For years I have been working in a partnership for secondary education in Northeast Overijssel. Normally, as a remedial educationalist, I am mainly involved in the well-being of individual students. Since this school year, the questions from the schools have become more complex. Teachers are more concerned about student learning outcomes and focus. There is a lot of unrest and dynamics in the classes and it is difficult for students to comply with applicable rules and agreements.
Recently I have spoken with many students, from basic pre-vocational education to pre-university education. I asked them how they are doing, how they have dealt with school closures and online education. And how they experience the consequences. Many say the same thing: corona has cut in. Initially it was fun. Homeschooling gave freedom and space. It was relaxed to ‘follow’ the lessons, sometimes from your bed, but also difficult to keep your attention. Young people got creative giving the impression that they were participating. They soon lost physical contact with friends and classmates and it became more difficult to stay committed to school.
Gaps
When they were allowed to return to school, they had to get used to each other, to the social structure, to teachers who made demands. They had not yet realized that gaps had arisen in their knowledge and skills. Not surprising: there was less testing and mainly checked whether you had done your homework. Transitional standards were handled differently. They unconsciously got the impression that they got through it just fine.
That’s different now. Students now experience that there are gaps in their knowledge of the subject matter that has been offered over the past two years, now that they appear to need it. That is stressful. Not only do they wonder whether they have or can still collect enough baggage to pass this school year, they also see it as their problem that they have to solve themselves.
They say: ‘Teachers continue at the regular pace and pay too little attention to our need for additional explanation’. Or: ‘They say they see that we are lagging behind, but they don’t do anything about it’. And: ‘Teachers get angry with us so quickly.’ Most students don’t even want to think about getting distance learning again. There are students who try hard to get through it. For others, poor grades and comments on their study attitude lead to demotivation, despondency and fear of failure. Their self-confidence, self-esteem and zest for life are under pressure.
Word and gesture
It is a pity that we (unintentionally) give students the feeling that they are responsible for their situation and that they have to solve it themselves. I find it terrible that students themselves say that they are lagging behind, and also that I have heard that word too often from the mouth of the Minister of Education. While their learning delay is primarily the result of decisions and measures taken by adults. Therefore, as adults, let us make this our problem in word and deed.
Meanwhile, teachers are also feeling pressure. They see gaps in their students’ knowledge and skills and are unsure whether and, if so, how they can sufficiently update their students in the given time and with the available resources. They too become frustrated.
In my opinion, an important reason that so much pressure is experienced is the (one-sided) view on the consequences of the corona policy. In short: corona has led to learning disadvantages and these must be made up within the education system (based on our performance culture, efficiency thinking and efficiency). We give billions of euros to the schools to make this happen. The backlogs are then eliminated with ‘proven effective methods’. This must be completed within two years, and then we can continue as before.
unhealthy focus
Why do we cling to the idea that there are ‘backlogs’ that need to be made up? Why not take a different path? Students are not only at school to learn, but also to discover who they are and where their talents lie. Learning and development are especially successful if you feel good about yourself and you feel connected to your environment. The focus on learning disadvantages is unhealthy and puts students in a tight spot. Our policy should be based much more on what students need at the moment. We must ask ourselves how we as teachers, teaching assistants, support staff, directors and policy makers are going to do this.
I argue in favor of making the teaching-learning process and the education system more flexible. We let go of what hinders. We accept the situation as it is now. We offer space and time to students (and teachers) and choose an approach that is no longer focused on eliminating disadvantages, but more on: where are you now and what do you need (and what not)? The mental damage among young people is great, as has been shown by CBS research: 47 percent of young people suffer heavily from the pandemic. And the worrying signals are piling up.
Let’s create space in the school. I am thinking of all practice rooms for sports, music, arts and crafts. But also for yoga, mindfulness and sharing experiences with each other. We connect again. The way we have dealt with the corona pandemic over the past two years mercilessly exposes the rigidity of our education system and our tight focus on ‘achieving’. Let’s do it differently.
Arjen Faber is a remedial educationalist.