Schools deal with effects of pandemic

While the return to all in-person learning in the 2021-22 academic year was greeted with sighs of relief by many throughout the Archdiocese of Baltimore, it was not without some level of anxiety among students.

With many children away from the classroom at the height of the pandemic, there were some adjustments to be made and accommodations for new, unexpected stresses upon their return.

According to Sue Porembski, counselor at St. Philip Neri School in Linthicum Heights, some children needed help solving conflicts with other children and negotiating disagreements at recess. For many kindergarteners, it was not only their first time in an in-person learning environment, but also their first time interacting with other children.

Porembski started offering “social emotional lessons” at the school, especially with the younger children. She taught social cues, such as how to know if someone is smiling with a mask on.

Porembski noted that some children had trouble focusing for sustained periods of time in the classroom. Teachers had to be more patient.  

Adolescents’ social skills were also affected.

Dr. Barbara Nazelrod, president of The Catholic High School of Baltimore, said there are noticeable leaders among the students, but after being isolated for months, their social skills haven’t developed as they normally would.

“We saw that the girls needed to talk,” Nazelrod said.

Sharon Johnston, principal of Catholic High, noted that the all-girls school was motivated to incorporate as many social events as quickly as possible while maintaining safety protocols to inspire leadership opportunities.

The school hired a professional counselor who leads group talks to address mental health concerns and important topics while keeping faith at the core of the conversations. 

“We can’t just look at the academics,” Johnston said. “We need to look at the child as a whole – academically, spiritually, mentally and socially.”

Dr. Patricia “Pat” Fosarelli, adjunct instructor of pastoral theology at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Roland Park, has served on the full-time faculty of The Johns Hopkins Medical Institution in the Department of Pediatrics. She said anxiety and depression are manifested in children’s behavior in several ways. Some externalize anxiety with hyperactivity, aggression or risk taking, while others act with shyness, fear and isolation.

Unrealistic fears arise in children as many have lost a loved one or have experienced someone close to them getting severely sick from the virus.

The American Academy of Pediatrics along with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Children’s Hospital Association, issued a declaration of national emergency in child and adolescent mental health Oct. 19, 2021. The declaration affirms that more than 140,000 children in the United States have lost a primary and/or secondary caregiver since the pandemic started.

Fosarelli suggested talking to children as one of the best techniques parents can use to help their children identify realistic and unrealistic fears and overcome anxiety.

She also emphasized prayer as an opportunity for children to expand on their spiritual life. She said parents should pray with their children and take time to explain the need to pray for everyone, especially those who are sick from the virus. 

Email Priscila González de Doran at pdoran@CatholicReview.org

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