PARENTING THE 21ST CENTURY LEARNERS IN LOCKDOWN

Parenting itself is a challenge and during lockdown the parents tasted a different flavour altogether when the children were home 24/7 with nowhere to go and no one to visit them. While talking to my students during our Spoken English class and in my virtual tour through other classes, some of them expressed how daunting it was to have their parents watching their every move and every step. A few shared that they were being scolded more than before. I could sense a feeling of hopelessness clouding their emotions.

At the same time I was acutely aware that the parents are having a hard time maintaining a work life balance and managing homes without the assistance of house keepers, maids, baby sitters and domestic helps. Routine had gone for a toss and shutting down of eateries/restaurants had placed an added burden of expectations on parents, to provide mouth-watering delicacies to children who could not have the luxury of dining out now.

With these observations in mind, I planned a parenting session for the parents of Middle Section wherein I customised my session to cater to the needs of parenting in lockdown and also addressing the key concerns raised by the parents during PTM.

I planned the first session on 12^th of April 2020 for all the parents of Class 6^th and on 14^th June for all the parents of 7^th and 8^th.More than 85% parents attended these sessions and gave an overwhelming response. It was voiced that such sessions should be held from time to time to lend a support to struggling parents who have the best intentions for their children but are clueless about handling aggression and tantrums of their kids.

The relevance of such sessions is profound and discussions with parents reiterate their faith in teachers and in school. By God’s grace, other organizations also requested for these sessions and gained a lot from them.