I‘m the parent of a curious, energetic kindergartner who began school last August at the age of 5. His journey to that first day was preceded by several years of special education preschool. Since 2 1/2, he has received assistance for an expressive speech delay.
Our son is bright, outgoing, and cheerful. He understands what people tell him, but expressing his thoughts, wants, and needs back to us has been a challenge for years. It remains a daily struggle, but there has been a marked improvement in his abilities. His most significant gains have taken place in kindergarten. Being immersed among peers and meeting his speech therapist face to face is essential for his learning, as it is for other children.
Before my son began kindergarten, his preschool therapist encouraged us with this: Vocabulary would most likely explode once he was in a regular classroom. My child is not alone, and that is why schools must remain open and learning must be as unencumbered as possible.
We counted down the days and anxiously waited. Unfortunately, the pandemic had thrown a wrench into his preschool life. For a while, he attended virtually, and at other times, he attended in person, wearing a mask. The latter was not ideal, but the former was little more than a waste of time.
The pandemic wasn’t “officially” over when my son finally embarked on a traditional educational path. Still, his elementary school speech therapist has a full caseload of students. Children who require extra attention because of physical, behavioral, and developmental needs benefit the most from in-person, mask-free learning. There is simply no substitute for qualified teachers and assistants in a productive learning environment.
The public has dealt with plenty of burdens since the start of the pandemic. Parents are stressed because they’ve had to deal with changing work conditions and the challenges of raising their children.
But children have had to shoulder harsh new realities instituted by adults. It’s causing a short-term crisis, and what happens in the long term remains to be seen. Still, fearmongers are determined to place restrictions on children. It doesn’t matter if the science says otherwise. Mitigation efforts have become a new religion, and children are caught in the crossfire.
The excuses for closing schools have all dried up. Vaccine administration began in December 2020. There has been more than enough time to receive a one- or two-dose regimen and a booster. The initial narrative attached to the vaccines seemed to indicate that life would return to normal once people got vaccinated. Instead, it appears that many who pushed the vaccines now act as if vaccines mean nothing and do nothing. It’s a mindset that has expanded to certain states and school districts, teachers, and even some parents. People can live in fear all they want, but it affects others. And those “others” are children like my son and millions more.
Children are indeed resilient. At the same time, adults should not project their anxieties on them. When it comes to masks, the World Health Organization advises the following: “Children aged five years and under should not be required to wear masks. This is based on the safety and overall interest of the child and the capacity to appropriately use a mask with minimal assistance.”
The conclusion results from research regarding the virus, transmission, “and other factors such as childrens’ psychosocial needs and developmental milestones.”
Children remain the group that is least likely to suffer from COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent figures, less than 1,200 people under 18 have died from COVID-19, out of a population of 78 million. It is still a virus that primarily affects those 50 and older, particularly those 65 and over.
The data about the virus, availability of vaccines, and concerns about requiring younger children to wear masks result in a different approach to children and classrooms. Of course, as with other illnesses, sick students or teachers should stay home. That is common sense. But restricting learning by closing schools or demanding face coverings doesn’t reflect the science. Necessary mitigation efforts are one thing. However, behaving as if stunted learning experiences and masked children should be “the new normal” does an untold amount of harm.
My son’s communication skills have grown, and that growth is directly related to being around peers and teachers five days a week in a structured classroom setting. For that, I am immensely grateful. Could his gains have come stronger and sooner if masks were made optional during this time? Perhaps. At this point, I’ll never know.
Decisions about how best to educate children during the pandemic come from present circumstances. It is not March 2020.
Fear helped to drive coronavirus-related scientific advancements. But now, the fear should be gone, not used to restrict children’s mental, emotional, or educational development.
