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1/7 Heard another news story about how not being at school in person is leading to a "lost generation". I am disgusted with this framing. And with hand wringing over learning loss and how it is going to damage kids for the rest of their lives. It is terrible framing:
2/7 1 - If all of the kids in the United States are going through this, then the institutions need to adjust. Grade levels are arbitrary. Courses of study are arbitrary. We created them. We can change them. We can "catch" kids up, and adjust expectations because of the pandemic.
3/7 2 - Yes, some kids in some communities will suffer more than others. That was the case BEFORE the pandemic! Where was the outcry then? Let's seize this moment to address deep, enduring inequalities in our society.
4/7 3a -We seem to be missing that these kids are surviving a PANDEMIC! There are tons of things they are learning and can learn from this that aren't just about academics. Why isn't surviving and learning about how to help your fellow humans enough?
5/7 3b - If we took this framing, maybe we would do more to provide the emotional supports these kids need right now. More than they need to master vocabulary words. More than they need to pass some arbitrary assessment (I have a whole other rant for standardized assessments).
6/7 4-You had better believe the kids are listening. Now more than ever before they are constantly plugged into the world of media. Do we really think they aren't going to hear themselves described as the "lost generation"?
7/7 Seriously, media, get a clue. Figure out a positive framing. Figure out a framing that is a call to action for institutions to change so that these kids can thrive after we all get through this.
One more thought -- the current narrative also rests on an implicit assumption that going to school in person is good for all kids universally. That ignores the troubled history of schooling in this country and the harm some kids experience in schools.