Many are viewing this time as “The Great Deficit.” Gaps are gaping. Scores are slipping. We will have a generation lost. Will we? Academically speaking, was this view any less true than it is now? Hasn’t this been the battle cry–and even the sales pitch–for some time now, the call to follow the achievement scores and the rally behind the rise of the standardized mechanism in modern education? If so, then maybe we’ve been living in The Great Deficit for decades.

Interestingly, I am not sure this time is affecting academics as much as we fear. Oh, there are certainly new challenges, and yes there’s less, but we have met many of those challenges (in some rather innovative and effective ways), and maybe–just maybe–less is more. Academically speaking.

More interestingly, there’s a fevered pitch to promote and support social-emotional learning, as if finally some are waking to the idea that there’s more at play than academics when it comes to educating humans. I am not suggesting it wasn’t a push before the pandemic, but my observations, both near and fear, have revealed a more pronounced push than ever before.

Most interestingly, at least to me, this shines a bright light on the real deficit in American public education: the lack of humanization in our kids’ experiences. And our remote reality has revealed this in ways heretofore unseen. Yes, we cry content loss, but kids can learn content online, and we can teach content online. And if we had to stay at it, we’d get more efficient at the content trade. That we can address, that we can adapt to, that we can accomplish, but we can’t reach kids. Well, certainly not as we could in person. Some may argue that the same is true for content, and while I get that, and I don’t necessarily disagree, I’d point out that the difference is the human connection, not the instruction that makes the difference. But, then, isn’t that what we had before? Humans sharing space? Yes, but that does not necessitate connection. Kids can quickly become blank screens with names in person if we are just simply the audio at the front of the room. Connection transcends occupancy.

Okay, so where’s the “deficit,” what’s the point? This. For years a focus on content and achievement has led us away from the humans in the room. And the lamentations of lost learning during this time–I fear–will overshadow what we are discovering about human connection when we return. Importantly, I think more are seeing the human side than ever before, but I worry they will assign the need to the pandemic and forget about it when we return. And if that happens, we lose. Kids lose. Generations lost.

Wow. Serious topic to tackle at 4:30 AM. I am sure contradictions abound above, but this was in craw this morning, and I had to get it out. Sorry. Happy Tuesday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.