The Quarantine Generation

Date:   1 February 2025

Location:   CEO Head Office

Recruitment Interviews, Round 3

The scene…

A young, well-dressed twenty-something enters the room. As he waits for his hand sanitiser to absorb, he makes warm eye contact with each member of the interviewing panel. He bumps elbows with each of them in a formal greeting.

“Please, take a seat!” the head recruiter urges. Glancing around the room, the young interviewee notices that the room is approximately twenty meters square and the seats are distanced at safe intervals.

The interview commences.

“So…a graduate of Calvin Christian School, class of 2020?” enquires the first panel member.

“Yes, this correct,” replies the interviewee. “The class of 2020 —they call us the Quarantine Generation.”

There is a moment of silence, where members of the panel exchange knowing glances. The interviewee swallows, stifling a nervous cough.

“I mean, please don’t hold it against me! 2020 was such a rollercoaster year—distance learning, adjusted timeframes, questions surrounding ATAR and University entry. I was worried about the health of my grandparents, my family’s business was under threat. I mean, you must remember—it was a terrible time!”

“Please allow me to interrupt you,” the head of recruitment interjects. “We remember 2020 very well. It was such a challenging year. But please don’t think that we hold this against you—in fact, you’ve made it to this stage of the interview because you’re part of the Quarantine Generation.”

“Imagine what 2020 will look like in hindsight. Imagine the conversations,”

“Um…oh, OK…” the interviewee stumbles.

“Let me explain,” continues the Head of Recruitment. “After 2020, our workplaces changed radically. Technology changed. We had to adjust our requirement for workers, we had to find creative solutions to make businesses recover in the years following COVID-19. The Quarantine Generation have become a key asset in our companies. They achieved education in a climate of uncertainty and challenge. They took increasing responsibility for their learning. They learnt through failure. They became flexible in the face of change and learned to accept circumstances that were beyond their control. They learned to sacrifice their own personal freedom in order to protect the elderly, the sick and the vulnerable in our community. They exercised compassion and creativity. They never gave up.”

The head of recruitment paused, cleared his throat and glanced around the room at his colleagues. “In short, the Quarantine Generation possess every skill and asset that I would look for in each of my employees, each of my friends and each of my children’s friends. They are a formidable generation.”

Imagine what 2020 will look like in hindsight. Imagine the conversations, the job interviews, the memories and reminiscing. What an intense patchwork of drama, heightened emotions, uncertainty and challenge. The scene I described above may be just a product of my imagination—but I wonder how much might come true?

In Romans 8:28, Paul urges his readers to understand that “all things work together for good to those who love God, who were called according to His purpose.” All things. The good, the bad, the unpredictable and unplanned, and the destructive. All things. This huge claim has been an anchor for my faith, especially recently as each day has presented new challenges and trials.

We are so thrilled to have the majority of our student community on campus, recommencing face-to-face learning. It has been such a joy to talk to students, see them spending time together and reconnecting with each other. We are proud of the way our students have adjusted to the changes and academic demands of this year and we remain steadfastly committed to supporting each student as they continue learning. And students, take heart. God is able to use all things for his good.

Stelle Carmichael – Head of Students

We Want You Back!

At Calvin we are excited by the prospect of having our students back in the classroom next week.

Teachers across our school have worked incredibly hard to deliver a diverse learning program to their students. However, nothing compares to the face-to-face contact we had only two months ago.

We are created for relationship with others. These past weeks have certainly brought that home to us. God desires relationship with us, and I am often thinking about this. What is He saying through life’s circumstances? What are His thoughts towards me when I criticise one of His other children? Why am I so fearful when His word clearly exhorts us not to be anxious (Philippians 4:6,7)?

“Relationships must go both ways—they involve giving and accepting.”

Relationships must go both ways—they involve giving and accepting. More than ever, we are aware of this now. It’s quite difficult maintaining a lively lesson in front of a camera for students to view the next week. It is challenging to keep a discussion going when there are twenty students in the synchronous lesson but only four faces appear on the screen.

