Zooming to victory, like a real-life superhero

2020 was to be the year that my baby was in matric. We had been through matric three years before with my older daughter, so we knew exactly what to expect.

We expected a whole lot of work, portfolios, essays, mini prelims, prelims, and more. In between all that, we knew we would have the matric dance, the excitement over The Dress, (which Tyla had already designed in her head), and the valedictory, of course.

Matric as we knew it came to an abrupt halt at the end of March 2020. What was supposed to be a 21-day lockdown turned into a much longer event, and my matric daughter became a superhero overnight.

Her amazing school and incredible teachers managed to ensure that the matric pupils were taught online in a matter of days, but although the technology was great, Tyla soon missed being with her friends.

Houseparty and Zoom became the new vocabulary in our house, and Saturday nights were filled with the sounds of young people talking and laughing, just not in the same room.

The school day was intense, sitting at the computer from 08:00 to 15:30 every day was no easy task, but she coped. Finally, the matrics were allowed to go back to school, obeying very strict protocols, but one by one, their milestones were cancelled. As each one was eliminated, my heart broke for Tyla just a little bit more.

This was supposed to be her last year of school, a culmination of 12 long, hard years. No matric dance, the school valedictory cancelled, instead an online valedictory.

Instead of letting all this get her down, my superhero worked even harder. She made time to exercise, even if it was in the garden or on Zoom. She made sure to take time out from her studies to chill out with her friends, even if it wasn’t in person.

But most importantly, she spent time with us as a family every day, which we all needed.

Now more than half way through her final exams, I can honestly say that I am in awe of my daughter, her friends, and all the matrics of 2020.

I have watched her tackle this year with true grit and determination, all the while keeping my feelings of panic and anxiety to myself. This year may have been one of the hardest years yet, but I believe that the matrics of 2020 are going to be stronger, wiser, and more resilient. They are real-life superheroes.

• Lisa Kahn is a nursery school teacher, and the mother of two daughters.