‘Maslow before Bloom’ for teachers and their learners 17 Feb 2021 Teachers at the University of Johannesburg Metropolitan Academy found a different, warmer way of catching up on learning losses caused by Covid. (Madelene Cronjé) Despite the delay in the start to the school year, the principal of the University of Johannesburg Metropolitan Academy, Rehana Jardine, wanted to begin with the most important thing that needed addressing — the expected trepidations, fear and anxieties of her teachers as they embarked on an uncertain year ahead. As the second and a possible third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic amplifies fears that accrued learning losses could be exacerbated among learners, Jardine and I created a play-based session to provide a safe space for acknowledging emotional and well-being concerns that her teachers had for themselves and for the learners in their care.