Thread by @javeedsukhera

Here in Ontario, I have always believed school closures and openings should be decided at a local level based on the best science available. Every family is different and every kid is different. Here are my thoughts on the current situation as a child/adolescent psychiatrist...

The distances created by the pandemic have polarized our discourse about virtually everything. This polarization is dangerous and doesn’t bode well for the future. Instead of an obsession between opening versus closing how about we resist this narrative? /1

Every kid is different. Every family is different. Some kids are struggling with closures, but some kids are also thriving. Every kid learns differently. We should avoid a ‘one size fits all’ mentality and try to meet kids and families unique needs. /2

Every school is different and every region is different. It makes no sense to keep schools closed in certain places where spread is minimal and kids, teachers, and staff are able to stay safe. /3

Yet some schools (particularly in neglected neighbourhoods in urban settings) lack the infrastructure for safe reopening. Often, these are the same communities with higher case counts and lower vaccine penetrance. /4

It saddens me to see adults falling on one side or the other when we should be centring kids. They must always come first. Their #mentalhealth must be top of mind. We should avoid projecting our hurt into their experiences. /5

My hope is that as we emerge from this nightmare we can give each other the space to renegotiate one another’s own relationship with the world. Not everyone shares the same hurt and not everyone has the same path for healing. /6

We tend to amplify certain discourses we agree with or relate or because it feels validating. Yet, we shouldn’t be invalidated if someone else has a different experience. We should try and lean in to understand that experience while validating each other. /7

So should schools reopen or stay closed? Well how about we stop spending our energy on ‘us versus them’ battles? How about we ask ourselves what we need to do to keep our hearts and minds open to each other’s differences instead? /8

How about all of us who care so deeply about kids #mentalhealth reflect on how we can support and centre the young people in our lives, amplify their voices, and give them space and agency? How we can #putkidsfirst ? /9

We will have to work together to rebuild our frayed connections and relationships and shouting into the void on social media doesn’t always help with that. My hope and wish is for all of us to find some healing and peace in the weeks and months ahead. /END