Kids are heading back to school for what will hopefully be the first somewhat normal school year since COVID-19 hit.
Although people are still getting sick with COVID, most of us have had at least a couple of vaccinations and a bout or two of the illness, meaning whatever hits now is less severe. The result may be a higher-than-normal absentee rate at school, but no restrictions – at least, as of press time.
No one knows what the fall will bring in terms of new waves of COVID, and while most of us embrace the return to normal, we have not thrown out our masks.
There will be sports, extracurricular activities, co-op education and a normal class schedule. Gone are distancing rules and one-gallon jugs of hand sanitizer. Unless something drastic happens, students will attend classes in person, not via computer. Teachers will be present to guide learning, answer questions, encourage exploration of ideas, inspire, assist and provide direction. They will also assign and check homework, will care whether a student is paying attention, and will notice when a student makes an extra effort on an assignment.
While attending class via a computer at the kitchen table allowed learning to continue when students were unable to go to school, it was far from an optimum situation, especially at the beginning.
Some students thrived during COVID, completing assignments and enjoying the greater opportunities for self-directed learning.
However, far too many struggled, especially the ones who needed an extra bit of help that is so easy to seek and provide in a regular classroom situation, and nearly impossible by computer.
Some students, for all practical purposes, lost two years of school. Not every student had a computer-literate parent or guardian ready to supervise and assist, or even a quiet place to do schoolwork. There were technology and internet issues, plus mental health problems experienced by many people, both young and old, during the pandemic.
We cannot expect the return to regular classes to occur as if nothing happened. The COVID pandemic happened, a once-in-a-century event that continues to have a profound impact on the entire world’s economy and health. Our kids may not understand it, but they feel it.
While most of them are eager to be with their friends, and will head back to the classroom happily and confidently, some are probably more apprehensive than usual, and may need a little extra encouragement. They are unsure what the coming months will bring.
This is as true of teachers as it is of students. Probably the most apprehensive people of all are parents. We wonder if our children have acquired or retained the tools they need to resume learning in a normal classroom situation.
This might be the right time to ease off a bit on the after-school activities, at least for a while, and let the kids get back into the school routines at a speed they can handle.
Most of us, including our children, have become accustomed to the increase in unstructured time that COVID gave us. We all may welcome a few more evenings to just relax with a good book, do crafts or go for a walk, instead of eating fast food in the car while dashing to and from practices, meetings and organized activities.
During COVID, some of us – not just kids – discovered that sitting on a log and watching minnows in a creek could be enjoyable, that a crack-of-dawn walk amidst birdsong on dew-covered trails gave a burst of energy that could last an entire day, and that a lot of those must-attend evening events really did not need our presence.
Let this be a plea to give the back-to-school gang a bit of breathing space. COVID was difficult, and getting past the problems it caused will not be without challenges. This is as true for Grade 3 students as it is for school principals, not to mention provincial and municipal leaders.
Kids are resilient, but two years of pandemic is a huge percentage of a 10-year-old’s life.
