3 Things Teachers Can Do To Navigate School Re-opening During The Pandemic

When MCO 2.0 was announced on the second Monday of 2021, it was mentioned that all teachers need to return to their respective workstation by 20th January. Some teachers are prepared to go back, while others may feel upset that they are losing their support system during this challenging time.

“When is this going to get better?”

“Back to home-based learning, how can I make sure my students learn this year?”

“Okay, my school admins asked me to focus on Form 5 students this year…”

With all the uncertainties, many of you might feel demotivated, restless or overwhelmed, the fact is things might get more challenging and we need to soldier on in educating the next generation.

Quoting Cikgu Loh Chee Hoo, “In any quadratic function graph, the lowest points represent the turning points. The pandemic can be a great challenge for everyone, but it can also serve as our turning points in life”.

While you might have a list of things to do, we have summarized 3 actions you can take to navigate school reopening during these unprecedented times.

#1: Set up a conducive work space

Research has shown that working in a clustered and messy environment can keep you distracted and create negative energy.

It is definitely worthwhile to organize and improve your work space to ensure comfort and boost productivity.

There are 5 tips on how you can do this:

1. Declutter your work desk
2. Organize your stationery in storage boxes or drawers off of your desk
3. Keep only the essentials on your desk such as a pen, a notebook, water bottle, and a file organizer
4. Invest in an ergonomic chair because sitting straight is bad for your spine
5. Ensure proper illumination for your work space

Click here to find out more on how you can set up your desk.

#2: Set Up Your Teaching Support Structure

It is safe to say that most teachers will still be teaching from home this year. Maybe you’ll do it full-time, maybe it will be some form of blended learning, but one thing is for sure: This time around you are more prepared.

Click here to have a glimpse on what students want in online learning.

There are 2 parts to this section:

1. Set Clear Communication Norms
2. Build A Teaching Routine

Since it is the start of the year, it’s a good time to invest in community building with parents and set clear communication norms. You can do this by:

• Establishing a consistent location and predictable schedule for sharing information with both parents and students
• Setting clear expectations for communication
• Creating a backup plan for off-hours and tech support for parents and students

If you are going to teach from home, build a routine for yourself as it helps with better focus and managing anxiety. For example:

Before your session:

1. Review your learning materials
2. Send reminder message to students
3. Check your students’ deliverables

During your session:

1. Take students’ attendance
2. Teach and ask questions (Make it a point to explore a new way to engage students every session and ask for feedback at the end of your lesson)

After your session:

1. Write reports (Look at the feedback forms or exit tickets, what can you do differently the next time?)
2. Check on students who were absent

#3: Take Charge of Your Own Well-being

With thousands of COVID-19 cases reported daily, it is our responsibility to safeguard ourselves from the virus. Investing in your own personal protective kit, adhering to the SOPs, and practicing social distancing are some ways to keep yourself from being infected.

Besides that, it is also important to monitor our mental well-being. These are 5 simple steps you can follow:

1. Check-in with yourself everyday to identify your emotions and thoughts
2. Set up a regular teaching schedule
3. Take small breaks, walk around, & find ways to energize yourself
4. Apply self compassion by practicing positive self talk, setting realistic goals, setting boundaries, & etc.
5. Talk to others, communicate what you are going through with your family, friends or, colleagues

That’s it! We understand things may be frustrating with MCO happening again, we hope you are able to identify resources around you to navigate through this time of uncertainty. Recapping the 3 actions here:

1. Set up a conducive work space
2. Get ready to teach by setting communication norms and preparing your teaching routine
3. Take charge of your own physical and mental well-being

Hope you find this article useful and share with us how you have been navigating through School Re-opening on the comment section below!

Click here to read our previous article on how students can prepare for school this year and share with your students if you find them helpful!

This article was written by Ang Chiew Teng, a Programme Lead for Project ID, with support and feedback from our programme team.

Project ID is an education social enterprise that runs high-impact programmes empowering students to lead self and others with 21st century skills. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Project ID has run over 70 online workshops with more than 1600 student participation across Malaysia.