Less Teaching, More Policing

Berenice Jardine, an educator at a high school in Cape Town, unpacks why the constant policing of students to ensure compliance to COVID-19 regulations is tiring.

- Berenice Jardine

I teach at a high school in the southern suburbs of Cape Town. We are classified as Quintile 5, which puts us in the same league as wealthier schools, but we serve a diverse community, most of whom do not live in the same suburb as the school.

When Level 5 lockdown began, it was at the end of a very busy and exhausting first term. We had little time to strategise and prepare, and we really could not have foreseen the havoc this pandemic would wreak on the school year. I still have heart palpitations when I think back to how abruptly the term ended.

Our school had slowly been preparing to move into the digital age but, as with many other things, the lack of time and resources were the main impediments to becoming fully digital. I felt woefully unprepared for online teaching and remember complaining to a relative: “I need to teach live bodies”.

I am quite envious of some of my younger colleagues who have seemed to embrace the challenge with enthusiasm. However, I have also found that lockdown gave me the opportunity to be challenged in the way I approach lesson planning, and spurred me on to learn new skills. Connecting with colleagues who are also grappling with using “new” technology has helped. The steady stream of resources via subject WhatsApp groups and the availability of free online resources has been immensely useful, if somewhat overwhelming.