027 After 10 Weeks back in Class...WTF???

<p>I'll be honest, in 35 years of teaching, this has been the hardest year so far. And that's not just because I'm old and kind of worn out. I think this whole Covid thing did way more damage to kids than just their academic abilities. A year and a half of unsupervised living and no responsibility to live up to any standards has ruined so many kids' abilities to cope with structure and navigate in a socially productive manner. Distance learners turned off their cameras and microphones and did God knows what for an entire year and a half. They could leave when they wanted, eat when they wanted, go to the bathroom when they wanted, and speak in whatever swear-word-laden way they wanted to whomever they wanted whenever they wanted. They are more addicted to social media than ever. Their phones have become a new appendage. And there were no consequences for any of this. We weren't allowed to fail students or hold them accountable for their schoolwork.</p> <p>10 weeks into in-person learning, Schools are struggling with an increase in student fighting, depression, and other social-emotional-related issues. This has caused districts to implement mandatory social-emotional learning courses and interventions to help students re-learn how to navigate positive social interactions. Remember, our seventh graders were last in school at the end of 5th grade. They have lost a year-and-a-half of the social Interactions and the learning that happens through those. This isn't just happening at my school. This is a <a href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/2021/9/27/22691601/student-behavior-stress-trauma-return">nationwide issue</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>But it's not just the students who are casualties of this period. Teachers are struggling with their social-emotional matters. This is a toll on teachers' energy levels and ability to want to interact with kids. There is a daily barrage of students bad language and berating that is often directed toward teachers and other adults. Some students just up and walk out of classrooms, talk over lesson