What high school students really need this fall
The losses the pandemic has concurred on society are extensive, notably in the education system. Online learning is ineffective and many students fail to successfully participate due to technology limitations, a distracting environment, home responsibilities, or purely a lack of interest and motivation to learn remotely.
As I scroll through my newsfeed, I’ve seen many headlines: “What will the 2020 school year look like,” “The Government of Ontario’s Fall Education Plan,” and more to count. This discussion fails to bring forth the specific needs of the very students they are planning for.
When I speak for “students’ needs” I’m not merely referring to public health measures to ensure safety; access to PPE and hygiene products, spread-out desks, and smaller classroom sizes are all essential formalities but they won’t subdue the difficulties many students will inevitably face.
Primarily, we are going to need time to adjust to learning. After long holidays, it’s common for teachers to bury us in assignments, homework, and tests and this fall will most likely be no different.
After an extensive period away from the classroom, strategies must be put in place to integrate students back into the learning environment — the most important being time to adjust. Most of us won’t be prepared for the courses we’re taking because we simply didn’t grasp their prerequisites amid the pandemic.
Therapists, social workers, and mental health professionals must be integrated into the school system because, frankly, the work of guidance counsellors is not enough.
Sure, let’s do the breathing exercises and meditation but what’s the purpose if the issues that instigate stress are never addressed; no proper career counselling in schools, teaching methods that are not inclusive of all learning styles, and personal struggles all stimulate mental health issues.
Proposals have also been introduced to provide alternate day or week course delivery combining remote and in-school learning within timetables. While the approach to this is yet to be specifically defined, high school students already struggle completing assignments and attending meetings — I doubt the vast majority can manage such a confusing and uncertain schedule.
Yet a process everyone can contribute to is forming a deeper sense of community in academic institutions. My friends and I often joke, “I even miss the people that I hate” because every person, whether we like them or not, contributes to our student experience.
I can’t speak for everyone when I say I’m excited to return to school in the fall; seeing my friends and feeling a sense of normalcy will be long-awaited gifts, especially in my graduating year.
Nonetheless, changes must be implemented or students will be just as worse off as we are right now. Haleema Ahmed is a Grade 12 student from Markham.