Thread by @BisforBerkshire

I had the honor yesterday of hearing from 15 Boston students attending 6 city schools about what they've lost during the past year & how adults can help them recover. Takeaway: their view of the pandemic & remote learning is far more complex than what's reflected in the news /1

For starters, they take the pandemic EXTREMELY seriously because they've lost loved ones & their communities have been the hardest hit. So they're not buying the argument that this thing is over /2

I got to see/hear for myself the downsides of remote learning. These students attend school in their bedrooms - if they have a bedroom. Terrible audio, crappy cameras, little siblings who howl off screen or suddenly burst into view /3

These students were very candid about all they've lost this year: friendships, motivation, extracurriculars like basketball & debate that made school worthwhile. Yet almost all could point to some way that the experience of pandemic learning had changed them for the better. /4

When I asked how they think schools should respond to this *lost* year of pandemic learning, these students were nearly unanimous: *Help us heal.* /5

So a big thanks to @AvashiaNeema for making this happen and allowing me to listen in on a convo about pandemic schooling that was far richer and more nuanced than what we typically hear. I'll be sharing on a forthcoming @HaveYouHeardPod.