It is shocking how something so small can have such huge ramifications. This tiny virus that, under other circumstances looks like a plush stuffed toy, has crippled a global economy.
This virus has forced us to focus our energy on taking constant precautions to social distance, spending more time washing our hands than touching things, and forgetting our face mask in the car and then having to go back and put it on. COVID-19 has certainly compromised our ability to live normally.
Parents worry, is it safe to send my child to school? Meanwhile, teachers wonder whether the classroom environment can be a source of joy for their students given limited contact with their friends. Additionally, the administrators question if the schools will be able to provide for those memorable childhood experiences that we would want our students to hold dear for the rest of their lives.
Yes, the year 2020 has been a turbulent period around the world and in Arizona. Arizonans find themselves in a collective state of confusion, concern, and ambiguity. In these unprecedented times, parents must make decisions with no clear correct answers and little directives.
On June 29, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced that in-person instruction would be delayed until at least Aug. 17 due to the increased rate of COVID-19 cases. This extended date of schools’ reopening has given parents more time to make a decision, but it has also given them more time to fret about the impact of their decisions on their children’s well-being.
I am an educator. With our summer coming to a close, I ponder over many questions that parents may be asking.
What is my school doing to protect my children if I send them back?
First and foremost, your school should remember that there is nothing quite like the persistent disquiet of leaving your child at a location which requires somewhat close contact. Your school’s procedures for handling COVID-19 safety measures, policies, and procedures is crucial and is necessary. There is not a single way to allay fears, but we can reduce those restless feelings.
Second, make sure that your school is not only following CDC guidelines but also going overboard. Unfortunately, the competing interests of educating students, while at the same time keeping students healthy, has meant that there are only general guidelines on what your school should do.
While these guidelines are important, there are a few requirements which must be followed. Find a school or speak with someone at your school to make sure they are going above and beyond what is required to provide a safe learning environment for your children.
How do I address the social and emotional needs of my children?
As educators, we are continuously deliberating on how safety precautions will affect the social and emotional health of our children. For instance, wearing masks drastically reduces the spread of the virus, containing the droplets of someone’s sneezes safely in their own mask. Unfortunately, wearing a mask severely limits a teacher’s ability to display facial expressions and positive emotions to her students.
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has always been a critical part of education. During these tumultuous times, SEL is even more important, focused on teaching students the social and emotion skills needed to ensure that they are given the opportunity to gain the academic knowledge.
A pristine learning environment — so sterilized that the accoutrements that made school so inviting are no longer there — can be damaging to the mental health of children. Children need interactions with peers and with their teachers. Younger children need play and recess, and physical activity to release and recharge. Eight-year-old children need time to invent complicated games for their friends to play and then argue when their arbitrary rules are broken.
Frequent brain and physical breaks are necessary. Schools must include quick stretching or body weight exercises. Make sure your school has a plan to address this crucial need of your children.
Unstructured play, dedicated socialization time, enhanced teacher-student interactions, and school culture programs and activities are much more important. Ask your school leaders what plans they have to address these needs.
Is remote learning a good option?
Should I be more worried about my child’s safety or more worried about the possible negative impact of remote learning?
Your child’s health and safety at the school is a valid concern. Even though it is believed children do not get sick from the virus at the same rate as older members of our population, they can be possible silent carriers, able to transfer the virus to multiple students and teachers in a single day.
Since the reopening of businesses in our state, the population that seems to be getting sick are actually people aged 20 to 44 — the age range of parents of the elementary school children. While your children’s classmates may not get sick, the adults may.
Procedures in the classroom because of COVID-19 can be stifling. Already crowded classrooms mean freezing students in their seat for the entirety of the day. Some schools prohibit leaving the classroom except for bathroom breaks. All this together means that the most of the time a student cannot move around at all.
Students also miss out on the innumerable benefits of bonding and socialization that occur with face-to-face contact and live interaction that can be both physical and dynamic — no teacher to smile at them and no friend to laugh at their jokes.
Remote learning seems to be an option. However, there are certainly a lot of concerns that educators and parents rightly have about remote learning. As any parent who has had the experience of trying to educate a child during last semester can vouch, remote learning requires a lot of self-direction on the part of the student.
It does seem easier for those students who are already self-motivated. Many students benefit from remote learning due to their learning styles. Additionally, for some students, taking the social burden of attending school away will help them flourish. Probably the most significant benefit of remote learning is that it prepares students for the future. The world is already digitized, and through remote learning, students can become experts on various digital products.
Hence, what should your school be doing? Creating a dynamic, discovery-based environment that is engaging, personal, entertaining, and captivating.
Ask your school for examples of lessons. They should have multiple interactive requirements. You should see assignments that require the child to answer thoughtful questions that not only test knowledge but more importantly, they should engage students’ love for creativity and novelty. Teachers should leverage the natural propensity of children to value imagination. Your school should turn the process of instruction into a process of discovery.
Remember, the learning experience is not something acquired by your child, like going to the market and getting an orange. It is something that happens to them. It is life changing and defines who they are, what inspires them, and what else can they know next.
Parents, we know you do not have an easy choice to make. You have many difficult decisions to make but what I hope I did was to give you some points to consider. Remote learning is not per se good or bad — but neither is clustered students during a pandemic. Choose a school that holds as fundamental its role in nurturing the fullest, brightest, and best expression of your children.
It is tempting to choose the option that is not as bad as the other. Instead, find a school you can choose because the educators took their responsibility seriously to create an environment that nurtures students’ inner spirit of curiosity and helps develop an intrinsic motivation to learn.
For more information, please contact Self Development Academy at (480) 641-2640.