Social Policy in Ontario

Why in-person learning matters: A dispatch from the front lines

Posted on December 18, 2021 in Education Debates

Source: TheStar.com — Authors: Dr. Sloane J. Freeman, Ripudaman Singh Minhas

TheStar.com – Opinion/Contributors
Fri., Dec. 17, 2021.   By Ripudaman Singh Minhas, Sloane J. Freeman, Contributors

Across ages, students have remarked on the tragic impacts of prolonged social isolation from their peers. In our clinic, patients are now beaming.

After coping with the isolation and uncertainty of virtual school, this fall’s return to in-person learning has been a breath of fresh air for many students.

As pediatricians working in school-based clinics in Toronto, we have witnessed the deterioration of students’ well-being with school closures. Since September, we have watched many of our patients once again thrive in in-person learning environments, with clear positive impacts on their mental, physical and academic well-being. As we nervously watch daily COVID counts and await further information about the Omicron variant, we must do everything possible to keep schools safely open.

While teachers quickly created online learning environments in response to pandemic-related school closures in spring 2020, vital pieces of the school experience could not be translated into a virtual space. Across age ranges, students have remarked on the tragic impacts of prolonged social isolation from their peers. They have mourned disrupted social customs and rites like attending birthday parties, camps, graduations, concerts and sports tournaments. We know there have been huge impacts on mental health, with record-high numbers of calls to crisis lines, mental health referrals, and admissions for eating disorders.

In our clinic, patients are now beaming as they talk about connecting with their friends, and the joy of being able to participate in extracurricular activities in which they excel and find self-worth. Schools are much more than desks and classrooms. For many students, they are sources of community, safety, nourishment and identity. Schools are ideal settings to learn and practice developmental tasks throughout childhood and adolescence, including the cultivation of social networks, the evolution and definition of oneself, and the gradual exertion of independence from one’s caregivers. Many of our patient families remark about the stagnation of their children’s development in what could be seen as a “pandemic pause.”

Children’s nutrition has also improved with the return of school-based meal programs. Similarly, school routines have reduced snacking and grazing between meals. Many students have also reported that increased physical activity in gym class and recess has translated to improved mood, concentration and sleep. Furthermore, many school boards have prioritized competitive indoor sports by adopting vaccine mandates to decrease infection risk for students who wish to participate over the winter months.

With more activity and improved eating habits, we anticipate a steady reduction in children’s body mass index (BMI), which increased during the pandemic according to many U.S. studies. Moreover, physical activity positively affects children’s academic performance and mental health, especially for children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Students have also reported greater enjoyment while participating in in-person academic activities, which is correlated to better school attendance and academic achievement. Indeed, in-person learning has traditionally yielded better academic results, especially for children with learning exceptionalities and developmental delays. While we do not have sufficient Canadian data to understand the role of COVID-19 and school closures on academic achievement at this time, data from the U.S. and U.K. demonstrates academic declines.

As pediatricians, we have already received numerous referrals, prompted by educators, for developmental and learning challenges presenting in the classroom. There are concerns around widening achievement gaps and learning losses, especially for students with existing learning challenges. Racialized students and those from low-income communities who experience structural inequities have also been disproportionately impacted. These students must be a focus of in-person catch-up learning and academic growth. We anticipate in-person schooling will allow opportunities for academic recovery by more readily identifying and supporting students who are struggling.

As we confront the next wave of the pandemic, we must focus on strategies to keep schools safely open, including: supporting pediatric vaccine equity and uptake, advocating for small class sizes, and access to high-quality masks and ventilation. Schools play a central role in supporting children’s developing minds and bodies, and we must do everything possible to keep them safely open.

Dr. Ripudaman Singh Minhas and Dr. Sloane J. Freeman are both pediatricians at St. Michael’s Hospital and faculty at the University of Toronto, as well as parents.

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2021/12/17/why-in-person-learning-matters-a-dispatch-from-the-front-lines.html?source=newsletter&utm_content=a02&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=email&utm_email=0C810E7AE4E7C3CEB3816076F6F9881B&utm_campaign=top_93497

Tags: Health, mental Health, participation, youth

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 18th, 2021 at 12:56 pm and is filed under Education Debates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.