OPINIONS VOTP
A poor reason to shift online
There’s a petition circulating asking for HRM students to have the option of online learning. It has now been signed by about 4,500 people.
While I understand that this petition is coming from a place of fear, a two-pronged system (one for students in school, and one for students at home) is not the answer. This was unsuccessful in Ontario and probably would be here, too. We also want to avoid moving high school students to online learning while keeping lower grades in school (Plan B).
Anxiety should not be driving decision-making; science should. The evidence tells us that, right now, it is still safe to have our children in school. In-person learning is the most effective type of learning, and school doors should be the last to close.
I am a mother of three boys in the public school system and a clinical psychologist specializing in assessment services for children with learning challenges.
In my psychology practice, we have clearly seen the gap in learning that has occurred due to four months of online instruction from March till June.
The situation is grave. Young children, children whose parents are unable to oversee their learning, and children with pre-existing learning challenges will suffer the most from not having in-person schooling.
It’s worth noting that most of our children are now behind where they should be academically. Pre-pandemic Nova Scotia was already behind several other provinces in educational achievement.
But there is more at stake: children’s developmental and mental health are on the line, too. We know the toll that learning from home took on our kids and families in the spring. Children need other children; they need their teachers; we need communities. Schools are the centre of our communities.
The Journal of the American Medical Association reported last week that virtual learning environments are likely ineffective for elementary-school-aged children, and evidence suggests that missing school has negative effects on eventual academic attainment. Decreased educational exposure places a heavy burden on children’s health. There are very real health consequences to disrupted education.
The positive change in our children since they returned to school in September has been dramatic. Thank you to all of our teachers and school staff who have worked tirelessly and put the safety precautions in place to make return to school a success.
Yes, there are now more cases of COVID-19 in Nova Scotia. However, there are still many fewer cases in Nova Scotia than in most Canadian provinces. Our province is taking measures to control the spread of infection, including shutting down bars, restaurants and recreational sports. These are places where transmission is occurring, or programs/activities that are non-essential.
If Public Health finds evidence that requires schools to shut down, they will shut down. Right now, there is no reason to close schools or switch to online learning other than anxiety — but that is a misplaced anxiety.
Yes, we need to change how we’ve been doing things. As chief medical officer Dr. Robert Strang has clearly stated, we need to go to work, go to school, and do our essential tasks — that’s it. We need to trust in Public Health and our government. Nova Scotia is leading with decisive action compared to other provinces. And we have our priorities straight. Our schools are safe, and while they’re safe, they must be open.
Erica Baker lives in Halifax