2020-2021 was a notorious year in our nation’s history. Covid tore through our society, filling hospitals and emptying schools. As a result, 5th graders across the nation lost the elementary school version of their ‘senior year.’ They weren’t the stars of the school play, they didn’t get to fill campus leadership positions, and they never enjoyed their end-of-the-year field trips. Some students felt that the year was a complete loss, and for many it was.
“I could tell, sometimes, when kids weren’t engaged,” said Mrs. Johnson, a 5th grade teacher, “I wasn’t sure the kids were really getting it.”
Because of the distance in online learning, teachers noticed that kids neglected their education. Motivation was lacking, and laziness was a constant battle.
“I would play Roblox, all the time, during online school,” said 8th grader, Tori J.
When eighth graders lost their fifth grade experience, they missed a developmental part of their lives. In a normal year, most students finish 5th grade with a smile on their faces, but not 8th graders. They missed everything. Nearly all of the enjoyable events in 5th grade were lost due to quarantine. 8th graders never socialized with people at school, or made new or different friends. School was reduced to sitting in front of a screen doing nothing.
Students didn’t experience field trips, earn rewards for achievements nor simply the fun of being at the top of the elementary school hierarchy.
“We didn’t have anything to replace our field trips, honor rolls and assemblies,” said 8th grader, Kaden S.
Having finally re-emerged at the top once again, 8th graders lost that 5th grade ‘senior year’ of elementary school. They didn’t get the full experience that students before and after 2021 had.
“It was the last year of elementary school, and we missed out on a lot. Graduation was really bad because it was just a drive through,” said 8th grader, Cameron S. “It didn’t feel that real.”
Life changed that year. But few realized how much was lost until it was gone.
“I didn’t have anyone to teach me how to [play my] flute, and I had to learn how to do it by a video,” said 8th grader Tori J.
Gone were all of the things included in a typical 5th grade year.
“There was a fieldtrip, that I really wanted to go on [and missed]. Assemblies and other fun stuff, but we didn’t get any of that,” said 8th grader, Madline S.
Even the sporting world ground to a halt. Community and district leaders feared the worst: if students came within 6 feet of one another on a court or a field, Covid could be spread.
“[Without soccer] I felt like a part of me was missing,” 8th grader Kira W. said. “It made me really mad, and frustrated.”
8th graders missed a year that changed their lives. Few kids reached their full academic, athletic or musical potential.
“I could have [experienced] a lot of new things, but I missed that opportunity,” said Tori J.
