English Composition

Proposed Elements

Discussion/ Exploration

Proposed Topic

My proposed topic is the importance of mental health for children during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. I want to  focus on children in elementary school, so between the ages of 5 years and 11 years. I want to look at how being confined within the home for online school and having to wear masks when back in school face-to-face have negatively affected their mental health. I also want to see how schools have responded to making the mental health of these students a priority and what mental health experts suggest parents can do to make their children’s mental health a priority.

Questions

1. How has being confined to home for online school early in the pandemic negatively affected the mental health of students between the ages of 5 and 11?

2. How has wearing masks in the classroom negatively affected the mental health of students between the ages of 5 and 11?

3. How have schools responded to making the mental health of these students a priority?

4. What do mental health experts suggest parents can do to make their children’s mental health a priority?

Rationale

I want to study this topic because I have children of my own between the ages of 5 and 11, and I want to better understand how this pandemic has negatively affected their mental health and what schools/myself can do to best help my children cope. I am also training to be an elementary school teacher so I want to learn what I can do as a future teacher to best help students with their mental health. I hope to use this research to better understand the mental health struggles children between the ages of 5 and 11 and to better help students of this age to have positive mental health experiences.

Summary

I am investigating the negative effects of online learning and wearing face masks in the classroom has had on students between the ages of 5 and 11 years during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. I am also investigating how schools and parents can prioritize the mental health of these students. I will be researching mental health studies regarding this topic and what schools across the country are doing to prioritize the mental health of these students. I will look at school district websites for their mental health prioritization plans. Additionally, I will be reviewing the advice mental health experts are giving to parents to help prioritize the mental health of their children in this age range. I want to use peer-reviewed  evidence, school district examples, and mental health expert advice to understand how this pandemic has negatively affected students between the ages of 5 and 11 years in terms of educational experiences and learn what is being done and what can be done to prioritize their mental health at school and at home. 

Prediction

I predict that I will learn a lot of useful information from this investigation in terms of how the mental health of students between the ages of 5 and 11 years has been negatively affected by educational experiences connected with the pandemic. I will also see how school districts across the country are prioritizing the mental health of these students. I may learn ways that school districts are using or are not using the data that I have encountered to prioritize the mental health of these students. I predict that I will learn useful ways to prioritize the health of my own children from mental health experts.

Reviewed Sources

Caspani, Maria, & Beier, Hannah. “U.S. schools turn  focus to mental health of students reeling from pandemic,”  Reuters, 6 May 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-schools-turn- focus-mental-health-students-reeling-pandemic-2021-05-06/. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

Devine, Rory. “Students Push SDUSD to Make Mental Health Part of Core Curriculum,”  NBC San Diego, 27 May 2021, https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/students-push-sdusd-to-have-mental-health-part-of-curriculum/2616850/. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

Garcia, Emma, & Weiss, Elaine. “COVID-19 and student performance, equity, and U.S. education policy: Lessons from pre-pandemic research to inform relief, recovery, and rebuilding.”  Education Policy Institute, 10 Sept. 2020, https://www.epi.org/publication/the-consequences-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-for-education-performance-and-equity-in-the-united-states-what-can-we-learn-from-pre-pandemic-research-to-inform-relief-recovery-and-rebuilding/. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

Hegeman, Roxana. “Kansas schools prioritize mental health for pandemic aid,”  AP, 26 Aug. 2021, https://apnews.com/article/business-health-education-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-115fa64f8f1222c237999df2da488ca7. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

Stringer, Heather. “Zoom school’s mental health toll on kids: Academic and social development are likely to slip during online learning for many students,”  American Psychological Association, 13 Oct. 2020, https://www.apa.org/news/apa/2020/online-learning-mental-health. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

United States of America Department of Education: Office for Civil Rights. “Education in a Pandemic: The Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 on America’s Students,”  U.S. Department of Education, 9 June 2021, https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/20210608-impacts-of-covid19.pdf. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.

Explanation

This topic is important because many elementary school children have had their mental health negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly due to their educational experiences. To come out of the pandemic with coping strategies for their mental health and an understanding of the importance of positive mental health, students between the ages of 5 and 11 need support from their schools and their parents. School administrators, teachers, and parents should all care about this topic. Schools are responsible for keeping their students safe and promoting healthy habits extending to mental health. Parents are even more responsible than schools for this. Prioritizing the mental health of these students needs to be a community effort between schools and parents.