Children Are Losing One Year Of School, But Who Cares?
I’m not the type of person who goes around ranting about our government, but the fact that children are losing so much makes me feel very anxious.
I’m just a dad. A concerned dad.
I have two little boys, Marcus is 5 and Nicholas is 7. They’re both great but have very distinct personalities.
Nicholas is shy and quiet. He enjoys learning, loves reading and is very curious about everything.
Children are losing a year of school, but who cares?
Marcus is naughty and laud. He’s very creative but doesn’t particularly like to learn English and Maths. He prefers art and sports.
I do, and if you’re a parent, you’re probably are concerned too.
Coronavirus is affecting children’s education.
In March 2020, many schools across the country closed due to the coronavirus outbreak, including my children’s school.
Some schools went above and beyond to support the kids by adapting to the new era and finding alternative ways to continue supporting children.
Zoom classes.
Daily videos.
Facebook groups.
No! Nicholas and Marcus got none of that.
Phone calls.
Why? Don’t ask me.
I tried to contact the school several times regarding the issue but they can only say that they are doing the best they can with the resources that they have.
Children are losing one year of school!
All my son’s school is providing are some PDFs and YouTube videos.
Many of the PDF’s are useless once printed. Some because of the dark images over text, some because the text is way too small to read and many because contain very long links. We can’t click on links when they are on paper, can we?
It’s so frustrating!
When the first lockdown finished, my kids took all the printed worksheets and brought them to school to show their teachers. They refused and told them to take them back.
This time they’re asking us to take pictures of the completed worksheets and send them by email on a daily basis. Also not that easy when both my partner and I are still working.
Anyway, I just want to make sure the kids don’t lose too much.
Many kids still attending school because their parents are keyworkers. Those kids are surely developing at a greater pace than my kids. My concern is that when my children come back to school they will be way behind compared to those are allowed to attend school.
I’m doing my best to teach them and support them at home, but is that enough?
I believe that they will be affected, not for a short period of time but for years to come. It will take a long time until they recover all that they’ve lost this year.
Originally published at https://davidoliveira.co.uk on January 23, 2021.