(Un)known dimensions of remote education. Childhood in the shadow of the pandemic

Abstract

The academic discourse concerning the child and childhood has evolved over the years from treating children as “little adults” to approaching the child as a being who needs to be cared for and protected from the hardships of life—to a perception of the child as a “person at the stage of formation”: one requiring care and favourable conditions for proper development. The pandemic and the need to move pupils' school functioning to the online mode turned out to be a truly special and (so far) unknown situation. Protecting childhood during the pandemic has not only become a necessity of the moment but still remains an important challenge for teachers/parents—mainly in terms of its effects on the emotional and social functioning of children and adolescents. Drawing on my teaching experience and selected research findings, I would like to examine the problems of remote education more closely. The long-term social and even economic effects of school closings will surely be felt for years to come. Therefore, the question is legitimate: How do we face the reality of new challenges and threats? Above all, how can we protect childhood in such difficult circumstances?How can we minimise these actual and anticipated adverse effects – first and foremost concerning children – but also their parents and teachers? The conclusions – constituting the analyses' results – shed light on the complex problems associated with remote education.However, the primary task is to protect the child from the negative challenges of the modern world and treat childhood as an important biographical experience—a foundation on which they can safely grow their own lives.