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Addressing the Social-Emotional Needs of our Students During a Pandemic

motheranddaughtersittingonthebeachofsummer

By Adam Rohdie

Addressing the Social-Emotional Needs of our Students During a Pandemic

I often ask groups of parents to engage in a hypothetical with me. It goes like this: If I could guarantee you that your daughter would be a happy well-adjusted 30-year-old, who was emotionally mature and happy OR I could guarantee your daughter admission into that single college she wants to attend (it’s called Harvardprincetonyale), which would you choose? Undoubtedly, 98 percent of the hands shoot up in support of the first option. Yet, what is curious, is that many of the choices parents (and their children) make, run counter to this belief.

Now, as we begin to slowly emerge from the long winter of our pandemic discontent, it is imperative we understand what is headed our way. Our desire to “guarantee” an emotionally mature and happy individual has become a more critical focal point than ever before.
There has been a lot of talk recently in educational circles about how we emerge from the pandemic. The questions have revolved around how schools will “back fill” an educational gap caused by school disruptions. Articles have been written asking schools to consider the new “technological normal” and to think about what aspects of remote learning might be retained into the future. Questions about mask use, mandatory vaccination, and food services in the coming school year, while important, are not necessarily the most important conversations that should be happening. I fear that the dominant issue schools will be dealing with, from our youngest students through higher education, is the social/emotional toll these past thirteen months have had on our children.

I do not think it is hyperbole to say we are at the crest of a tsunami. In just the past three weeks, the number of children I have seen returning home from boarding schools due to depression, anxiety, and other social emotional issues is significant. The number of students around the country self-reporting issues of depression has skyrocketed, and of course this social/emotional toll is manifesting in other behaviors, such as eating disorders, drug and alcohol overuse, and risk-taking behaviors. By some accounts, suicidal ideation has reached the highest numbers in the past quarter century. One president of a college board of trustees told me that their school is planning to double their investment to prepare for mental health services next year. I fear this issue, more than any other, is going to dominate the school landscape in 2021-2022.

Now—this spring—is the time for great schools to worry less about making sure the history class “covers” Plato to NATO or the algebra class has to rush through the last section of the textbook. Now is the time for great schools to take the temperature of their students—this time not with an actual thermometer, but rather as a metaphorical check on their social and emotional well-being. As an eighth-grade history teacher, I have been starting class recently without a pressured dive into the curriculum. Rather, we chat, we share what we did over the weekend, what hopes we have for the next school year, and what continues to worry us. If this conversation lasts three minutes, great and if it lasts fifteen minutes, that too is great. During these short check-ins, I literally see my students’ shoulders drop. It is as if there is a little more oxygen in the room and I can almost see their smiles under their masks.

As educators and parents, we must be on alert for the signs of increased anxiety, stress, and depression—a marked change in mood, behavior, sleep patterns, eating habits, hygiene, etc. We must be sure to check in, ask questions, listen, and listen some more. The idea is not to try to “fix it,” but to be there to let them vent and to validate what they are going through; to let them know they are not alone. We can also model positive responses to managing stress and anxiety, such as eating and sleeping well and exercising. Of course, if you are noticing any extreme reactions, please reach out to a professional in your school or community.

This coming school year will, hopefully, be different than this past year. We are optimistic that life will begin to look like it did pre-pandemic. Yet, as we look ahead, great schools need to remember that we do not teach curriculum, but rather, we teach children. The children in our care will need us now, more than ever. School can be (and should be) a place where joy and academic rigor can happily coexist.

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