Helen Long is a Head of House and the Head of Media Studies at Western Springs College. She is also the staff-elected representative on the Board of Trustees.
How did you feel when the lockdown was announced?
I felt a mixture of relief and trepidation at the announcement - relief because I had been worried about an outbreak in the school, and trepidation about what lockdown would actually be like (I’d had visions of queuing up for rations, and coming out of lockdown to find that Auckland had turned into a barren wasteland).
When the lockdown was announced, I had just started my last period class with my year elevens. We watched the announcement together then I spent the rest of the period answering questions. The amount of work we got done that period was negligible, but I hope that I was able to allay some of their fears during that time.
What were the things you focussed on doing in the last couple of days before lockdown?
In the days leading up to lockdown, I had to split my time between making sure my department was OK, making sure that students in my house were OK, and making sure that my family was lockdown ready. The last thing I did before we went into level 4 was a slightly frantic supermarket shop while my son had his last tennis lesson.
How has it been teaching classes from home?
Teaching classes via video was a bit disconcerting at first - it’s an odd feeling having 25 kids in your lounge, but it almost feels normal now. At the start, most kids didn’t turn on their cameras or their microphones, but they’ve gotten a little braver each day, and attendance has been good too. I am really lucky to be the head of a department where everyone is very comfortable with technology. Everyone has been very quick to embrace all the digital tools, and we’re all getting used to seeing ourselves on camera.
You teach media - that must be tricky when students can’t meet up in groups and they can’t go out to film.
This has been tricky and our department has had to think very hard about how we teach our subject. Our year 13s were just about to start filming their documentaries when lockdown was announced, so we had to come up with solutions quickly. My colleague had the genius idea of changing the brief to ‘Life in the Time of Covid 19’ which will be filmed in their bubbles with their phones, or whatever they have access to.
You are part of our Pasifika school community - how are our students coping? Do they have some different challenges from other students?
The challenges that some of our Pasifika students are facing the same as those faced by kids all over the country. Students who have come to us with learning needs will be finding distance learning really challenging, and students without access to reliable internet and/or a device won’t be able to access the same level of education as those who do. Our senior managers have done an amazing job of identifying students in this situation and spent hours packaging up and delivering laptops to kids who needed them.
The inequity that this pandemic has uncovered has been heartbreaking. The digital divide is real and it is affecting rangatahi Māori and Pasifika disproportionately.
And you are a mum. How old are your children and how are they coping with mum working from home? Are you slipping into doubling as their teacher too?
I am mum to lovely 15-year old twins who are at two different high schools in my local area. I’ve been really lucky because they are old enough to manage themselves. Having said that, we have had to work to a schedule; everyone has to be out of bed and dressed at 8.00am, then at the table with their laptop by 9:00am. No one is allowed to do a Zoom Meeting or a Google Meet in their pyjamas (including me).
What have you enjoyed most about being in lockdown?
The family time has been lovely. It’s been really nice eating dinner together every night, playing board games and watching movies - things we don’t always get to do because we are all so busy. Some families are doing it really tough at the moment - it’s made us all aware that we have a lot to be grateful for.
What do you miss the most about pre-Covid-19 life?
Flour, yeast and movie theatres.