Summary

The article argues that the push to reopen schools amid the pandemic overlooks pre-existing issues in the educational system, which contribute to mental health problems among students.

Abstract

The author of the article critiques the Trump administration's urgency to reopen schools, questioning whether it truly benefits students' mental health or exposes them to physical danger. The piece suggests that schools have long been neglectful of students' well-being, fostering an environment that stifles creativity, perpetuates a flawed curriculum, and fails to address emotional abuse and mental health issues. It points out that the educational system, particularly in private schools, has become a profit-driven industry prioritizing financial gain over student development. The author, identifying as an educator, emphasizes the need for a complete overhaul of the education system, advocating for a focus on mental health support and the creation of a safe, nurturing environment before considering the reopening of schools. The article encourages parents to engage with their children, offering alternative educational experiences and emphasizing the importance of their role as the first teachers in their children's lives.

Opinions

The Trump administration's push for reopening schools is driven by financial concerns rather than the well-being of students.
Schools contribute to mental health issues among students, with an estimated 12.8% of US adolescents experiencing major depressive episodes.
The educational system, including curriculum and teaching methods, is flawed and contributes to the killing of creativity.
Teachers and school administrations often fail to acknowledge or address the emotional abuse and mental health struggles that students face.
Private schooling is criticized for its high fees and hierarchical systems that can leave students behind if they fail to meet expectations.
The current education system is seen as an industry driven by greed, rather than a place for nurturing great minds.
There is a call for excellent instructors and a revamp of the education system to better support students with mental health disorders.
The author believes that schools must first address the mental health crisis and establish prevention measures before reopening.
Parents are encouraged to take an active role in their children's education and to create meaningful experiences outside of the traditional school setting.
The article suggests that the measures schools are taking to reopen (like spacing desks) are insufficient and that a more comprehensive approach is needed to protect students' well-being.

The Plea Of Schools To ReOpen Is A Greed Race, A Risk We Can’t Take

Trump administration pushes to reopen schools and colleges, the reason being that schools are suffering badly because of the pandemic. How is it affecting the children if they don’t come back? Is their reasoning justified to how they actually contribute towards the mental health of our children, let alone sending them back towards physical dangers as well?

But do we really pay attention to how our children have suffered in schools before the pandemic?

No, we haven’t.

There is perhaps a multitude of things our schools have been contributing towards and none of them is towards the well being of our children. It’s time we come out of our denial and look at how badly the crop has suffered due to the poor educational system most schools are offering.

Parents believe that if they don’t send their children to schools, they are going to suffer badly. I believe most students are happy that they aren’t going to a prison where the only thing they were learning is coping with depression, expectations, fears, and how much anxiety there is to schools nowadays.

An estimated 3.1 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in 2016. This number represents 12.8 percent of the US population in that age group.

The curriculum is flawed, creativity gets killed and teachers contribute poorly towards the development of students. Neither the administration feels the need to contribute towards helping the teachers, nor the teachers themselves feel the need to acknowledge towards helping their students. Hardly, these days the students themselves have become so tepid that they aren’t even interested in schools, or education for that matter.

What went wrong?

There are perhaps many answers, but I for one do not acknowledge the fact that schools are opening for the wellbeing of our children. They lack the necessary measures to safeguard the mental health, let alone the physical health of our children. According to my experience as an educator, most children suffer emotional abuse from their friends, teachers as well as their parents for reasons deemed minuscule. They never tend to show these behaviors as there is a facade culture of hiding behind the bush that is being implemented in traditional schooling.

Students fear coming out, to who they really are, and when they do — they get hurt. This scenario can be paged in many situations where the student might get a lot of emotional abuse that may lead to depression. Most students don’t report this behavior as they believe this experience doesn’t have any value. In our current schooling, a poor teacher can make decisions that will affect our students in the worst ways possible.

Then there is the administration system that only acts when the danger is staring them right at their faces. Most schools have a poor system of dealing with student’s problems, at most the philosophy that stands is that “suck it up” and it will get better. But it doesn’t and it can’t. It usually pushes the student away from everything totally outcasting him/her from the rest of the classroom.

Private schooling is another example that perhaps nowadays the fee structure is so high, that most people have to give an arm and a leg to cost this schooling. I have seen the systems there as well. It is also a honeypot to lure parents in and then keep them forever. There is perhaps a hierarchical system more prevalent in private schooling than other traditional schools, in which most certainly if you fail, you will get left behind.

They don’t even compromise on the standings of the students and some schools and universities charge ten times as more fees than other schools. It takes a toll on parents to manage, what price are the parents paying for an education that they can give them in their very own home. Nowadays, even teachers aren’t well trained. The whole education sector has become an industry where greed is the machine that runs it.

It isn’t the system where we are producing “great” minds — It is the place, we send them to get exiled and crippled.

Our entire education system needs a revamp, and how it affects the children. We need excellent instructors, we have them too but the current system never entertains them. They are made to leave most schools due to many problems regarding the mafia that is in the school that doesn’t let them stay causing a lot of problems for them to leave. As some schools have these people who can’t stand some teachers fairly treating their students — Yes, this happens.

Until schools have the necessary requirements to deal with these issues first, they have mechanics to entertain students who suffer from mental health disorders, such as ADHD, and OCD. Only then I believe we should send our children back. In the current time, our children are from the impending depression that comes from school. Let’s be honest about that. If they go now without countermeasures, we are putting them in a far higher risk than ever before.

We have to take care of them and not put their lives in danger. And schools need to first establish a list of prevention, to safeguard the dangers that risk our children’s wellbeing. Putting desks 6 feet apart won’t cut it.

How stupid do these schools think people are, do they really think we are just going to send our children back just because they put up a few posters, and few notices and problems solved?

Until and unless they see to the earlier problems that affect our children, I as an educator as well as a student would never recommend anyone to send your children to school this fall. At this time, spend it with your children — connect with them. Go to parks, or a wilderness trip, and connect with nature around you. Show yourself and your children a better world — a world they miss when they are cramped up in a routine. Make memories, show them kindness, and give them a childhood that they will remember not the one that they will look back and despise.

In this modern era, parents need to be in the lives of their children more. You are the first teacher to your children. It starts with you that they learn from. You are their primary motivator, be there for them. They need you and people who keep them connected more than ever. Thus, treat them with love, and enjoy the now with them trying to make every moment matter.

Thank you for reading.

Stay Blessed and Stay Safe!

With Love ❤️