School closures are stressing our children and threatening their future

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IA 6-year-old school nurse called me on Wednesday at 9am. He came to her office and went to bed. The nurse reported no temperature and was “warning, triple”. His teacher said he seemed confused and wasn’t his usual self early in the morning. My son, who wasn’t usually a sleepy child and stopped taking a nap much earlier than he expected, said he was “exhausted” when he called after waking up.

It’s not difficult to understand why. He was away from the classroom for most of the eight months due to the forced closure of Hong Kong by Covid-19. Much of what he learned was done through Zoom, interrupted by returning to school each time the city determined that the infection rate was too high. Children need everyday life and the constant turmoil is very stressful. Humans usually experience stress in the reaction of pumping their minds and fighting or fleeing. Many respond with different coping mechanisms: simply fall asleep.

The pandemic tests us all in an volatile, uncertain and complex era that is familiar to soldiers and firefighters. Our children are also experiencing it. Adults in the room are worried about their mental health, work, and financial safety, and avoid the viruses that rage around us. The stress around it is absorbed by our youngest child. And not letting them go to school makes it much worse.

One psychologist told me, “Why do some children not have these emotional and social skills after a few years?” We already have the answer. The days of Covid-19 were long enough for multiple studies to be conducted on their effects on families and children. One of the things they show is that social isolation and deprivation exacerbate the emotional well-being of young children and adolescents. The impact will last and deepen the division of society. The test scores are declining as students find it difficult to concentrate.

Another thing is that there is no definitive causal link between school rooms and rising infection rates. Schools reopened for several weeks this fall, with no outbreaks, but authorities were wary of the rise in common seasonal colds. Still, we’re in the third round of home study with Zoom for kids aged 7-8. Classroom closures were extended to older students on Wednesday, quelling the “fourth wave” following the closure of bars, nightclubs and baths. (The number of infections in Hong Kong is low annually, with a population of 7 million, about 5,700). Recent outbreaks are primarily due to a group of dance club fans, many of whom are in the golden age. Or, as another 6-year-old told me, “a naughty grandma went to dance.”

Achievements of the school that made the best use of it. We know that teachers and caregivers are at risk, but there is evidence to suggest that it is not that simple. However, start-stop lockdown makes it difficult for children to move from online to offline and back. Classroom habits and independence are compromised. By the way, young children who usually start reading around this age can’t pick it up and lose confidence and interest. Studies show that child development is a “hierarchical process of wiring the brain.” Losing these building blocks will hinder future development.

These pressures on children seem to be a poor way to control the virus. Researchers reviewing studies on school closures to contain epidemics, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Covid-19, have found little evidence that they are effective. Some have suggested that closures act as part of a general package of social isolation measures, while others have indicated the opposite. Closing the school also blocks access to mental health services.

Unlike the case of Covid-19, closing schools during the outbreak of the virus gives good results when the infection is more common in children than in adults. A draft study in Crepian Valois, France, tracked the reach of the virus. Survey results at six primary schools showed that a total of three children caught it (perhaps from their families) and went to school infected. They didn’t seem to pass it on to their close contacts.

Insights for Education estimates that nearly half of the world’s 1.6 billion elementary and junior high school students will not return to school this year. Over 80% of these live in low-income countries. In 52 countries across the economic range, Covid-19 infections actually increased during school breaks.

Policy makers also seem to forget other basic guidance for protecting children’s well-being. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization state that children ages 2-5 should not have more than one hour of screen time per day. Few households who can afford a screen will meet such restrictions in 2020.

“We’re driving with the headlights off and we have kids in the car,” Melinda Vantin, chairman of the Health Policy Department at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told NPR. She insists on keeping schools open in the United States by taking precautions such as wearing masks and rescheduling. School districts may not have the resources to fully equip teachers or make major changes to their facilities, but they are particularly disabled or have no access to distance learning.

History has lessons about how children are suffering from trauma such as war and natural disasters. The crater economy also hurts. According to one research paper, a 5 percentage point increase in unemployment during the Great Depression correlated with a 35% to 50% increase in “clinically meaningful childhood mental health problems.” And frankly, we must explain the damage done by stressed parents. I’m definitely responsible for some of my son’s anxieties.

The day his school was told that the classrooms would be closed again, he said he was “sad and angry.” In one zoom lesson last week, he misunderstood his teacher. The teacher said that he needed to walk and stretch his legs. He missed half of his writing lessons. I was on the phone for work and heard his voice outside. I wasn’t sure why I wasn’t in class, but I shed tears because I messed up my schedule. It is painful to see and manage. Instagram memes tell me I’m not alone.

Indeed, children are resilient. But if they are part of a social network of parents, grandparents, cousins, friends, etc., they are more resilient. They haven’t seen many of those people this year. Yes, there is a silver lining that I have spent much more time with my kids – stress, happiness, gratitude –. They have also seen many of their dads who haven’t traveled much. As parents, we return to the basics and focus on reading, communication, social and emotional learning. This is partly due to the lack of other options. I think it’s a victory.

Like millions of other children around the world, all my son wants for Christmas is that the virus “just disappears.” I also get him a Magna tile.-Bloomberg

Read again: Readers’ view: In many parts of India, virtual classes cannot be conducted and children can lose a year

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