Getting Back to Normal After Corona in Denmark: Schools Opening

In one of her many press conferences, the prime minister of Denmark announced that Denmark would slowly start to open again as everyone else in Denmark was thinking, “what does this mean for me and my family”? In our case, it actually meant a lot, and I wasn’t sure I was prepared for getting back to normal after the corona virus in Denmark.

Mette, our PM, said that since young children were least likely to get the virus and also the best ones to recover from it, they would be the ones to start making the adjustment to a normal life in Denmark. Ever since March 11th, 2020 when she announced that all children should stay home from school, my family has been “staying home and staying safe”. My university program had also asked students to stay home, and my husband was one of the lucky ones who could do his work from home. We knew that life in lockdown wouldn’t last forever, but there was no knowing of when we could start living life in our “somewhat” normal ways again. This new normal came just a little over a month later.

I am very fortunate to live in a small country with loyal citizens who listen to their government. I understand that not ever country has the benefit of leaders who act in the best interest of their people, but Denmark really takes care of its own. When we were given the news that daycares and schools would be opening again, I had to trust in the government to know what was best for the country, but as a mother, I still worried.

During the week before the schools actually opened, we were bombarded with emails from the school administrators, teachers, etc. There were plans being put into place about what the first day back would look like, and it was far from a normal “business as usual” scenario. In the school where my boys went, they informed us that since it was just kids in grades (kindergarten) 0 to 5 returning back to school, the room assignments and class structures would be much different than before. They informed us of where children would need to meet in the morning of the first day, so they could find the ones in charge of them. Parents, who normally would drop off their children inside the school, had to say good-bye to their children outside in the parking lot, and the children had to make their way inside to their new rooms without them. Children were also meant to be outside as much as possible with lots of distance in between. They seemed to have it all thought out, so we tried to start the process of mentally preparing our children for this first day of school after corona.

We discussed in as much detail as we knew what their day would look like and how things would not be the same as they were before. Our boys didn’t seem worried about going back, nor did they seem to mind that changes would be made with their routines. I was happy for that.

On Wednesday, April 14th, many children in Denmark woke to their long-forgotten, morning routines of getting ready and heading out to school. For my kids, it was Thursday, April 15th, since different areas of Denmark were allowed to make the choice of when the openings would work best for them that week. But what about what works best for a scared mom? I guess if they waited for me, there is no telling when the best time would be to go back. It was a good thing they didn’t ask my opinion about it all…really.

My youngest was in the 1st grade and was still supposed to go to his area of the building where his class normally was located, except that he would only be in a room with half of his classmates. Denmark like many other places in the world had a strict rule during COVID-19 that no more than 10 people should be together, so the school made sure that the already-small, first-grade classes of 18 and 17 would be broken up into a total of 4 groups and placed in different classrooms. This meant using some of the classrooms from the 2nd and 3rd grades, who were displaced to other areas of the school. With grades 6 though 9 still home doing distance learning, the teachers had lots of room to spread out and practice social distancing with the students.

That wasn’t all that they practiced, they also learned how to wash their hands. I don’t know why my kids never thought that they “learned” that before. I can recall so many times with them in the bathroom singing a hand-washing song, which they still sing from time to time. How is it that this was the first thing my youngest wanted to show me that he learned in school that day??

My older son who was in 3rd grade mentioned that he was directed by “big kids” on where to go for his new classroom. Though they weren’t officially going back to school to learn, some of the older students in grades 8 and 9 were at school on the first day to help the younger students find their way in the “bigger kid section” of the school. It kind of felt like they were going to camp and needed the help of junior counselors to lead them in the right direction. I wondered how my son felt in that moment. He never has been one to divulge his feelings on certain things, but it could also be that a boy of 10 doesn’t really care too much for the minor details of his day. It was the first bit of information that he shared with me, so I somewhat liked to think otherwise.

As we sat at the dinner table that night, I asked them just how different school was because of corona. My youngest said that he had to start his day by cleaning his desk and that he washed his hand a lot of times. Certain students were assigned specific bathrooms in the school, and this is where they were instructed in a group as to how to wash their hands. Apparently, they all had to show that they had mastered this “new” skill to the teacher. Was it a test?

I have to admit that I really liked that they were getting proper hand washing into their routine. It occurred to me that there are many dirty people out there of whom I just am not aware, so I am glad that their dirty little children are getting to learn about hygiene from somewhere. LOL I realize that sounds snobbish, but I don’t care. It is just gross if you don’t wash your hands after you go to the bathroom, and I know there are people out there who don’t! I’m not saying that they have children in my sons’ school, but you can’t be too careful in the time of corona!

