We write to you today, as baffled as you are by what we are experiencing, questioning what we should be feeling and concerned because we don’t have any straight answers for you on how to manage the amount of uncertainty that has been thrown our way in the past few weeks. What we can tell you is that there is no right way to deal with this. Everyday will probably look a little different to you; some days you may feel more irritable than others with those around you, others you may feel more tired than usual and uninspired to attend to your academics and plans for the future. Let’s face it, those plans feel a little wobbly right now don’t they?
We often talk about practicing resilience when things go awry, to bounce back. Maybe we can’t bounce back from this because bouncing back assumes that things will go back to how they were, that the goalposts haven’t moved. But they have. What if this is the chance to learn that goalposts do move, that nothing is constant? How about that instead of bouncing back, we ask you to adapt and change the way you do things, the way you think?
We’ve watched you over the years in the classroom on the sportsfields and socially as you work your way through one of the most tumultuous phases of your lives. We have celebrated your successes and supported you in your disappointments. We have witnessed you grow and develop into the young adults that you are today. You are the first Kloof High School matric class in recent history where the world has quite literally stopped. But you are not alone. Year-end students the world over are wondering, what now? What next? Where to from here? We know that you have probably asked yourself a thousand times over the last two weeks, why me? Why now? You are not alone. And in that not aloneness, plans will be made. Your academic year will be recovered even if right now, we don’t know exactly how. Your life plans may look a little different and may have different time frames, but they will go on. And you will be okay.
Be kind to yourself in these times. Nourish your bodies with good food, spend some time in the sunshine if you can, get some exercise and rest. Do what you can. Be careful of how much time you spend engaging with sensational media and absorbing other people’s fear and anxiety. We have been given a unique opportunity to pause. Find peace in this. Use this time to nourish your mind. Hope and fear cannot occupy the same space in your head. Invite one to stay.
One thing is for certain, that the Class of 2020 will be remembered. You will be remembered for the courage that you showed in the face of doubt, for showing perseverance in difficult times and for your willingness to show up and march towards a changing world.
So we’d like to ask you…… why not you? Why not now?
School will restart. We can’t promise exactly when. But when it does, we will be waiting for you. And we will make a plan. Together.
Stay safe, stay strong.
With love,
Your Teachers.
