Pandemic Studies 101
Sep. 9th, 2020 02:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blogcutterSchool has been starting up again in most Canadian cities over the past couple of weeks. For some, it's a hopeful sign that things may be returning to normal. For others, all the complex pandemic provisions and restrictions may be causing more anxiety than they alleviate.
I think it must be particularly hard for young people in transitional years - like those entering their first year of high school or university or some sort of special program.
Take, for example, the International Baccalaureate program. The Ottawa-Carleton school boards have apparently decided that no online version will be offered:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/no-online-learning-for-students-in-the-international-baccalaureate-program
I kind of understand where they're coming from. The dynamics of the program probably work much better, at least in the initial stages, when participants - both students and teachers - are able to get together in person and get to know one another. Trouble is, there are only two high schools in the city offering the program and kids commute from all over the city, many of them on public transit. If they or anyone in their family happen to be immune-compromised, they probably would not be willing to risk the in-person thing. And what if at some point the entire school has to close its doors on account of the virus? Then there'll be nothing to fall back on! It seems to me there should be some sort of online alternative. Keep in mind too that these students are supposed to be highly motivated and able to work well independently, as they will need to be if they hope to pursue the postsecondary and postgraduate programs of their choice. Perhaps to some extent they could play a part in crafting their own course of study, in collaboration with key educational advisors?
There's another high school in Ottawa, Canterbury, that is unique in the city for its arts programs: music, drama, visual arts and so forth. To its credit, it seems that Canterbury does intend to provide some online options, although I don't think anyone would deny that it will we quite different from pre-pandemic programming:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/extracurriuclar-covid-19-pandemic-ottawa-1.5712524
And as is also mentioned in that article, even non-specialized schools generally offer an array of extracurricular sports, clubs and activities, not all which will be possible in the Coronal universe.
To what extent does all this matter? It's hard to say at this point. One the one hand, everyone is somewhat in the same boat and some day we'll have a vaccine, an effective treatment or a cure. On the other hand, a year or two is a large portion of a young person's life and can have a huge influence on their future.
The most resilient of them will survive and even thrive. Those who are less so may be in for a long and difficult period of recovery.
I think it must be particularly hard for young people in transitional years - like those entering their first year of high school or university or some sort of special program.
Take, for example, the International Baccalaureate program. The Ottawa-Carleton school boards have apparently decided that no online version will be offered:
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/no-online-learning-for-students-in-the-international-baccalaureate-program
I kind of understand where they're coming from. The dynamics of the program probably work much better, at least in the initial stages, when participants - both students and teachers - are able to get together in person and get to know one another. Trouble is, there are only two high schools in the city offering the program and kids commute from all over the city, many of them on public transit. If they or anyone in their family happen to be immune-compromised, they probably would not be willing to risk the in-person thing. And what if at some point the entire school has to close its doors on account of the virus? Then there'll be nothing to fall back on! It seems to me there should be some sort of online alternative. Keep in mind too that these students are supposed to be highly motivated and able to work well independently, as they will need to be if they hope to pursue the postsecondary and postgraduate programs of their choice. Perhaps to some extent they could play a part in crafting their own course of study, in collaboration with key educational advisors?
There's another high school in Ottawa, Canterbury, that is unique in the city for its arts programs: music, drama, visual arts and so forth. To its credit, it seems that Canterbury does intend to provide some online options, although I don't think anyone would deny that it will we quite different from pre-pandemic programming:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/extracurriuclar-covid-19-pandemic-ottawa-1.5712524
And as is also mentioned in that article, even non-specialized schools generally offer an array of extracurricular sports, clubs and activities, not all which will be possible in the Coronal universe.
To what extent does all this matter? It's hard to say at this point. One the one hand, everyone is somewhat in the same boat and some day we'll have a vaccine, an effective treatment or a cure. On the other hand, a year or two is a large portion of a young person's life and can have a huge influence on their future.
The most resilient of them will survive and even thrive. Those who are less so may be in for a long and difficult period of recovery.
