When the pandemic struck back in March of 2020, it waged chaos on every aspect of our lives, especially within the world of education. Schools across Quebec closed, and then found themselves in an ongoing ping pong match between in-person and online classes. The biggest take away? Just how flexible educators and administrators have learned to be.

Suddenly, they found themselves trying to navigate through various technological challenges all the while engaging children through a screen. But this challenge also now presents benefits that will extend far beyond the pandemic. One such benefit is how tech-savvy educators and students have become. They are ready to put this knowledge to use, in case future scenarios require it. Some schools may even continue to incorporate an online aspect to their teaching, particularly for older students.

Other ways in which good has come out of a terrible situation is one that involves health measures at their most basic level. Christine Krahulec, an elementary educator at the Lester B. Pearson School Board, notes that some positive changes materialized despite struggles. “Since the pandemic, we’ve had to re-assess the air quality in classrooms,” she says. Many schools bought new air purifiers, especially in older buildings. This will benefit students and staff alike for years to come, pandemic or not.

Krahulec also adds that for this past year, educators took on the role of ultimate problem-solvers and had to re-evaluate everything. “The social emotional health of students must come first before the academics,” she says. Amidst the usual standardized tests, rubrics, and grading, this is a notion that will remain in many schools. She asserts that the focus should be on bringing joy into the classroom, and also feeling joy as educators. It’s been a difficult road, and educators continue to face stressful situations while trying to remain sane and healthy. This translates into better self-care for many school staff members, which is essential.

Another key issue the pandemic shed light on is social and educational inequity. During quarantine, students from certain socio-economic groups found themselves unable to keep up. Assessing the situation, many school boards offered these families free iPads and WIFI so students could be more on par with others. Though we may still be far from bridging the gaps in these inequities, things have at least improved on a certain level.

In terms of the 2021-2022 school year, nobody is certain how the situation will unfold. Many educators express hope that some restrictions will ease up, like being able to group students between homerooms rather than in strict bubbles. This will make activities like school-wide projects, recess, and lunch easier to manage. Parents also hope for more “normalcy,” though things may never quite be the same.

Ultimately, everyone will have to remain flexible since things can shift at the drop of a hat. “Children are extremely resilient. No matter what restrictions are imposed on them, they always try their best to cooperate,” says Krahulec.