The sand is moving through the hourglass

The Sand is moving through the hourglass

 

 

Just about everyone agrees, distance learning is a lot more distance than it is learning.   On the other hand, everyone wants to be safe and not catch the virus or maybe worse pass it on to a loved one.

Trump has insisted that every child needs to go back to school.   Really there are good reasons for this insistence, and they are not all about the economy although there is that.

It is important to review the cost to the kids besides the risk of catching the virus.   First of all, children with disabilities are entitled to a free, and appropriate education (FAPE) until they are 21.   In Maryland that means to the end of the school year in which they the child turns 21.   So far, kids have missed a full quarter of in-school learning.   Based on recent announcements, the larger public school systems in Maryland are extending online learning for at least another semester, maybe longer.   So that brings us to at least three-fourths of a school year with reduced learning.   That is 7-8 months of sand through that hourglass.   No one has suggested extending the time of entitlement by that amount of time.  To my knowledge, the idea is not even on anyone’s radar.   The best we are getting is that there will be more live teaching and less canned teaching.

Let’s look at the costs to children.   Young children are missing out on the basic foundations of academic learning, those old-fashioned reading, writing and arithmetic.  These skills form the backbone on which all other learning is connected.   Children who miss out on this early learning will have all other future learning impacted.   Teachers will freely tell you they can’t do as good a job online as in the classroom.   Parents (with the exception of those who are trained teachers) do not know how to teach and reteach the skills.   If the foundation is not sturdy, the house will not be strong.

Adults with disabilities are unemployed at a higher rate than plain adults and most frequently underemployed.   One of the major activities that mitigate against this event is the work placement opportunities of any good transition program.  When high school students miss these opportunities they will be less prepared for getting a job and much more likely to face long-term unemployment that will impact the rest of their lives.

School has many values for children with disabilities.  One of the most important is the development of social emotional skills.   Through activities with other kids they learn the give and take of working in groups. Particularly for students on the autism spectrum, social skills development is a must have.   They also learn to be resilient, one of the most important skills for successful adults.

 

The calculus of whether or not a family thinks it is safe for a child to return to school is complex and not easy.  Each family must measure its own risk tolerance.  However, in calculating that risk, it is important for families to consider the other risks that cannot be seen- deficits in basic skills, reduced time of education entitlement, limited work training and loss of social emotional growth.   These are risks as well and need to be considered on one side of the equation.