Multiple times this year adults have said to me that they feel so sorry for children who have to wear masks all day long, or practice social distancing, or do any of the many, many mitigation strategies that have helped keep schools safe and open across many communities. These adults have expressed horror that student athletes have had to play in masks. They have expressed all of the ways that young people will be ruined from this experience this year.
This makes me truly sad because the students that I see are resilient, strong, and positive. I have spent the year in and out of classrooms and have seen students in so many contexts making the best of their circumstances. I have seen students so excited to learn. They are not at all distraught by masks or acrylic barriers, or any of the things that we as adults get so bent out of shape about.
Although we should always advocate for what we think is right or wrong for our students, we should also be teaching them about the importance of resiliency. Young people must know that they have all of the tools to get through these difficult times. They should learn that sometimes things are hard and annoying, and they will disagree with how they are happening. Young people must know that, in the end, they have what it takes to succeed.
I am worried about the message we are sending to children as we are outraged over every single thing. This is not good for them to watch. As a parent, there have been many times this year that I have questioned what is wrong or right, but my children have known that they have all the strength within them to persevere.
As adults, we must understand that children are in many ways stronger than we are. Let them be strong. In most cases, they will be just fine whether they spent this year at school, virtual, or dealing with any of the other obstacles they have had to deal with. Our job is to support them, not convince them this is an insurmountable task. And in cases where children are struggling, advocate for them. Get them help. Don’t be outraged in front of them. Our children are resilient, smart, wonderful beings. They will get through.
Jaime Festa-Daigle
My name is Jaime Festa-Daigle and I was born here in Arizona. I work as the Director of Personnel and Technology at Lake Havasu Unified School District. I’ve taught everything from ELL to 8th grade English to student council to college level government and economics. I was recognized as the American Civic Educator of the Year in 2012. I am fully focused on ensuring rural students have equal access to educational opportunities as their metropolitan counterparts. My current passion is the development of mentor and induction programs for novice school leaders in rural communities. I am an NBCT, Arizona Master Teacher, and an Arizona Rural Schools Association board member. During the small moments where I am not focused on how to make Lake Havasu Unified School District the best district in AZ, I am usually nerding out on politics, fretting about my children and pugs, or working up a sweat at Cross Fit.
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This has been my experience as well. The students are amazing. They are adapting, persevering, and making behavior choices that honor community health. It’s the adults who are struggling to adapt to the changes. We usually ask the adults to be role models for children, but in this situation I think the adults could learn a lot from the kids.
I am amazed at how resilient our students are. They are truly making the best of a bad situation, which really should be an essential life skill for all people to have. Of course, we wish things would be different, but I think it is so important for our students to see that so many people in their class, school, neighborhood, city, state, and country are working together for a common goal: slowing the spread of the virus.