Inequities and clumsiness abound in our public pre-university education system. A place where children from different origins could put their backpacks in nearby cubbies, sit in a circle, and study together was also wonderful..
Because our families opted to do it together—even though it meant that we would have to deal with our differences and biases long before our children could tie their own shoes—the school where I work and where my 6-year-old attends is a place where we can all learn from each other.
Then came Covid, and these once-close-knit school communities fell apart. The Victorian practise of employing a governess and a music master was revived by the wealthiest parents, who snatched up teachers for their “microschools. There were others who went to private school without saying a word.
Work From Home
Working from home allowed some middle-class parents the opportunity to keep an eye on their children’s education while juggling their own job schedules. With no other choice, parents with small children or those who work in physical locations juggled schooling and child care responsibilities.
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Even if schools were closed, the associated health hazards and shortage of child care remained. In other words, they went from well-educated professional teachers who were unionised and subsidised by taxes to hourly labourers who were paid an hourly rate and received no benefits.
No assistance was provided to the poorest families. Nothing for the little ones but the drab virtual representations of necessary treatments such as occupational or speech therapy
Zoom School
A couple of hours a day of Zoom school for their children could be worked out if the logistics could be worked out. Attendance warnings were issued if students were unable to do so. Students called into my fourth-grade class from the automobile as their mother carried groceries, or from the toddler room of their mother’s busy day care centre, while they were in the third or fourth grade.
Problems of Online School
Kids who were left alone with younger brothers or cousins had a difficult time staying focused when bouncing a crying baby or getting swung about by a foam sword. Several others chose to stay in their beds and play video games or watch television shows. To no avail, I had to repeat myself over and over again, each time with the same response: “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you,” with their audio and video shrieking and freezing as they spoke.
The collaborative magic of the classroom was reduced to an educational film even under the best of circumstances. The “rubber-rooming” of the entire school system was obscured by virtual school, which had none of these features: classroom discussions, human connections, art supplies, classroom libraries, or even time and space to play.
Parents Complained
Educators sneered at the parents who complained, saying they were merely looking for cheap childcare. My work revolves around child care, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. To be sure, I educate and mentor young people in the areas of literacy and writing, but I also keep an eye on them, serve as a constant source of moral and practical guidance, and devise fun activities to keep them engaged. Children are entitled to individualised attention. Those are at the heart of our pledge to them.
I’m still stunned and shocked that our society shirked its role and allowed each family to fend for itself when it comes to their children’s education. It wasn’t because it was safe, but because their jobs are so important that they had to go to work in person, including many of my pupils’ parents. Please, no more Facebook memes about “the kids are fine.” During the pandemic, some youngsters may have picked up new skills like doing laundry or appreciating the outdoors. Many others were traumatised and cut off, and it will take years to mend those wounds for them.
Public health is a field in which I have zero expertise. I’m not going to speculate on how the school closures impacted the control of Covid. What I do know is that the private schools in our city immediately began improving their HVAC systems, erecting tents, reducing class sizes, and changing their timetables so that they could reopen. Other countries and states’ public schools followed suit.
More of our public school systems should have done the same, repurposing buildings, reassigning employees, redesigning curriculum, and reallocating funds to provide consistent public schooling for all children as safely as feasible.
Many parents opted for the more convoluted hybrid schedules that offered even less consistency than virtual school, so we added new restaurants, gyms, and bars while keeping their children at home. Despite the fact that vaccination rates have dropped and vaccination rates have risen, some families are still hesitant to send their children back to us in the autumn for another year. My gut tells me that the reason is because we betrayed their confidence.
Is it possible for certain children to benefit from virtual education? Sure. The same holds true for homeschooling or not going to school at all. However, the fact that most districts, including mine, intend to disable or restrict the online option gives me great relief.
If this is a sign of renewed dedication to public education, I’m all for it. Our schools must be safe, equitable, and flexible, just like they were before. Coming together will be difficult and messy, as it always has been. Teachers, parents, and students will all require some time to mend their bonds with our establishments.
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Conclusion
we’ll all be back in the same place, eating the same stuff, in no time. This morning’s friend might need our support later on, and we’ll find out soon enough. Soccer disagreements will take place at recess and will be resolved in closing circle. Songs, stories, and seeds are all on the agenda while we wait to see what happens. That’s what it’s like to go to school in the real world. What public schools are for is to educate the general people.
