Gradual Face-to-Face Class Resumptions: Beneficial or Risky?

The long wait is finally over. This is the thought of many school officials, parents, and students in schools already during a face-to-face pilot run. Children in those schools have returned to their teachers' four classroom corners. Learning would no longer be a hassle because they would have a teacher explain their lessons to them.

With all the essential preparations and health precautions required of school workers before allowing for face-to-face learning engagement, some individuals couldn't help but wonder if reopening schools in person would benefit the children. Some parents are also wary of the government's permission of limited in-person education programs in the middle of a global pandemic.

Is it necessary to implement face-to-face classes now, even if the virus is still present? This is just one of several questions that may directly or indirectly impact children's education. Some parents are apprehensive about allowing their children to participate in the restricted in-person lessons being piloted because there is currently no vaccine available for children aged 11 and under in the Philippines as of this date. We cannot blame these parents for not allowing their children to attend school. They merely wanted to ensure that the virus did not infect their children.

Another question has been made about this scenario. Are our face-to-face classes good or bad for young learners amid a global pandemic, particularly at the elementary level, where the majority have not yet been immunized against the Covid-19 virus?

As a teacher, I believe that having face-to-face lessons is beneficial nowadays. We are all aware of both teachers' and students' difficulties while implementing remote education, particularly when using modular learning. Modular is difficult, especially if the learner does not know how to read with meaning. This is common among kindergarten and grade one students who are still learning to distinguish sounds and symbols, which is a prerequisite for reading. With face-to-face classes, students would have plenty of opportunities to ask their teacher for help with anything they didn't understand right away.

Teachers may now monitor the children's academic progress daily to establish how far they have progressed with their knowledge and abilities in face-to-face settings. Yes, I emphasize that face-to-face learning is beneficial for young learners in knowledge and skill development.

F2F would only be detrimental to children if the rules, particularly those required to meet public minimum health standards, were not followed before the school's opening. It is also problematic if parents and other school stakeholders do not carry out their respective roles and duties in implementing face-to-face sessions.

The faith in our educational system and the future of our younger generation are dependent on how we think about and respond to the Covid-19 virus crisis today.

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The author is Teacher I at Bagong Sikat Elementary School, Narra Del

Norte District, Schools Division of Palawan, MIMAROPA Region