Education Around the Globe: My Thoughts of This School Year So Far

 

Education Around the Globe: My Thoughts of This School Year So Far 

By: Aidan Mahoney

    Welcome to 2020. This school year is obviously different from the rest. Our world is in the middle of a global pandemic and education systems are being heavily affected. In America certain states are opening their doors for students since the lockdown. In China they are taking many precautions as students go back full time. Some schools are unfortunate to have had outbreacks while reopening. Should we take after certain schools and begin to reopen or face the challenges of remote learning until the pandemic ceases? 

While most of America’s larger school systems are starting the year completely online, some welcome students back to campus full or part-time. North Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia, attracted attention after a student posted on Twitter a photo showing a crowded school hallway with few visible face masks. The school later closed as students and staff got infected. 

In Guangzhou, China, parents take the temperature of their children before school, sending the temperature to their teachers through social media. Students are then dropped off 20 yards from campus. They enter the school one by one while being monitored by security. Classroom desks are 3 feet apart from each other and the students also wear masks the whole day. 

This system seems to be working as cases are not spiking, however, many students in older grades need to take the subway to get to school. In Guangzhou, subway systems are limiting riders, having regular staff temperature checks and creating air vents in the subways. Problems occur from this, however, as many are not following the rules and even though they have masks on are not staying more than 3 feet away as the subway trains get crowded. This is the most dangerous part many of the students must face. 

Some schools who have reopened have had an unfortunate outbreak in covid cases. In Jerusalem, Gymnasium Rehavia, a middle school and high school, had an outbreak. 153 students and 25 staff tested positive for covid. There has been a massive spike in cases since the outbreak. 

In Sparta, NJ, middle and high school students are completely online while their teachers are teaching from their classrooms. Complaints have come from students as there are daily internet problems and glitches, headaches from looking at the screen for too long, trouble connecting with their teachers, and more. The hands on and in class learning we have done in the past is difficult or impossible to replicate virtually. 

This brings forth the question, should the middle and high schools take action to bring students back into school? Could they use techniques similar to the ones in Guangzhou? Would this lead towards an outbreak like in Jerusalem? Or should we continue remote learning, and try our best to limit the difficulties for the good of our safety? 

I personally think that it would be better to play it safe until we start to see improvements in the cases Sussex is getting. Once that happens we could ease our way in with restrictions, making sure that the staff and students are all safe before discussing further action.