Since so many of you are parents and/or educators, I’d love to hear how this school year is going for you so far. Anecdotally, I’ve heard a lot of educators say that this year already feels extremely hard; conversely, I’ve heard a lot of parents feeling relief that this school year feels more “normal” (even though COVID cases continue to rise??). I’d love to know how it feels for you.
My kid is in fifth grade this year, and I have to admit I've kind of just been letting school happen, not paying a ton of attention to what's going on? Which feels like a huge privilege after a couple years of either remote school, or the adjustment back to in-person with still a lot of restrictions. And this feels kind of like the last year of zero consequences for things like missed assignments, etc., before middle school begins.
This year has been like day and night from last year for my 11th grader. He attends class! He does his homework! He has found structure and motivation and made connections with teachers and classmates in a different way than last year, when he was depressed and using drugs and generally in the wind. We were in person but the number of fights and problems were astronomically worse than they had been for my older son pre-pandemic. The pandemic's toll on kids' mental health combined with the learning loss will reverberate for a generation. I was supportive of school closure, but in retrospect, I don't think it was the right thing to do. I understand teachers' concerns but I wonder whether things would be as difficult now if we had kept everyone in school and focused on creating safe classrooms instead.
I share your concerns in hindsight about school closures. It became such an entrenched position that moving out of it seemed impossible while we were in it. It's really astonishing to me to have seen in real time the incredible value that school provides to students and families - and what is lost when it's gone. I'm glad your 11th grader is having a better year!
My kid is in fifth grade this year, and I have to admit I've kind of just been letting school happen, not paying a ton of attention to what's going on? Which feels like a huge privilege after a couple years of either remote school, or the adjustment back to in-person with still a lot of restrictions. And this feels kind of like the last year of zero consequences for things like missed assignments, etc., before middle school begins.
This year has been like day and night from last year for my 11th grader. He attends class! He does his homework! He has found structure and motivation and made connections with teachers and classmates in a different way than last year, when he was depressed and using drugs and generally in the wind. We were in person but the number of fights and problems were astronomically worse than they had been for my older son pre-pandemic. The pandemic's toll on kids' mental health combined with the learning loss will reverberate for a generation. I was supportive of school closure, but in retrospect, I don't think it was the right thing to do. I understand teachers' concerns but I wonder whether things would be as difficult now if we had kept everyone in school and focused on creating safe classrooms instead.
I share your concerns in hindsight about school closures. It became such an entrenched position that moving out of it seemed impossible while we were in it. It's really astonishing to me to have seen in real time the incredible value that school provides to students and families - and what is lost when it's gone. I'm glad your 11th grader is having a better year!