Recently, there has been an official announcement stating that the school will be back in session soon after a very long while of closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation. It is a good thing that school will be reopened because students could really focus on their teaching and learning process with all the teachers. But as a parent, one of the biggest challenges that they have to manage is how to let their own children be safe and sound during the pandemic.
It would be such a challenging but a hopefully manageable challenge for schools as they now must try and balance the educational, social, and also emotional needs of their students along with the health and safety of students and staff in the midst of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic especially for a lot of students who still do not get their vaccine yet. Because of that, parents at home and teachers at school must teach the children to practice classroom precautions.
These are 5 classroom precautions that children should practice:
1) Health And Hand Hygiene
Teachers have a critical role to play in ensuring all the students understand the precautions they should take to protect themselves and others from COVID-19, and it is important that teachers lead by example in the classroom. Handwashing is one of the easiest, more cost-efficient, and effective ways of combating the spread of germs and keeping students and staff healthy. If there is limited access to a sink, running water, or soap in the school, then use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
2) Mask Wearing In Schools
If wearing fabric masks is recommended in school, then make sure the students are familiar with when they should wear masks and also any related school policies, such as how to dispose of used masks safely to avoid the risk of contaminated masks in classrooms and playgrounds. Explore with the students how to handle and store masks properly. All efforts should be made to ensure the use of a mask does not interfere with learning. No children should be denied access to education because of mask-wearing or lack of a mask because of low resources or unavailability.
3) Physical Distancing At Schools
When it comes to physical distancing, it is important that you establish some classroom ground rules in accordance with the procedures established by your school’s administration, as well as the protocols established by the government. To encourage the students to stick to the rules, it is helpful to create a dos and dont’s list with them.
4) Cleaning And Disinfecting
Daily cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and objects that are touched often, such as desks, countertops, doorknobs, computer keyboards, hands-on learning items, taps, phones, and toys. Immediately clean surfaces and objects that are visibly soiled. If surfaces or objects are soiled with body fluids or blood, use gloves, and other standard precautions to avoid coming into contact with the fluid. Remove the spill, and then clean and disinfect the surface.
5) Listen To Children’s Concerns
As a parent, they play an incredibly important role as not only a trusted source of information but also as a confidante. It is important that the child feels comfortable expressing any concerns or anxiety he or she may have about returning to school during the pandemic, so try to be as available and prepared as possible. Being vulnerable is hard, though, so parents may need to be the ones to initiate the conversation if the topic doesn’t come up on its own. Whether the child is concerned about having to wear a mask all day or what might happen if there’s a confirmed case at school, make sure parents listening intently, empathizing often, and helping the child cope with his or her feelings in a reassuring manner.
Sources: Unicef.