My Nickel’s Worth
There has been much debate lately on whether students should return to the classroom this school year or remain online and virtually. I am here to tell you that the students in this country, county, and town should be back in school and in the classrooms, this fall without a shadow of a doubt. After doing much research concerning COVID-19, it has been proven that kids are 20 times as likely to die from the flu as they are the Coronavirus. Even if students do get the virus, almost all of them will statistically recover very quickly. You might ask, well wouldn’t the kids give it to adults and the elderly? The answer according to the facts and statistics is unequivocally no. Adults give it to students 95 percent of the time, while the other five percent, students will give it to adults...more notably the ages of 25-54 and 55-85 and over. Do not get it twisted, precautions need to be taken of course, with all teachers and students wearing a mask from Junior High and up in the classrooms. This will not apply to elementary students, as the percentage of kids giving the virus to other students and adults is essentially zero. The one exception to the junior high and high school students not wearing masks, is athletics. In this instance, coaches will wear masks at the appropriate times depending on the circumstances.
Our students NEED to be back in school, at all levels for so many reasons...and the American Academy with a group of 67,000 pediatricians fully agree. “We absolutely need to open schools. There’s no question school is important for children -- not just for education purposes, but for their development, for their mental health, for nutrition and even for health care,” Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez stated. Dr. Sanchez is a pediatrician herself and is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University. “Lengthy time away from school and associated interruption of supportive services often results in social isolation, making it difficult for schools to identify and address important learning deficits as well as child and adolescent physical or sexual abuse, substance use, depression, and suicidal ideation,” the group of pediatricians added in agreement.
Virtual learning is so difficult on my parents, especially those that simply cannot afford to stay home. Think about the single parent who is working two jobs just to keep a roof over his or her children’s head. Think about the kids who only get their meals at school, who rely on those meals every day of the week just so they are not starving. “Beyond the educational impact and social impact of school closures, there has been substantial impact on food security and physical activity for children and families.”
It is hard enough as it is for teachers to stop bullying that goes on in the in person classrooms...but just imagine how bad it gets when there is no adult supervision when the kids are at home. Do you really think a child is going to learn more by looking at a computer virtually than in a classroom? We can all agree on that one. The facts state that our students need to be back in schools and universities for the wellbeing of this upcoming young generation and the future of this country. The choice is clear from all angles. If there are some parents that don’t want their kid back in schools and some teachers do not want to teach in person, that is their right. But the rest of us need to be back in school this fall.