As we approach the beginning of a new school year, the question of whether kids should attend school in person has become more important. The issue has become political and divisive over the past year. I am sure you have read articles written by appraised journalists, but here is where my view point is different; I am a kid. I have spoken with friends and family about this issue who are new to being homeschooled about this issue. Here is what I am hearing from kids around the country.
Let me start off by saying this. As some of you may know, I am homeschooled. Not just since COVID began, but since second grade. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. After all, I was able to travel around the nation interviewing Americans. With that said, it can still be difficult to live on the road and homeschooled. It can be difficult to keep friends. I can only imagine being yanked out of school and away from your friends without any say. Being kept away may ” keep you safe from COVID”, but think about the emotional damage. One day everything’s fine, then the next you can’t see your friends and you have to wear a mask. Not to mention the stress of being stuck inside your house. Then there’s the next issue; the ability to do school.
I have friends from Texas, to Tennessee, to Florida. All have said virtual learning has been extremely difficult. One even said he felt as if he has barley learned! Going from a classroom to your bedroom to do school is a big change. A very sudden one for many students. If keeping kids out of school is because we care for them, Should we not only look at the health aspect when discussing COVID, but when discussing education and mental stress of being kept away from friends as well? Even from the COVID safety point of view, it doesn’t add up.
In February of 2021, only .2 percent of COVID deaths were from people under the age of 25. Now I don’t expect that number to have changed much, but even if it went up to .3 percent, it would still be a miniscule number. Not to mention that percentage of deaths was for those under 25. We are just discussing school aged kids, or those under 18. Now as of June 2021 the CDC website says 600,442 have died of COVID. To get the answer find .2% of 600,442; then you find the answer is 1,200. In the 2018/2019 flu season 34,157 people died from the flu. 211 of those were in between the ages of 5 and 17. That’s .61773% of flu deaths. A higher percentage than COVID. Now all COVID deaths are sad, but there are over 50 million kids that attend grade school in the US. Is it worth it to keep all of those kids out of school for such a safe age group?
I am all for keeping kids safe, after all I am one. It just seems that keeping kids out of school has done more harm than good. Also think about the difficulty it presents for parents. Having to stay home with your kid, instead of going to work and making sure they’re focused , is a big task. It is a lot to ask from parents who are still still paying for the school through taxes. At this moment and time, it seems important to look at the ratio of harm prevented to harm caused.