By Rita Suh, Ed.D., Co-Director of the Culture & Equity Project
Culture & Equity Project Blog
Schools are Reopening
For almost an entire year, families, students and educators have established a routine, expectations and norms to create a non-traditional learning environment. And for most families, the era of COVID has been a stressful period. Caregivers and students have had to adjust to a new lifestyle, such as establishing a learning environment at home, worrying about keeping loved ones healthy and staying indoors all day. Such stressors have made it difficult for many students to be academically successful, stay engaged and authentically contribute to classroom discourse. However, for others, learning at home has been a safe experience, away from peers who bully, away from worrying about their appearance, away from uncomfortable learning environments.
Therefore, re-entering schools in a COVID-era will be a completely new experience in which educators will have to reimagine their classrooms. Due to COVID restrictions, educators cannot establish pre-COVID classroom practices and routines, nor can they expect students to simultaneously adjust to returning to school. Educators must provide an environment that is culturally, socially and emotionally responsive in order to support the success of students.
