Are our children well?
By: California Charter Schools Assn.
Tags: Distance Learning, Schools, Education, Covid 19 Crisis, Charter Schools

By Myrna Castrejon, President & CEO, California Charter Schools Association

The Masai of Africa are known to greet each other with the salutation “Eserian nakera,” which means, “How are the children?” I learned about this greeting and the traditional response, “All the children are well” when my son and I were fortunate enough to spend time in a Masai village in 2013. Their simple exchange resonates with me more today than it ever has as we see our children struggle through this pandemic.

As adults it is important that we take a step back and look at how are kids are faring through this pandemic. How are they doing? What are they feeling? How are they dealing with the every day stresses of being at home? How are they coping without the interactions with friends and teachers?

For most of us, we are able to rely on our knowledge of ourselves and can understand our drivers and our stressors. Our children are still figuring themselves out. They need those life experiences we all lived through in school to become the adults we are today.

They are the ones that have lost out on a significant period of their schooling and all that surrounds it. The after-school programs, clubs, religious activities, sports, and the simple acts of friendship that kids share with each other on campus. How do we replace the emotional growth that occurs on schoolyard playgrounds each day?

It’s hard to quantify how their lives are impacted by not being able to see the smiles of others because they are hidden behind a mask.

There has been a devastating loss of learning time for our youngest children who have a harder time with distance learning. As they delay their in-class experience, we lose valuable time. This loss has impacted families regardless of race, ethnicity, or income, but we know that the impact is disproportionately worse among the most vulnerable, particularly difficult for those who will have an even greater struggle catching up, with devastating consequences in the long run. It has also delayed the ability for educators to identify those students who have learning disabilities or need additional support from their school to succeed.

As a mother, I know that we need to accelerate the plans for a phased and safe reopening. As my 10th grader shared with me recently, he can push through the next week, the next month, because there is an end in sight, but this end must come soon.

I am thrilled to see that a vaccine is already here and excited that our heroic healthcare workers, who are putting their lives and wellbeing on the line daily to care for us are already receiving it. I am also encouraged by the call to vaccinate essential workers (including firefighters, EMTs, police, and teachers and school staff) next, even as the rest of us continue to practice the safest masking and distancing protocols to help slow down the surge.

As we continue to lay down the tracks of infrastructure to provide even safer supports in person, like full surveillance testing, PPE and vaccination prioritization, we must keep finding ways to meet the children where they are and start planning a phased and safe return to campus as soon as it is possible to do so.

California’s charter school leaders and educators are working around-the-clock to find the best solutions to these questions that do not have perfect answers. Teachers are struggling to reach their students to ensure that they are providing as much support as they can, sometimes even conducting home visits and finding counseling and emotional support to increase engagement. Parents are forming peer groups to help each other through distance learning and keep their learning communities strong. Administrators are doing all they can to ensure that the nutritional needs of our most vulnerable students are being met. Staff is working to overcome the technological hurdles that many families face in getting connected to their online classrooms. Everyone is exhausted, and urgency fatigue is real.

The recent explosion of COVID-19 cases across the state has only complicated matters. We have to stop the spread of this deadly disease. At the same time, we have to redouble our efforts to engage our students.

As we enter this 10th month of the pandemic, I am proud of the work our schools have done to remain flexible and prepared for the unknown road ahead. They know we have to stem this learning loss and get our children back into the classroom as soon and as safely as possible.

Just as charter schools led the way to transition to distance learning and serving their students from home at the start of the stay-at-home order, I expect that they will excel at returning to the classroom. CCSA will continue to support their efforts and help schools across the network share their experiences to uplift all of California’s students.

This brings me back to the question that drives me, every day, as a mother and an education leader: How are the children? Como estan los ninos? The more that we keep this basic question in focus, we will emerge stronger and closer to answering with: “All the children are well.”

You can learn more about California’s nonprofit charter schools by following CCSA on Twitter @CALcharters.

Myrna Castrejon is President & CEO of the California Charter Schools Association