My oldest didn’t mention anything about having to wash his desk, but he did say that he had to wash his school computer before and after using it. They have specific laptops that they are allowed to use at school, which I believe is only for their own use, not a shared item. It is nice that they are cleaning them, though. My son could use a few lessons on cleaning things after he is done with them. If they have any other cleaning lessons for him in the near future, I will be happy for that. He is my messier child! 🙂

Both boys also mentioned that they were instructed to play on certain designated areas of the playground during their recess time. Normally, the kids can pretty much go anywhere when they are outside, even in the forest next to the school, but not during this “new normal”, the teachers assigned the kids to certain areas to make sure there weren’t too many kids in one area.

I think for children, they tend to get used to going with the flow during the school time, and I really think that my children will do just fine no matter what happens at school. They seemed to be tired when they came home those first two days, but I think it could be just the change of scenery and routine that has used up their energy. I think they’ll get used to how things are for now. How long they will be like this, though, I cannot say.

As they were having all of these new experiences, ones that they might never remember once things get “back to normal”, I was at home worried out of my mind. I still managed to attend my webinars for my university program, take notes, and work on homework assignments, but I didn’t really feel a part of what I was doing. I kept myself busy for the sake of not pulling my hair out. I didn’t indulge in social media or news programs. I did work that I wouldn’t have had the focus to do having two kids home during a lockdown. I tried to look on the bright side of them being back at school, since I was able to get more done without interruption. For some reason, though, it felt like I was sending my babies to the front line. I know it is dramatic, but if you are a mother, you might be able to understand.

When going to school to pick up the kids, my husband experienced the same routine as in the morning. Parents weren’t allowed to go into the school to get their kids and check them out of the computer system. They had to wait outside for the children to leave the building. I guess that this doesn’t seem very different from how they would be in other countries, like the USA where this type of pick up was normal. It just wasn’t what we were used to in Denmark. We have safe schools here, where parents are welcome to drop by at any time. It was weird that this wasn’t the case. It just didn’t feel very “Danish” to exclude the parents, but it was very necessary for the corona prevention. No one complained. We all just wanted to do our part to help.

When they came home at 1pm on that first day, we were ready with our “sanitation routine”. The boys were to take off their shoes and coats right away, and then they had to walk the three steps to the bathroom and get a shower. This was the first thing that I had them do when they came home. Luckily, the room they entered when walking in the house was our mudroom/laundry room. I had a basket ready for them to put their clothes in, so that they didn’t need to walk throughout the house with them on. There were no known cases of the corona virus in their schools or in our town for what I knew, but I didn’t want to take my chances. Students who had sick family members at home were actually not allowed to return to school. This gave me some comfort in knowing that all possible precautions were being taken to protect my children and their friends.

There was a little resistance from my youngest son when I asked him to get a shower. He complained that he had washed his hands a lot that day and was truly doing his part. He didn’t understand that this was me doing my part. There really wasn’t much I could do to help this situation. I wasn’t going anywhere. My husband and I were still working/studying from home, so we didn’t have to adjust to a new routine like the boys did. After the promise of getting some LEGO time with mom, the little guy agreed to getting a shower.

I guess I wanted more to do that would help the situation. I was a fixer and wanted to fix things, but I couldn’t fix this. I had to trust that things were going to be okay and that what was being done inside our house and at school would be enough. It has only been two days with the boys back to school. With the news that some businesses would also start to reopen after the weekend, I started to feel a bit better about where Denmark was in this whole situation, but that worried-mom feeling was still present in the back of my mind…just waiting for bad news. I was determined to let her rest, though. These two days of the boys being back at school were a success, and we were hopeful that the next week would also be a positive experience.

We were able to relax a bit over the weekend to adjust our minds to this new normal and wait to see if things would be okay or if more people would start to get sick again. Only time would tell, but for me, I hoped the stress of them leaving me everyday would start to go away. Living in lockdown was easy compared to adjusting to a new normal, but tomorrow will be a new day that will lead to a new week and new month and hopefully an end to these days of fear and separation. I hope.

Have you recently sent your children back to school? Tell me about your situation in the comments? 

Don’t forget to check out my other post telling about How a Global Pandemic Changed My Views of Living in Denmark!

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