LANSING, MI (WSYM) - — Families around Md-Michigan had to make some major adjustments this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Students had to adjust to a whole new world, learning from home without seeing their friends and teachers every day.
Now some parents are concerned about the mental and physical effects online learning have on their children as learning from home continues this fall.
Jaynean Cornelius says her daughter misses going to school.
“She was like, ‘I miss my friends, I miss Ms. Small, I miss seeing Ms. Tasha.’ I miss seeing whoever she interacted with on a daily basis because that had become her routine,” said Cornelius. “That’s what she missed out of everything, just the social interaction with someone besides me.”
Many children, like Cornelius’ 7th grader, had gotten used to a routine, getting up, going to school and seeing their friends. Now they’ve had to adjust to the new normal, only seeing their classmates through a screen.
Teacher Kristin Small noticed a positive outcome of remote learning while teaching at the end of the semester.
“Socially, the kids that I was working with in the spring, they would get on and they really enjoy each other’s company,” said Small. “It wasn’t quite the same, but interestingly, when you’re in a Zoom meeting, they’re all hanging out together. There are no cliques or groups. I’m concerned about their physical movement, getting out and playing.”
The Lansing School District has built in time for kids to move during their daily schedule this fall, something already being accepted by students like Torri Chambers’ daughter.
“They came up with new challenges. My youngest daughter, she goes outside in the back and she jumps on the trampoline,” said Chambers. “So they’re talking now like I’ve got a thousand jumps today. So it’s really cool. You’ll see them back there, counting, jumping. Everybody wants to meet that number every day.”
If your child is spending more time in their room or not wanting to get out of their bed, experts say to reach out to a mental health professional.
