In regard to state Sen. John Braun’s concern about loss of education during COVID-19, or two years of educational loss for students as he indicated, I have a different perspective.
After reading an article from a student in a war-torn country who was unable to go to school for four years and ultimately came to the U.S., her story was uplifting to me as a former teacher.
She came here not knowing the language plus missing four years of education. She finished high school and went on to earn her college degree. Her take was, as long as students feel safe and loved, they will be fine.
My question for Braun is, why did some students do fine with online learning and not fall behind? My guess would be those families made sure their children were supported during that time, while others were not. Yes, we definitely need to help those students who did not have the support they deserved. But not all students fall into that category as he indicated.
So, the state needs to step up with additional funding for those students requiring additional help, along with our special education students who have been underfunded for quite a few years now. Schools are seeing more students with more needs than we have ever seen before and my question to Senator Braun is: What are you going to do about it?
Additional funding is needed for more professional help with student mental health in schools, programs for parents to give them skills in order to support their children in a positive manner and help in our schools for children who are falling behind grade level.
It’s not an every student thing. It’s about how we support the most vulnerable.
Vicki Daniels
Chehalis
