What hurts parents most about the suspension of classes is not that they have to continue paying tuition fees regardless, but that their children have wasted their golden years of growth. Children and parents have definitely grown after struggling in these four months.
There is a line in the song When I am older: “Growing up means adapting.” To adapt to a new environment, you have to be flexible. This is growth. Who says P.E. lessons can’t be taught remotely? You can learn to play the piano just by watching videos online! I often use the number “3” to remind myself: There are 3 angles to view everything, 3 choices to choose from, 3 ways to act, etc. When old roads are blocked, new roads are opened. This flexibility in thinking and action has been practiced by Hong Kong people in every aspect of their lives over the past four months, regardless of age. This is worthy of applause.
Also, after these four months, children’s hygiene awareness has become much stronger. At first, they had to be reminded constantly, but later they became self-initiated. Not only learning to “auto-wash” their hands but also remembering every step to wash their hands thoroughly. More exciting is that even at a young age, children have developed the ability to resist temptation – Being able to resist touching their itchy noses. Parents could try to encourage their children further, so that their children could extend their determination and ability to resist temptation in other areas, such as quitting Internet addiction: “You are so good at resisting scratching your nose, so I think you can also refrain from looking at your phone at night. When doing homework, don’t open social media pages.” Using existing successful experiences to encourage children to make further progress is more effective than constant scolding or ridicule.
In addition, after the 100-day suspension of classes, the children finally changed from hating or even fearing going back to school to looking forward to going back to school. They finally understood that having the opportunity to go back to school to study, meet teachers, and meet classmates is not guaranteed, so it is worth cherishing. When classes resume this week, they should have a feeling of reunion. From hating going to school to cherishing the opportunity to go back to school, from cognitively understanding that “going to school is a responsibility” to emotionally understanding that “going back to school is a blessing”. This kind of growth cannot be bought.
Danger creates opportunities. This pandemic crisis has brought unprecedented opportunities for learning and growth to children and parents.
(Details of the story have been modified to protect patient privacy)
Written by: Dr. William Chui
Originally posted on: Health HKEJ website
Translated by: Cheuk Long Chan
