaccinated, we took the tests to get out of here, grabbed the children and left.
It was, quite frankly, a. magical week. One that was much needed for our mental health. Finally, FINALLY, we felt less claustrophobic. It looked as though we could leave, after two years away we may just be able to get back to the UK. See family and friends.
Yet all the while the cases in Qatar have been creeping.
The restrictions coming back in, one by one. Children are not able to go anywhere. They cannot go into a mall, for a time they were not allowed out to the park even to walk (though thankfully this restriction has been clarified and lifted). It felt like they were confine to the house.
Then the final kicker was announced on our final day of holiday – schools would once again move back to full-time online learning.
My boys have yet to attend a full week of in-school learning.
They left school on March 9th 2020 and since then they have not done a full week of face to face learning. For the last 13 months we have been homeschooling, then alternate day blended learning schooling, and now we are back to school at home, albeit this time with online lessons.
And I’m not going to lie, we’re only two days in and it’s already tough.
We have already had tantrums about getting on Zoom, throwing of pencil cases and complete defiance of “I am NOT doing that.”
Work has either been completely ignored or rushed, the effort taken with me standing over as a teacher nothing compared to the level of concentration and work they do while attending school.
There have been times of the day where I’m not even sure they have bones left in their bodies as they flop and writhe about on the floor.
It is a never ending rollercoaster with no end in sight.
And we have only been doing this for two days
Two short days where we’re getting used to new systems, new ways of learning.
Where the days stretch out in front of us and we do not know what to do for the best, the one thing I do know is that my boys need to go to school. They personally need the structure, the challenge, the not me as their teacher. They need the social interaction with their peers. They need to be in that environment.
It fills me with dread the coming days and weeks of the summer term. And I cannot fault the school, I adore their primary school, the ways that their teachers are coming up with engaging lessons to be delivered online. I admire their creativity, their tenacity and applaud their efforts.
At the end of the day, this is not what anyone signed up for.
Yet it has me wondering on the detrimental effect on my children. Their mental health and wellbeing. Their education.
For all we say children are resilient, and I can attest to that having had my children live in three different countries, ten different houses, and two different primary schools, this is taking it’s toll on them. The relentless restrictions and places closed to them.
I don’t know about any one else, but today, I just feel there is no end in sight.