COVID-19 has taken control over our lives since January 18, 2020, when alerts of the outbreak came to light. To keep people safe from this newly founded disease. Work and schools were all put on pause. Although now we can return to our somewhat regular lives after years of being in lockdown. Unfortunately, after years spent away at home, students, most of whose lives revolve around COVID-19, were heavily impacted.
The lockdown was to protect people from the pandemic. Still, now that it has ended, there have been severe setbacks in students’ education, social experiences, and an overall effect on their behavior. A Nature Human Behavior paper estimated that “Students “lost 35% of a normal school year’s worth of learning,” as shown from data in 15 other countries. Due to this mass loss of school, student’s grades have declined. A 2022 US National Assessment of Educational Progress exam stated that students from the fourth to eighth grade have fallen behind in most of their classes, including language arts and math, which has shown the highest decline ever in the United States. Not only did students lose years of education, but they have also been stuck inside, unable to make new social experiences. A 2021 article, COVID-19 and Education: The Lingering Effects of Unfinished Learning, shows a survey of 16,370 concerned parents about their child’s mental health, including their social and emotional well-being. About 80% of parents are experiencing the effect of COVID-19 in their children’s lives due to being stuck behind a computer, unable to create new relationships, and being around others, affecting how they interact with others. Teachers have not only seen a decline in grades but also COVID-19’s effect on student’s behavior. In a 2020 survey, out of 195 students, 138 showed high levels of stress and anxiety. Not only has their mental health been affected, but also student’s sleeping patterns. Due to these effects on students, many have recommended that school districts add extra tutoring and learning time through summer programs or even have longer school years.
Now that we are back at school, students have struggled to focus and socialize due to the lack of interactions during the pandemic, which has had harmful effects on their mental health, like anxiety and depression.