Consequences of Stress on Children's Development- Week 4 Assignment

 There are many stressors that children experience that can impact their development. A stressor that stands out the most to me, that has affected many people, is disease- specifically, Covid. 

I remember my last day of in person teaching for the 2020 school year, March 12, 2020. The principal sent an email that we would have a mandatory staff meeting at the end of the day, once all the kids went home. At this meeting, we found out that school would be closed for the next two weeks, per the Governor. I think this made it an eye opening experience for many adults in the room, as we realized how serious this disease was. The remainder of that school year was spent providing materials to my students through email and checking in with them throughout the week to see if they needed anything from me or if they had any questions. While doing this, I was also teaching my own children at home.  

My own children and I coped with this by playing outside, playing games, watching movies, and spending more time together. I think it made us slow down in a sense. There were also some negative effects- my kids missed their teachers and friends, they missed going places and running simple errands, and they did not like wearing the masks. 

I think that this disease pitted people against one another and in a way made people less empathetic toward others. From an educational standpoint, some students are behind academically, socially, and behaviorally. This stressor impacted kids mental health and daily routine. Some students lost family members, which affected their developmental domains. Others were afraid of getting sick or having to quarantine. Families were impacted financially because parents may have not been able to work because of the shut down. Grocery stores had a hard time keeping things on the shelves which affected many peoples health and nutrition. 

Other parts of the world were also affected. Death, loss of resources, and shut downs impacted children in many ways. They were not able to go to school which impacted them cognitively and socially. They may have been sick or a family member may have been sick, which impacted them biosocially. People all over the world were affected financially as well. 

Covid had many ramifications on children as well as adults. Countries are trying to get back to normal or get used to the "new normal." I think what we can really do to minimize the harm is show kindness. We should be supportive of one another, open minded, and treat people the way we want to be treated. The world needs more kindness.