Opinion

“This generation are so much more than The Covid Generation”

Instead of stigmatising children, we should be celebrating them for their grit, adaptability and huge capacity to care for others, argues head Catherine Armistead.

NEU Leadership member Catherine Armistead is head teacher at Skerton St Luke’s CE Primary School in Lancaster

I HEAR people talking about our children as The Covid Generation. The unlucky ones, the kids who are missing out, the pupils with gaps in their learning, the students who won’t have qualifications because they didn’t sit a test.

Why do we choose to  nd the negative and use that to de ne our youngsters? Why do we want them to grow up with a stigma; an excuse to never succeed or a ceiling on their dreams?

Here’s what I have seen from the young people in my care since the lockdown.

I have seen children who show no limit of care and concern, not for themselves but for their mums and dads who work in care homes and the NHS.  ey show care for their teachers who set them learning while they’re in school who are working with the vulnerable and becoming vulnerable themselves. Most of all I see care for each other as they check in on their friends, missing playing out together.

I have seen kids who are struggling with schooling in isolation pull themselves out of their learning hole and produce work they didn’t think they were capable of. Kids who have shown resilience and a growth mindset, because we couldn’t be there to jump in and help but had to encourage from afar and let them become truly independent.

I have seen pupils who have found things tough but stuck at it because they were determined to show their mums and dads, their grannies and grandads their pieces of art and their best handwriting or record themselves reading a story.

I have seen videos and photos of children lost in the  ow of an activity. So engrossed in planting seeds, in reading for pleasure or learning to play the piano that they haven’t noticed when they were being  lmed.

I have heard about children connecting with each other over WhatsApp, Zooming with sta members and playing online games with grandparents. Using the internet to connect, learn and have fun. Reminding each other how to be safe and kind and respectful.

I have had correspondence with children thanking me for my videos and posts urging them on and congratulating them when they’ve done their best.

I have welcomed children into school as they say goodbye to their parents who are working in jobs that are essential for our community. I have seen them quickly learn to stay safe, reminding each other to wash their hands and stand at a distance. I have heard their laughter as they play and learn together and seen their kindness and generosity towards each other. New friendships have formed and been nurtured by the changes in the way we work in school.  is generation are so much more than  e Covid Generation.  ey are  e Creative Generation,  e Resilient Generation,  e Compassionate Generation.

Please, reframe your words.

Let us rejoice in our amazing children and their experiences and build on them to help them be  e Greatest Generation.

“I have seen kids who are struggling in lockdown pull themselves out of their learning hole...”