Reopening schools has been on a lot of peoples' minds. The process of switching to distance learning has frustrated parents, students, and teachers alike. Teaching is a specialized job that takes years to learn and even longer to master. Most parents were not prepared for the intricacies of teaching. Even before the distance learning many families struggled with supporting their child at home. Due to the common core curriculum shifts from knowing the answers to deeply understanding a concept many parents became frustrated, not knowing how to help their child. This is because the common core represents a complete and total shift in the way our society learns. On top of the shift to distance learning there is now another change for families. Now families are not just supporting students, they are leading the charge in instruction and doing so with a limited understanding of the content. While a large percentage of the population is engaged in some form of distance learning, there are still populations that have no or limited access to distance learning because of the digital divide. In the United States nearly 3 million students have no, or limited, internet because of the high costs of service or gaps in its availability. The digital divide is frustrating for parents and educators and widens the educational opportunity gap. For many parents, teaching from home comes with challenges beyond teaching the content. Many children struggle when learning from their caregivers because the environment is less structured when compared to school. A child’s frustration can cause emotional reactions or outbreaks that are not productive for the parent or the child. Juggling all of these problems while still working full time and managing households are why parents want schools to open. For government and business leaders restarting schools is at the core of any plan to restart economies globally. Parents made up roughly 32.7 percent of the U.S. civilian labor force in 2016, so if schools are not open, parents cannot go back to work. With Mayor Bill de Blasio reporting that New York City schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year parents, students and educators alike are wondering what schools will look like when schools open. Surely, federal, state, and local officials are looking at how other countries are reopening and operating schools during the pandemic. School has restarted in Norway, Japan, Denmark, Germany, and China. Taiwan never stopped schooling because of the nation’s robust response to the pandemic. Each country has examples of how the implementation of schools could play out. In Denmark, Germany, Israel, and Norway schools are spacing student desks six feet or more apart. In China, Japan, and Taiwan, students are required to have their temperature checked before entering school. While most countries are focusing on opening schools for older students, France and Denmark opened schools for younger learners first, with older students starting later. According to a recent study children aged 0 to 14 are less susceptible to coronavirus infection than adults in the 15 to 64 age range. While that may seem logical, a mysterious illness possibly tied to Covid-19 has been making young children sick. This is making opening schools for young learners seem unlikely. In New York State there have been over 102 cases of this inflammatory syndrome that afflicts children and appears to be connected to the coronavirus.
The American Federation of Teachers recently released a blueprint for the union’s suggestions on opening schools. While reading the report one small subsection stuck me. It was about the mental health aspect of the crisis: "Prolonged physical distancing, death and illness in our families and communities, and economic dislocations, will leave many students and faculty with ongoing trauma and mental health issues, and it is incumbent on us to meet their needs now more than ever." First and foremost, slowing down and thinking critically will be key in reopening schools. Schools are important and not having them open is straining communities but if we open them too quickly, children's physical and mental health will suffer. The importance of mental health is something that we must not lose sight of as educators and as a society. While it is important to focus on keeping families and staff safe when opening schools, it will be equally important to focus on the mental health of everyone in the school building. Everyone has experienced some level of trauma because of the pandemic but children will be especially vulnerable. Many children may have experienced loss and all children will have experienced instability due to the interruption of school and the changes in life from coronavirus. Staff will also have experienced various trauma due to the pandemic and will also need support to ensure emotional consistency. Emotionally constancy in teaching is important because it helps teachers gain and maintain their student's trust and students to feel safe. Working with children is hard but when school will reopen educators will be met with a new set of challenges. These challenges will require support from families and administrators to ensure success from teachers and students. It is paramount that schools are supported in the monumental task of supporting student and staff mental health. If we want school to be productive and safe places, everyone in a school building must feel safe and supported, emotionally and physically.
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