The entire world is continuing to recover from the greatest existential threat in our lifetime. The COVID pandemic killed millions, scaring us all and changing how we live our lives.
Why opine on this subject? To become a science-fiction writer, someone had to teach me long ago how to read and write so I could use those tools to create and share my work with others. Without technology, I could not have finished publishing my story, leaving the world less entertained.
As humans, when we fear danger, our instincts tell us to either fight or run and hide. At the beginning of this horrible time, we did not know how to fight, so we protected ourselves by hiding from the disease’s spread. We hid behind doors, masks, and computer screens, any way to survive without physical contact. Still, we had no defense against this new nemesis. It halted our way of life for two years.
We, adults, know what life was like before the war against this virus. Casualties include family, friends, and others around the world. The older we are, the more we have memories of happier times to mitigate the modern plague.
Our young have more of their lives drenched in this challenging time. Their prescribed development was interrupted by their need for safety. The pandemic stunted their education. Learning fell behind as time marched on. We now realize the harm it has caused.
Test scores are down, and our children have fear-related cognitive and emotional problems. It was easy for kids, being kids, to take advantage of the lack of accountability of virtual instruction. Lower-income students bore the brunt of the disruption of the last two years.
During this time, educators were torn between their teaching duties and their safety. They were woefully unprepared for what they were asked to do. Systems are hemorrhaging teachers. In many places, the results have parents flabbergasted and furious about an education culture on the verge of collapse. Schools, administrators, and school boards are hearing.
As grave as the problem seems to be, the silver lining is that parents have awakened to the crisis. News outlets report parents’ alarm at what is being taught as education. The statistics incite anxiety in these stakeholders who attend public meetings. Political consequences are materializing nationwide, pushing back on unorthodox programs perceived as harmful and leaving behind fundamental learning like reading, writing, math, science, and classical history. This distress has come to a head during this political season.
What do we do as citizens to help the education system for the next generation? Everyone in our society must be accountable and work to repair the damage from the pandemic and parents’ past neglect.
I am a massive believer in relationship building. Teaching children is a collaborative effort between the teacher and the parent. Parents cannot delegate total education responsibility to the teachers. They must actively support the learning process without micromanaging. We must develop collaborative relationships, not act superior or accusatory. There is no ‘bad guy.’ We must all help the children learn the tools for their future success. But parents must approve of what their children learn.
Achievement is not guaranteed by fancy schools that will become old and worn. Success will be when our young contribute to society as optimistic adults, whether with their minds or hands, providing for themselves and their families. I am unqualified to develop a workable implementation plan. I am a lay observer seeing real problems that have surfaced during the pandemic.
The success of our society depends on how well we remedy our education problems. History gives us a lesson. The fall of the Roman Empire caused Europe to dissolve into the Dark Ages, where the technology of the time was lost when society splintered, and institutions collapsed. An article from theMedevilist.net detailed how Europe could not cope with mass death due to the Justinian plagues. Through isolating bacterial DNA, researchers have evidence that the black plague may have begun outbreaking before the seventh century.
We have COVID, but vaccines and other technologies keep us from Rome’s fate. However, humanity cannot discount the threat of environmental competition. We must teach our children well to protect humankind from future calamity. I believe the way we teach is that consequential. Therefore, as we discern our education system’s future, our goal must be to strive for excellence in our educational institutions. It begins with a team effort between parents and teachers to agree on the path for our children’s success and support the process.
It is easier to destroy than to build. Let’s all get to work to fix the system.
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