COVID-19 In Schools: Thinking Past The Numbers
- Generation Now
- Sep 3, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 19, 2020
By: Julia Brgan
August 29, 2020
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“Back to School Blowout!” “Get Ready For September!” “School Supplies on Sale!”—you see it in nearly every store as the first day of school for kids in Ontario draws nearer. For most students, the last time they were in a school was March 13th, 2020… And what a journey it has been since then.
It is an understatement to say that life as we’re used to, has been flipped on its head in the past couple of months. The store clerk stands behind a plexiglass wall and the harsh scent of hand sanitizer seems to follow you wherever you go. Although recently, the world has begun to re-open again. The trees begin to lose their leaves as they do every fall—because nature forges on nonetheless; with them, comes the question everyone seems to be asking: “Will students be going to school again in September?”
On Wednesday, August 26th, almost two weeks before Ontario schools open their doors for the 2020/2021 school year, the Ontario Government released a detailed plan on dealing with the threat of a pandemic once school is in session.
The plan is thorough, developed by medical leaders, and therefore focuses on things in a medical way. There are thought-out steps on how to deal with the possibility of a sick child, teacher, or bus driver, and even an example of a letter to send out to parents on how to quickly notice symptoms. As thought-out and meticulous as it is, the plan seems to forget that the biggest role teachers will be playing this year is a support system for every student who walks into their classroom.
The loss of social and routine structure for some students will be overwhelming. The plan removes a schedule that makes things run smoothly and comfortably, and replaces it with brand new, strict regulations and rules. It separates students from their peers, and forces them into creating makeshift coping strategies as a result. Is there a plan for students to deal with their worries and fears? Some students may very well have lost a family member or friend to the virus in the months schools have been closed. How do you tell an upset kindergarten student looking for physical reassurance that they must stay six feet away from you? How do you explain that it is just temporary? That a relationship can be established some day? Do teachers have the resources to do it? Good teaching is dependent on a strong student-to-teacher relationship, one where trust and comfort is recognized immediately. Is there a way to do this behind masks and a distance of six feet?
Even the less emotion-based side of the coin poses a few questions. Children from grades four and up are required to wear masks all day while in school buildings. For older students, this won't be too great of an issue. Younger students, for lack of a better word, are messy. They sneeze, they cough, they pick their noses. Do you have a child wear a mask that they have sneezed in for the rest of the day because they only brought one? What if they drop it in a puddle, or spill something on it? How do you regulate a class of 30 kids, (a number that Doug Ford refuses to lower) keep them up to the public health standards needed to prevent an outbreak, while also teaching a meaningful lesson?
Of course there is the option to keep kids out of school—every parent has the choice to homeschool their child. However, for younger children, online learning is very dependent on the parent, which is not always an option in families where parents have no choice but to work during the day. Online learning also disproportionately affects low income families as they are more likely to have only one device that must be shared among multiple family members. They are less likely to have the high-speed internet connection needed for this type of learning. This leaves students at risk of falling behind or failing, while higher income families may be able to float by. In short, online learning is not feasible for every type of family situation.
How do students feel about returning to school?
A grade eight elementary school student voiced their thoughts about returning to school and how online learning wasn't the best experience. “My classes will be in person because that is the option that me and my parents have selected. Personally, the online school that we had to do at the end of my Grade 7 year did not actually help me learn anything (school-wise).”
Also mentioned, was the way that they and their peers would have to change the way they functioned normally in school. “The kids who have chosen to return to school will definitely have to adapt. All kids are required to wear a mask all day long and desks will be separated from groups and organized as singles.”
The student spoke about a few of their worries concerning the younger students wearing masks. These words were echoed by a grade three student, who is not required to wear a mask, but will be wearing one in September. “I don’t like wearing a mask very much because it hurts my ears, and sometimes it's also hard for other people to hear me talk. It also smells bad in the mask sometimes which I don't like.”
For high school students, the biggest pressure on their shoulders is the battle of how to do well in courses that are taught in a mix of online and in-person settings. A grade 12 student, aged 17, laid out the plan that most Ontario high schoolers recognize at this point: “We’re going to be having 4 ‘quadmesters’ instead of 2 semesters, we will not be allowed to leave and we must eat in our classes. We are going to be having some days where we are at school for 5 hours and we must do an extra 90 minutes of online school at home. Other days will be mainly online and little time in class.”
In summary, Ontario schools are splitting students up into two cohorts that will be in school either the first or last two days of the week and on alternating Wednesdays, depending on the group. On days off, they will complete online learning. As mentioned, semesters will be split into “quadmesters” where students will focus on one course for 44 days with extra time for exams in between. For grade 12 students who already face stress with doing well in courses that require high marks for university admissions and grade 9 students who are starting a transition into more intense learning, it will not be easy. However, the addition of in-person classes lifts a weight off of some shoulders. “...I struggled focusing with online and didn’t learn much last year so I’m glad we’re getting some in class time.”
When asked about their thoughts on starting university in the middle of a pandemic, an anonymous first year communications student spoke about their worries concerning the feelings of loneliness that single residences may bring. “It’s like being in isolation where you get no human interaction other than passing people in the halls. I know that will be really tough on lots of people, especially with all the worries and nervous feelings going around.”
Many universities, unlike elementary and secondary schools, are adopting a completely online plan. This can be overwhelming in terms of learning how to cope with the change in the way classes are taught. For many students, intense time management and motivational skills will need to be developed very quickly in order to prevent falling behind. “All of my classes are online. I think it will make my grades drop in terms of what I would normally achieve, because online learning doesn’t make me want to work. I feel like I will lose motivation to do assignments.”
These thoughts are a reality for many students. According to a study from The Brookings Institution, it was found that students taking online courses were likely to fall .44 points lower on a 4.0 GPA scale compared to their counterparts who completed classes in person.
Overall, a theme of insecurity seems to run through each possibility. If schools are to open, tackling this insecurity needs to be the main focus. It is expected that there will be a loss of learning in this unsure period of time, and for some it may be upsetting. Rehabilitation is utterly important and needed, especially for the younger ones who might not understand why they can't hug their best friend anymore. It is the loss of these friendships, a comforting schedule and other important relationships that will have lasting effects. Anxiety, unsureness, and trauma are extremely influential in a developing child’s psyche. Along with the troubles they may face at school, the constant flow of bad news coming from every screen is no comfort. If students are to be in school again, a plan has to be made, one that takes into account much more than the medical side of things.
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