Post-lockdown, the first day of school looms over us almost as heavily as the virus we are trying to avoid. Everyone wants the children’s return to be safe, but as the effects of the novel coronavirus continue to develop, it is clear that nothing is certain.
“I definitely have mixed emotions about the upcoming year,” an occasional teacher from the Greater Essex County District School Board, who did not wish to be identified, told the Kingsville Times.
“On one hand, I’m very excited to get back to teaching and settle into more of a routine again. I really miss face-to-face interaction with students.” Nevertheless, she went on to say that “it’s impossible to not feel at least a little nervous.”
Parents must choose whether they will send their children back to the classroom or continue with an alternate plan such as online learning. The choice depends on each family’s capabilities and resources.
However, with the school boards’ re-introduction of online courses as an educational option, more responsibilities will fall on the staff.
“Teaching a regular face-to-face class is a lot of work to begin with, but now teachers have all kinds of restrictions on what can be done in class, so it really means they have to rethink much of what they normally do. And you might think that teaching online might be easier, but it presents a whole new set of challenges,” David Petro, a vice principal with the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board, told the Times.
The coronavirus pandemic hit Ontario back in March when it caused schools to go online. Since then, there have been countless virtual classrooms and planning sessions by the school boards and the Ministry of Education in order to help bring order and create a plan teachers and students can follow.
In hopes of making the situation as manageable as possible, the provincial government stated online that “it is critical to balance the risk of direct infection and transmission of COVID-19 in children with the impact of school closures on their physical and mental health.”
The proposed plans (submitted back in early August) involve many changes for teachers and students alike. The majority of fall classes at the University of Windsor and St. Clair College will resume online. At the post-secondary level, many in-person opportunities will be lost, such as practicum and co-op opportunities.
“Practicum is truly where you put into practice the theory you are learning in courses of the program — without that application piece, a significant amount of learning is missed,” Dr. Kathryn Markham-Petro, a faculty member of St. Clair College’s Early Childhood Education department, told the Times.
The WECDSB is also erring on the side of caution. “I think my biggest concern is that some students may not take the safety measures as seriously as I would hope,” said Petro.
“I think daily temperature checks for students and staff would be beneficial,” stated the aforementioned anonymous teacher. “I believe this was considered by the board at one point, but the space and staff were not available. Parents/ students are responsible for completing daily self-assessments, but I’m concerned that this will not take place every morning in every home.”
Both elementary and secondary students will have staggered starts. The students are divided into cohorts. School days are rotated for elementary students, and secondary students will attend every other day. All students from grade 4 and up will be required to wear a mask upon return.
Some parents have gone ahead and decided to withdraw their children from school entirely. Les and Tina McDonald of Kingsville have chosen to go in this direction.
“We aren’t ‘doomsday preppers’ by any means, but we have watched what’s happened in other countries (and provinces) and then seen how it’s been mimicked here in Ontario,” said Tina McDonald.
What both parents have seen and researched over the past months hasn’t made them feel safe sending their children, ages 9 and 4 years old, back to school this year.
Regardless of the school system’s planned cohorts, there are certain factors that remain uncontrollable. “Having a cohort is saying goodbye to your bubble of 10. Exposing each of your children to 25-35 other kids and, by association, their entire families and whoever is in THOSE bubbles … well you see what I mean,” McDonald said.
“You just can’t trace that or track it. And you don’t know how other families are behaving or treating things. So, we just decided to be safer than sorry.”
This is the first time that our generation has experienced a virus like COVID-19. No matter how precise a plan, we can only assess its delivery once it is underway. For now, teachers, students and parents can only follow the instructions they have been given to the best of their ability. We are all fighting an invisible war. The question remains … is our education system ready for battle?
For further information:
The government of Ontario’s reopening plan
The WECDSB reopening guidelines
University of Windsor student updates
St. Clair College “Safe Return” guidebook
Photos by Mike Gosselin