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V. controversial opinion here, I know, but as a teacher (13 yrs at the college-level and 7 yrs teaching 9th-12th), I'm not one bit worried about kids "falling behind" academically if we don't have school this year. I have other worries for them, but please relax re. academics.
Following that up with this: Kids need safety, opportunities for healthy social development, and engagement with challenge. Most teachers I know are concerned about how to ensure those needs are met without schools--esp. for kids without financial privilege.
The emphasis our culture puts on standards has muddied for many adults the reality that kids are inherently creative, curious, and skilled at learning. They'll learn (if they are safe, fed, healthy) no matter what their "academic" situation looks like. Learning > test scores.
A real concern about schools shuttering is the privilege gap that schools have (at least for those with privilege) covered up for too long. That's what we should be talking about.
What actually worries me: kids struggling with mental and physical health, parents desperately trying to work & homeschool (& feeling failure at both), moms (we know it's the moms) losing years of prof. development because one parent must stay home, families with no $ safety net.
I'll likely fret about putting these thoughts out so publicly, but I feel such frustration with the anxiety re. the academic losses of another year of Covid closures. It seems to me that if we're so worried about academic standards right now, our priorities need adjustment.
Re. the legitimate criticism of my post: I don't mean to dismiss the real academic needs of kids struggling pre-closure, nor the hard-working teachers and worried parents supporting them. This is an awful situation for the most prepared & privileged. It's worse for everyone else.
And--tbh--the concerns I see re. academic losses are mostly coming from the pockets of society with school alternatives (families that can pay for tutors, can form indie learning co-ops, etc.). Kids with resources and access will weather this (academically, anyway).
