Social supports are key aspect of schooling

What happens in fall will have lasting implications,

July is here. Students are celebrating the start of their summer break. Parents are looking forward to the start of a new school year in September after summer activities and perhaps a vacation away. Not this year!

As school ends and summer begins, the days feel very much the same. Kids have been home for 3 ½ months and the days just flow into summer, looking similar except for the school work which, let’s face it, wasn’t happening the same way or wasn’t happening at all.

Parents have likely thought a lot about the role of teachers over the passing months — educating our children, our youth. But there is another job teachers do beyond reading, writing and arithmetic. Increasingly, teachers provide social support and that role requires a relationship with the student and hopefully the parents.

Schools are meant to be safe places where students can express their opinions, learn social skills for life, struggle and try again, receive help when they are struggling, access emotional support and obtain guidance for their future.

And, it is where some students receive one to two meals each day; are offered a warm coat, mitts and hat in the winter; and encounter teachers who notice changes in students, make calls to families during difficult times and assist them with applying for additional resources in the community.

“Tis a great point of Wisdom ... to begin at the right end” (Samuel Palmer, 1710) or, in other words, to begin as you mean to go.

Think about students who will start Grade 1, their first year of “real school,” in September. They probably had a disrupted kindergarten, daycare, preschool or home life due to the drastic changes in routine a few months ago.

Now, their first experience with going to a physical school for a full day may not occur. The relationship between school and home is critical to each child and family’s educational journey and is built in Grade 1.

Just as vulnerable are those students entering Grade 12 — their last year as they transition to adulthood. Grade 12 students require the ongoing support of teachers, guidance counsellors and coaches to complement the support of family during this transition.

The students who are transitioning between elementary school, junior high school and high school also need special attention. These changes are anxiety producing for children and youth.

Mental health issues may be the result for some students who have had no opportunity to connect with the school and develop relationships with teachers and peers. These mental health issues often result in stigma, poor view of self and decreased educational outcomes — lifelong challenges.

Looking to the fall, schools are struggling with what to do. The plans range from having every student back in class in September as it was before March 2020, to part-time attendance, or even having students remain at home.

Difficult choices need to be made about who goes to a physical school space and who stays home this fall. Decisions that support the most vulnerable students are the place to start. Grade 1, Grade 12 and transitioning students require the full attention of school decision-makers. They need to build a strong foundation for the newest students, provide solid support for students who are moving to a new stage of their education and, to achieve success, partner with those completing their final year.

What happens in school this coming year will have lasting effects for the whole community. Communicate with leaders in education. Ask them to:

Ensure that the youngest

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students have the required support and experience in a physical school setting to start their journey;

Offer students moving to

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new schools the personal attention and support that being in a physical space provides;

Give students in their

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last year a solid start that a physical school setting can provide, as they enter adulthood, so they can enter the workforce or post-secondary options with confidence, becoming successful citizens.

Raising engaged citizens is the shared role of student, parent, school and community. Just like a math equation, beginning well equals ending well.

Chris Tortorelli is an assistant professor in child studies and social work at Mount Royal University.