‘21-‘22 School Year Check-in

By Danielle Alexander

When Crystal Kassab Jabiro stepped outside to join other staff members at West Bloomfield Middle School’s fall dance, she got teary-eyed looking at the student body.

“They haven’t had a school party in close to two years,” the seventh and eighth grade history teacher explained. “The party was outside, and they didn’t have to wear masks. Nearly 600 kids stayed for it. There was music, pizza and dancing, and the kids just wandered around on the grass just playing, chasing each other and being kids. It was truly a beautiful sight to see.”

When Jabiro told me that the eighth graders’ last normal school year was fifth grade, I couldn’t help but feel teary-eyed, too. COVID-19 has affected almost their entire middle school experience. Although I do not think anyone would call this new school year “normal,” the community is thankful that their children can be in-person, but it hasn’t been the easiest transition for everyone.

Anything but virtual

Few, if any, children and teenagers enjoy wearing masks. Jabiro said her students, however, have been overall compliant and caring since they’re so happy to be back in-person.

“Once in a while, kids might wear their masks below their nose, or take it off for 30 seconds to a minute for a little break but barely,” she said. “For the most part, it doesn’t bother them, and for most of them, they don’t care as long as they get to be in school.”

Jameela Kallabat lives in Bloomfield Hills and has five children, two at Brother Rice High School and three at Wayne State University. She said her boys in high school were excited to have homecoming this year and sit in the lunchroom versus socially distancing themselves in different areas of the school. Her two sons and one daughter in college are required to take a COVID-19 test once a week and have a few online courses but are happy to be able to interact on campus and in the student center.

Similar to Kallabat, Kristina Abrou, who lives in West Bloomfield, said her children are happy to be back in-person, particularly her son with special needs. Even with hired help while she worked, her son would cry a lot last school year and could never really adjust to virtual learning since it was out of his routine. As a result, he always felt confused.

“Now he wakes up so happy, changing, getting his backpack and waiting for the bus,” she said. “He knows double-digit math and loves doing art projects. I hate the mask, but honestly, it’s a small price to pay for his sanity. Actually, everyone’s.”

Transitions aren’t always easy

Despite the positives of having in-person school again, the readjustment period has not been easy for all students, especially the older ones in public schools who experienced virtual learning the longest.

Lindsay Najor is a psychologist from Bloomfield Hills who treats teens. She said 3 out of 7 teens she had been seeing before school started this fall asked to get tested for ADHD. Because of the timing of these requests, Najor said she thinks it’s hard for students to focus while in school again. Additionally, she said that since they’ve missed so much time for socialization over the last two years, students seem torn between having a social life and their studies, and some are feeling more socially anxious than before.

After having her first son, Najor took a four-month maternity leave and came back very slowly. Her leave with her youngest, however, was much shorter. She was asked to return early to the practice since therapists have been in such high demand this year.

“Most of all those new clients were having anxiety,” she explained. “I also noticed parents who may have not been open to their teens seeking therapy were commenting that they were just trying to support their kids because they didn’t know what to do. There hasn’t been a time where my caseload has had so many teens struggling with anxiety as the main root of therapy.”

The transition hasn’t been easy on teachers, either. Nichole Sheena Kherkher, for example, has taught in Farmington for more than 17 years and said it’s been difficult to hear kids speak and see their emotions and expressions when they wear masks. Plus, her school has been extremely short-staffed.

“There are no subs, so all of our IEPs and any school-associated business has been held during our time to plan and prepare for our lessons,” she said. “We meet with PLC teams during lunch and recess one day a week, and since we are short noon-aides and support, we have been helping out with lunch and recess. It’s exhausting, but I wouldn’t change being back in-person for the world. It’s what the kids need, and they are the ones we need to focus on.”

Danielle Alexander is a local tutor, freelance writer, and adjunct professor at Madonna University.