Killing It In My Sixties

Remember back in 2020, we would say, “…when things get back to normal, we can ___________, (fill in the blank)? Back then we thought it might be two weeks, then four weeks, then three months, then ‘when the weather gots hot’. But it did not get back to normal – in fact – it would never again – be normal. Yes – we have a new normal I suppose – but attempting to base it on our world prior to 2020 is – quite plainly – IMPOSSIBLE.

I have thought many times along the way in the last three and a half years, that it would be fascinating to study the anthropological implications of the pandemic to this generation. I haven’t been a student for a number of years, but this subject is something I could sink my teeth into and explore. Even without the motivation of writing a dissertation, I find myself looking up studies, analyzing data and predicting future outcomes.

Speaking from the perspective as a substitute teacher in the public school system, the most profound evidence of the effect can be seen in our classrooms. Most kids were homeschooled or participated in a hybrid version of an online/in-person learning model. It wasn’t the same model for all students, and it can’t be overstated that, the environment in which that learning took place varied as widely as the many populations that make up our world.

These students went from a typical school day Pre-COVID, to complete isolation – almost overnight. There was no model in place for schools and teachers to look to – this was literally uncharted territory – no man’s land. Yes – online learning existed prior to 2020, but not in the K-12 System, except for isolated modules designed to introduce technology to students. Even in post-secondary settings, many faculty were somewhat passive about adopting online curriculum. To say that educators were thrown into, not only the frying pan but the flames as well – is an understatement.

Many of these teachers were parents themselves, with kids at home; they were being asked to support their children’s learning while teaching their regular class of students in a whole new format. At least they were home – many parents worked in service jobs that required them to report to work, leaving their children unattended, or poorly supported while doing their school work from their bedrooms, or wherever they could find a Wi-if connection – which was sometimes Taco Bell.

When I think of the saying that has long held in education, “Learn to Read, and then Read to Learn” with the added knowledge that reading proficiency by third grade is the greatest predictor for students completing high school, we had to wonder how unraveled our system would become. And —— with no end in sight. For many months in the beginning, life was simply a matter of survival,

Many parents lost their jobs, food and goods were in short supply, and the worst: people were dying. Businesses closed down, restaurants learned to operate a food and beverage delivery model, in a way that had never been done before. Masks were mandated everywhere – we forgot what people’s smiles looked like, and new skin and respiratory conditions emerged with their constant use.

People formed “bubbles”; groups of people that they could have regular contact with, whom they trusted to maintain the health and safety standards outlined by the CDC. Friendships were challenged as differences in values and opinions became a matter of life and death. We elected a new President nine months into this pandemic – which only heightened the political differences that had surfaced relating to the economy and decision-making.

All the while — our children were continuing to grow and change developmentally – but under drastically different conditions than anyone had experienced before. Milestones that would have normally been prominent in their growing up years, were either eliminated or pared down to an unrecognizable version of what may have been. And while the milestones are important, the more subtle social losses over the time and space continuum, caused the most disruption to these critical years of childhood.

Much later, when schools started to re-open, kids came back – excited to see their friends again, and even though they still had to wear masks, they happily returned. But they weren’t the same kids, these kids hadn’t left their homes in months, they hadn’t exercised their social skills, they hadn’t had to sit still in a seat and not talk for a period of time. Like the rest of people working from home, they had probably been in their sweatpants all day, snacking on demand, and freeze-framing the Zoom screen to take a break when needed. I’m not saying anyone had it easy – but let’s be honest – the structure was decidedly unstructured.

What we see now, are kids who literally missed 2-3 years of their academic and social development. In classrooms, they get up randomly and walk around whenever the urge strikes, they carry on conversations as though the teacher isn’t there trying to deliver instruction, and they are easily frustrated with being moved along in curriculum that they now lack basic foundation in.

There is a prediction that the students of this generation will on the average, earn 11-17% less in their adult working lives, as a result of the interruption in their education. To say that we are starting to get back to normal, is in my opinion, a mis-statement – We Will Never Again Be The Same.