UNAIR NEWS – For more than 3 months the community work and study from home. However, the new academic year is ahead. The plan to reopen the school has been a hot topic lately. Of course the policy to reopen the school must be carried out with full consideration, including the necessity of implementing health protocols.
A psychiatry lecturer at Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga (FK UNAIR) dr. Azimatul Karimah, Sp. KJ (K) expressed her views regarding the new normal policy discourse. In particular she said in an online discussion held by Musculoskeletal Science Community for Medical Students (Meniscus) on Saturday, June 20, 2020. The community, said Dr. Azimatul, is in the midst of uncertainty in the face of a pandemic.
“The governments of some regions have begun to loosen up the large-scale social distancing (PSBB), then some have been loosened up and then decided to implement PSBB again. It means we will always face uncertainty every day. Will the number of cases decrease tomorrow or even increase, ” she said.
Although there are always more confirmed cases added every day, the government is currently preparing to welcome a new normal era. Current circumstances encourage people to adapt.
In order to adapt well, new habits must become the new way of life adopted by society. Health and safety must remain a top priority when the new normal era goes on.
“New normal is something that encourages us to adapt. That there was a normalcy then and now that there is a new normalcy. It means it will be related to behavior. It is important to remember that even in new normal, healthy is priority, ” she said.
Preparations are being intensively carried out by the government to face the new normal era. One of them is about the learning mechanism in the new school year. Online learning is one method that can be applied.
As a result, parents must also contribute and play a role in it. In that case, of course parents must spend their time, energy and attention on their children.
“For parents, we need to prepare time, energy, including learning to use gadgets or software that supports online learning. We also need to set aside our attention to monitor the development of the learning process carried out by our children, ” she said.
New behavioral patterns in the new normal era also need to be instilled in children so they can adapt well. Parents have an important role in this matter. First, modeling.
“These parents are role models for children, if we tell our children to wear masks, then as parents we have to wear masks too. Likewise with hand washing, parents should be a good example for it. Because if parents cannot be good role models, children’s behavior will never be formed, ” she explained.
Second is repetition. “Every time we parents do repetition, then the child does not have the reluctance to do repetition. This repetition must be consistent if done at home, then at school or other places must also continue to be done, “said Azimatul.
Third, reinforcement. “Especially for children, we need reinforcement. There are methods of reinforcement so that children continue to engage in new, healthier behaviors. One of them, we can give rewards, but it doesn’t have to be material. We can give children colorful sticker rewards. One behavior, one reward, one sticker, ” she concluded. (*)
Author: Icha Nur Imami Puspita
Editor: Feri Fenoria Rifa’i
