TWO pupils at Riebeek College Girls’ High School in Uitenhage were overwhelmed with excitement and pride when their essays appeared in Professor Jonathan Jansen and Emily O’Ryan’s newly published book titled ‘Learning Under Lockdown: Voices of South Africa’s Children’.
According to Jansen who is a distinguished professor at Stellenbosch University, in May he posted an invitation to school students to write a short essay on their experiences of learning under lockdown on Facebook and Twitter.
“This study offers an analysis of more than 600 stories composed by primary and high school children drawn from the nine provinces of South Africa in which the participants responded to the broad question: What were your experiences of learning under lockdown?,” said Jansen.
The book which is available at CNA was published in August and features a total of 13 chapters which focus on a variety of themes.
“There are many lessons from this study of student experiences of lockdown learning for immediate and urgent education policy actions,” said Jansen.
Tania Smith, a grade nine pupil at Riebeek College said, owing to her anxiety she enjoyed learning at her own pace and in her own environment during the lockdown period.
She did, however, find it difficult to do mathematics without having her teacher in front of her for regular interaction.
Smith said when the book was made available at CNA, she quickly ran into the store, grabbed the book and tears flooded her eyes.
“I was really excited to see my name and words printed in the book. When I submitted my essay, I did not think I would make it this far to see my name printed in the book,” she said.
Smith’s essay which can be found in the ‘Family Dynamics’ chapter highlights the support she received from her family.
“I deal with anxiety and panic attacks which occur when I am under pressure, but my family was very supportive during those tough times. I was fortunate enough to have parents who could buy data for online learning and could make use of a Wi-Fi router which was available for everyone who needed it in my household,” said Smith.
“My aunt even loaned me her laptop which I could use for school purposes and I cannot thank her enough for this wonderful gesture.”
Grade 12 pupil Jessica Craill, who started with her trial examinations on September 15, said despite it initially taking time for her to get used to learning under lockdown, it became more enjoyable once she was able to organize her schoolwork into manageable sections.
Craill’s essay can be found in the ‘Keeping Afloat (coping mechanisms that helped me learn and learning mechanisms that helped me cope)’ chapter and mainly focuses on her experience of staying organized and her ability to plan out her schoolwork.
“I woke up one morning and just decided to submit my essay because I thought that someone might want to hear what I had to say,” said Craill.
She said when her essay was selected for publication it felt like a ‘movie moment’.
“When I eventually saw my name in the book I felt as if a wave of pride had engulfed me. I am so thankful to have had some of my writing published in a real book. It was a huge opportunity and confidence booster for me.”
Craill said she believes the book will help teachers understand the challenges students face while learning and it will assist parents to work out a strategy to help their children find a good balance under the new pandemic conditions.
In addition, she said the book will help pupils realise that they are not alone in this struggle.