How much does God sit in front of us, His people, wanting to chat, give His blessings, enjoy relationship while that ‘audience’ does not respond? Rheinard Bonnke, a German evangelist who worked mostly in Africa said:

‘If we know Jesus is real, why do we live as if He did not exist? If there is a Father in heaven, why do we behave as if we were orphans? If there is a Saviour, why do we cringe in fear and misery? If there is a Healer, why do we not ask Him for healing?’ Daily Fire Devotional

My husband bought some gingerbread for me today. Did I need it? No. Did I ask for it? No. Was it a return favour? No. He bought it for me because he knows I love it and he wanted to bless me! How much more does our Father in heaven love us? How much more does He want to bless us?

In recent times I have heard a number of people say that one of the best things of social isolation has been learning to value family relationships. I hope that lesson remains, and if God does turn all things around for good for those who love Him, then surely having a new realisation of the importance of relationships is a good thing. And, let’s not forget that we never need to be isolated from Him.

So, we are excited about getting our students back in the classroom. I trust our Coronarama song, ‘We Want You Back’ made that clear :)

Ineke Laning – Acting Principal

Hidden Joys!

Have you ever found a surprise twenty-dollar note in an old wallet or a pair of pants you haven’t worn for a while? It’s not actually new money, you already had it, but it still feels like a bonus and something new that you didn’t know you had!

It’s been a lot like that when working and living in our current climate during the COVID-19 pandemic. As many of our extra-curricular activities and ‘add-ons’ to life have been stripped away, the little things that we’ve always had, but have taken for granted, are amplified: the joy of a good book, the chance to spend quality time with our immediate family, the appreciation of going outside for a walk, the love of a pet and many more. The appreciation of these little joys that have been hiding away, waiting for us to recognise that we’ve had them all along, is something that we can continue to lean into, and more importantly take forward with us into our post-isolation lives.

“The knowledge that God already knows the outcome of this situation and wasn’t at all taken by surprise by COVID-19 is a great reassurance to me during this time.”

We also take with us the understanding that we have a Mighty Creator who is with us in everything we do. The knowledge that God already knows the outcome of this situation and wasn’t at all taken by surprise by COVID-19 is a great reassurance to me during this time. I encourage you to continue to lean into your faith and take opportunities to pray and rejoice for what we still have. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 reminds us to “rejoice always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Don’t get me wrong, we have faced many challenges during this time. The isolation from loved ones, the huge task of supporting learning from home, and the inability to celebrate milestones or properly mourn for those who have passed away. It’s important to acknowledge these things, and talk to others about our challenges and concerns to ensure we are caring for all aspects of our well-being, including our physical, social, mental, emotional and spiritual health. God has created us to be social beings, and our relationship and connection with Him is strengthened by our interactions with and care for others. It is also important to acknowledge these hardships with your children and give them opportunities to let you know their challenges and fears during this time. In this process, we need to reassure them that there will be an endpoint to this pandemic and we are blessed to live in a country that is keeping us safe through social distancing and high quality medical facilities. If you or your children are experiencing excessive stress or anxiety during this time please don’t hesitate to contact the school for support and advice.

“Having the opportunity to teach face to face and experience the moments when new concepts sink in is priceless.”

Our isolation and imposed restrictions also magnify the things that we previously took for granted and are looking forward to coming back to as restrictions are slowly eased. Things like going to church, visiting our extended family and grandparents, birthday gatherings, playing sport and many more. As educators, it’s great to hear many of our students say they can’t wait to be back at school! We are greatly looking forward to seeing our students again, too. Having the opportunity to teach face to face and experience the moments when new concepts sink in is priceless. We have greatly missed the personal engagement with our students and are looking forward to the buzz that is created within a school by having students in their classrooms, interacting with their teachers and peers.  

I again thank you for your partnership in the distance learning program. I pray that you can find a few ‘hidden twenties’ from the experience of working with your children in such a different context.

Andrew Nash – Head of Primary