Physical distancing and social nearness !

This news report in the Times of India raised a serious concern about the way the spill over effects of shut down on account of COVID 19 is inconveniencing lot more domains of life and living. 

One of the challenges related to child Development is that children would need a stable environment in the early years. Now for over two months the normal daily rhythm of children are derailed. Now with only a few days left for the lifting of the locked down, we can look forward to some freedom for children.

But the increase in the number of people reported to have COVID 19, it is likely that the spread in the community is the stage of the disease, in which case any one of us can be a symptomatic carrier. 

I have had conversations with two epidemiologists, who suggest that we delay any avoidable travel or visits or outings outside the home for the next two weeks or so to break the chain of infection. The peek of the infective rate is proposed to be by the middle of June according to evidence based predictions, in which case we ought to be more careful during this period even more than when a full locked down was in place. 

The way to help children is to form conversation groups in schools with a psychologist or a counsellor or someone with experience in relating to children, to organise a set part time to listen and participate in sharing thoughts and information with children. This has to be a formal activity with the school taking the lead. Each class would need such a conversation time once a week and children join in according to their choice or interest. In fact if a theme is suggested for a week, those interested would join in. Two schools whom contracted showed interest to pursue it.

I know of a school who runs a humour club every week during this period.

Every situation opens up new avenues to pursue new ways of living above the circumstances. 

The family who was about to welcome the child in this news item, are disappointed. When we live with disappointments, we feel subdued. It is this which can take away 'normalcy' of mood and orientation. It has many effects on our body including altering the endocrine balance. 

I continue to dwell on this theme, the effects of 'social distancing' in human behaviour. Actually a better phrase would have been, 'Physical distancing' and ' "social nearness'!

M.C.Mathew(text)

About to be six months away from school!

I got in touch with thirty students over the last four weeks, mostly older children in the high school, with the intention of getting closer to them to get a sense of ow they perceive this enforced home stay on account of COVID 19. My neighbour who is a plus two student whose examination got postponed was my facilitator in this enquiry process.

When I saw the news item of artists and students gathering outside a government school to create this art work in the paper clip above, on the compound wall of the school, I was drawn by the spirit of aspiration of the artists about the future of students. Each painting of a child is worth studying. I have located the school in the google map and would soon want to visit he school to watch this painting.

What tells us about the gain and losses of this long absence from school is worth pondering upon! The angel in this art work carries in its wings an imagery of different professionals. The angel reminds the children in the ground of all that hey can be in their future. This is a message of hope and consolation. The artists brought in the element of trust and hope vividly.

But the loss too is evident. The children with their school uniform and bags are ready for school, but no school to go to! In fact, the child in the centre has an open book which is what we commonly see during the examination time. Children walk between places, trying to read while walking during the examination time. Even the examination was postponed during this COVID 19 pandemic season.

What captures in the painting is another dimension of two children with the Indian national flags. It is both revealing and restraining artistically. Revealing because the artists portray the triumphant spirit of the students and convey their spirit of allegiance to the cause of the nation in its struggle to endure COVID19! Restraining, because the pain, of several thousands suffering because of COVID19, migrant workers losing their lives and livelihood, over four thousand already losing their lives in India, etc is concealed in a  condensed way in the dark colours artists used to portray the countries of the world. 

My neighbour now waiting for his examination on 29th of this month, before he can go on to study computer science and visual art told me that, children have missed a lot and gained only little during this time. HIs reasoning is that the intensity of leaning and consolidation of efforts take place about two months before the examination. This time, they lost such an opportunity. The little gain that he refers to is about few extra things some students achieved during this time. He himself did a short course on visual art. But many in his class were not self motivated to plan well. 

I suggested to him to have a weekly group meeting to have conversation times, but that too did not materialise. He mentioned to me that students felt orphaned during this long time, when they neither had a sense of closure of the term of one year in the class nor a preparation to go into the next class! He wondered why there were no active efforts from the schools to help students emotionally during this time! I felt rebuked by his perceptive remarks. 

I wish we in the Developmental Paediatrics and Child Neurology were active to plan with at least one school to conduct a regular structured debriefing for students!  My neighbour friends reminded me of the lapse on my part!

But this painting on the school compound wall is a story of a caring response to enter into the world of students mindfully and consciously. Well done artists!

M.C.Mathew (text)