As Covid cases continue to rise in Kent County there are examples of some West Michigan schools going back to virtual learning due to the spiking cases and staff shortages. Some schools that have shutdown include Harrison Park Elementary in Grand Rapids Public Schools and Wayland Union High.
As of January 10, 2022 the Northview School District had an average of 727 per 100,000 residents, putting the district in a high transmission category along with all other school districts tracked by the Kent County Health Department. But the idea of going back to virtual learning creates a lot of strong feelings and stress for some.
There are some good reasons to go virtual, if done temporarily. Staffing shortages created by the virus are a good example. Students should not be in school without proper attention, care, and instruction. Doing so could create an unsafe and unproductive environment.
Temporarily going virtual can also allow families to test and get results if members are not feeling well. The time out of the school setting also gives students and staff who are sick a chance to recover and no longer spread the virus when returning to in-person instruction.
However, replacing in-person learning for long periods of time is not helpful to students. And going back to virtual learning in the long-term might not be effective at getting rid of the COVID-19 virus.
Many students will continue to gather in public spaces and congregate without masks. Taking students out of in-person school won’t keep students from spending time with friends or eliminate the spread of COVID-19. Missing the interaction at school could cause students to be more social after school hours.
Virtual learning is often not an easy way for students to learn.
Although it may come easily to some, many students find online learning to be extremely difficult. Students who don’t learn well through a computer struggle to keep up with school assignments and the expectations of remote learning which can result in more stress.
Not only does going virtual make academic success more difficult for students but it can also make students feel isolated causing negative factors on one’s mental health like depression and anxiety.
There are also some long-term solutions and ways to keep in-person learning safe.
There are vaccines available to lower the risk of getting COVID-19 or getting extremely sick from the virus. Students and staff can also protect themselves by wearing an N95 mask where it feels necessary or in any place where there is social interaction. Northview also offers virtual learning twice a year for those students who are uncomfortable with the in-person learning environment.
Switching back to virtual learning as a temporary solution at times, could be necessary to ensure the safety of staff and students at Northview. I think that learning to live with COVID-19 is the only real long-term solution.