One of the first things I say to Students when I start working with them is you are going to succeed no matter what you have to face. I never thought in my wildest dreams that they would ever have to deal with anything like the current COVID-19 Crisis.

Read on for my top 5 tips to ensure you stay focussed and rested during this difficult time.

You have to find a way to deal with whatever obstacle you are faced with.

Accept that it has happened: Be determined to put the best plan in place to deal with it. For Students, the real crisis started when Schools closed. At that point, the priority was to bring real structure to their set-ups at home for the duration of the School closures.
Ensure you get Leisure, Rest & Recovery time: A very important part of the Overall Plan was to accommodate adequate Leisure/Rest & Recovery time. The difficulty with this was the restrictions that were being imposed in relation to movement and the fact that social distancing guidelines had to be adhered to. It meant that a lot of their normal activities wouldn’t work under these circumstances. I impressed upon them the importance of using their imaginations and coming up with new activities. They would have to work within the guidelines like the maximum 2KM distance from home for runs/walks and the 2-meter social distancing rule. I stressed the importance of bringing real structure to this and having a definite daily timetable for the various activities. For me, this is just as important as the structure for the School Related Work.
Prepare to go Digital, prepare to be Flexible: With regard to bringing structure to School Related Work, a lot depends on what the School has in place in relation to providing Virtual Classroom Set-Ups etc. Students have to include this in their plan. This varies from School to School. The feedback I am getting is that some of it is very good and some not so good. It really comes down to how competent a Teacher is on the digital side of things and in carrying out their Classes remotely. Having said that, most of each weekday includes a lot of linking with what the School is providing. There is a danger that this can become a little loose and needs to be nailed down with as much structure as possible. The set-up needs to be flexible so that important content provided by the School can be accommodated. It might involve a different timetable each day in order to facilitate what the School is providing. What I insist upon is that there is a definite total number of hours each day for School Related Work with adequate small breaks for recovery and specific times built in for the Leisure Activities. One thing we have learned through all of this is that Teachers have found it much more difficult than their normal daily routine and that it has been more demanding for Students as well.
Put Yourself First: Students have to suddenly be prepared to take on much more responsibility themselves and be selective in what they engage in with the School. They have to be selfish and think of what is best for them. Subject Teachers put up a lot of work to be done with deadlines for submitting it. Students must be demanding where feedback is not forthcoming.
Mental Health & Wellbeing is Critical: At the end of the day, the Wellbeing of Students is what really matters. Understandably, they are all concerned about the uncertainty of everything at the moment. My advice to them is to ignore Social Media, Rumours, Speculation, False News etc and just to listen to the official word from the Government/Department of Education. All Students should focus on preparing to the best of their abilities for these.

For latest information regarding the timings of the 2020 Leaving Certificate, please refer to the Department of Education’s website: https://www.education.ie/en/

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