THE COVID-19 AND EDUCATION TRAUMA
Several weeks ago, memes like the one above depicting homeschool scenarios went viral on social media. The shade and the pettiness offered comic relief in this difficult time, especially for educators, like me. In jest, we mimicked the expectations of parents towards us by assigning those same expectations on them as their child’s new homeschool teachers. Some of the funniest memes showed parents struggling trying to teach their child a lesson. Yes, I was present and participated in the pettiness, but then reality began to set in. I began to think about how online learning would be a great challenge to my students and their parents. However, it did not truly resonate with me until the first day of online learning. I woke up that morning about 8:30a.m. and got on my laptop expecting my students to be logged in and ready to work. Then there was a delay due to the system crashing because of overload. A few hours later we were back online. I was on my laptop again ready to teach…Crickets. “Where are my students?” I began to be concerned. Before Spring Break, two of my students had been arrested. Another was already doing community service. As I thought about individual students, I became troubled at what might happen to them if they were not being supervised. I felt this very eerie feeling of being disconnected and even helpless.
As the week went on, I received messages from parents who were feeling overwhelmed with having to work all day and manage the education of their children. One mother of four said, “This is tough. With four children, there is only one laptop for them to share”. The mother went on to explain that she works until 5:00p.m. every day and cannot call off. She has one child in elementary school; two in middle school; and one in high school. She tries to stay on top of their lessons but is struggling to help them learn. It is not her fault. The mother is a healthcare worker. Just as I can’t explain the proper dispensing of medication, I can’t expect the mother to explain the causes of Westward Expansion. We are indeed in unchartered territory with this abrupt transition to online learning. COVID-19 has not only disrupted our lives, but it has also unveiled our vulnerabilities as individuals and as a society.
There has been much talk on the news about how the Coronavirus Pandemic is uncovering the health disparities of African Americans. It is sadly unsurprising that the underlying health issues of African Americans has caused us to be hit the hardest by this pandemic. The CDC and the Chicago Department of Public Health has reported:
- 33% of hospitalizations are of African Americans
- 13% of the population is African American
- 68% of Coronavirus deaths were African Americans.
In Manatee County, as of April 15, there were 277 cases of Coronavirus. 38 or 14% of the cases were African Americans. Africans Americans in Manatee County make up only 8.9% of the total population. This disparity is consistent nationwide.
Another unveiling of the Coronavirus Pandemic is economic disparity and hardships, as it relates to education. A week before online classes began in Manatee County, great efforts were made by the school district and the community to prepare students for this sudden transition. Community centers such as The 13th Avenue Dream Center, offered their sites as internet hubs. Manatee Schools Foodservice began setting up to deliver food to neighborhood areas. Manatee Schools Transportation wired busses for internet capability. These busses would be positioned throughout the community to provide internet access to children. At the individual schools, administrators and staff worked fervently to provide laptops to students in need. Teachers were busy creating online lessons. For many this was and continues to be an enormous challenge. How much work should we give? How should we grade the assignments? When should assignments be due? What about daily attendance? COVID-19 has exasperated educational trauma and we have found ourselves in an emergency room situation. As we all know, emergency rooms don’t treat underlying causes of illnesses. You may get some bandages and limited prescriptions, then are told to follow up with your primary physician. Educational trauma has systemic racial, political, and economic roots. Children are wounded by educational practices that continue to ignore the underlying conditions that impede their success.
Depending on a student’s zip code or school zone, educational trauma incensed by COVID-19 may have little adverse effects. David may be in a home with high speed internet. During quarantine, both of his parents are home with him, while still receiving paychecks from their employers. David has his own room with a desk and lamp in the corner. However, there are too many children not as fortunate as David. These children are put at risk because they are under resourced. They have limited access to resources that would help them succeed educationally, such as money, mentors, transportation, and nutritious food. Some may lack parental supervision due to their parents being essential workers, therefore not being able to stay home with them to help and supervise their online learning. Because their parents are working, some children may have the responsibility of babysitting younger siblings, even attempting to help the younger siblings with their online lessons. Children are witnessing the worry and stress of their parents who have lost their jobs as a result of this pandemic. These parents’ greatest concern is whether they will be able to put food on the table.
Under Resourced families often experience a technology gap where there is the lack of computers, internet, printers, etc. in their homes. During the third week of online learning, I spoke to parents who were still waiting on the cable company to install internet so that their child would be able to begin completing their online course work. Although the school district provided laptops to students, they could only provide one laptop per household. Also, because of social distancing, there was no technical assistance provided to students to ensure that they knew how to navigate the online portal in order to access what they need to be successful. Probably the most challenging situation for all secondary students is having to take seven classes all online. Who does that? I completed two graduate degrees online, but I never took more than two classes at one time.
COVID-19 has unveiled a technology gap. A Pew 2012 Report on “Digital Differences” announced a digital divide where only 62% of people in households making less than $30,000 used the internet, while 90% of those making between $50,000-$74,999 used the internet. The report goes on to state that smartphones are used more by young adults, minorities, and those with no college experience, and those with lower household income levels. This digital divide also persists among ethnic groups. Only 49% of African Americans and 51% of Hispanics have internet in their homes compared to 66% of Caucasians.
Stress on Children
As we enter the fourth week of online learning, I encourage educators, administrators, and community leaders to remember the research regarding students (see graph above) who are put at risk for being under resourced. Even before COVID-19, these students were already experiencing chronic stress. This type of stress is a result of trauma that they experience in their day to day lives. Chronic stress has devastating influences on these children’s physical, psychological, emotional, and cognitive functioning. These are the areas that affect brain development and academic success. While we must maintain high expectations for all students, the process may be different based on their educational and cultural differences. That is equity. The outcome we seek is for students to be equal in all aspects of society. That is equality.
PARENTS ADVOCATE FOR YOUR CHILDREN! It is expected and it is YOUR RIGHT to weigh in on any educational plan concerning your child. Ask for individualized assignments, modifications, and accommodations. The conversation may be difficult, but it is necessary. You are your child’s champion! In this crisis we must all be vigilant in monitoring the educational situation of our children to ensure that none of them are left behind.
For education information, advocacy, and consulting inquiries, email:
Rosalyn Walton Education and Enrichments Services Inc. at recess4edu@gmail.com
Sources
Race and Ethnicity in Manatee County, Florida (County). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://statisticalatlas.com/county/Florida/Manatee-County/Race-and-Ethnicity
Factors. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cic592educationalinquiries.weebly.com/factors.html
Florida’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard Florida Department of Health, Division of Disease Control and Health Protection. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/96dd742462124fa0b38ddedb9b25e429
Digital Divide: The Technology Gap between the Rich and Poor. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/digital-divide-the-technology-gap-between-rich-and-poor
Race and Ethnicity in Manatee County, Florida (County). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://statisticalatlas.com/county/Florida/Manatee-County/Race-and-Ethnicity
Wfla. (2020, April 16). Coronavirus in Florida: 22,519 total coronavirus cases in state, 614 deaths. Retrieved from https://www.wfla.com/community/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-florida-cases-climb-past-21000-with-new-deaths-in-tampa-bay/
