The past few weeks have been surreal to say the least. Dubai’s school closures a couple of weeks ago left many of us moaning about the ‘overreaction’ by authorities to COVID-19. But watching the news unfold, moment by moment, even the cynics among us became fretful about the novel coronavirus.

As I work in learning support, my thoughts are obviously with the students. Children across the globe find themselves unexpectedly housebound. There is uncertainty over when schools will reopen. Schools, parents and caregivers are scrambling to implement e-learning strategies and make any possible arrangement for their kids to continue learning. The unique challenges that confront us are compounded for children with learning challenges, social-emotional difficulties, mental health concerns and special needs. There are more questions than answers for now.

While  listing the many negatives of the predicament we find ourselves in, it is easy to miss the silver lining, ever so slight as it may appear.

Continue reading “Embracing the Unknown” →