Riya Garg

When we think of the effects of COVID-19, we tend to think of how it's affected our jobs, our social lives, and society in general. While we all experience the day-to-day effects of the pandemic, we sometimes forget the pandemic’s effects on the younger generations, today and years to come. Preschoolers. 3 to 5 year olds. Children have been in school since the school year started, because their parents can’t leave them home alone. During crucial stages in a child’s development, some children have never even experienced a normal school day. These kids have seen their classroom, a place that used to be an area of comfort, turn into a grim, disconnected environment. A place always with a hint of fear now-- fear that they can catch the virus. They started to hear their parents tell them “be safe” every morning, instead of “have fun!” “Keep your distance from your peers. Be careful around your teachers. Wear a mask over your mouth and nose for 6 hours of the day.” These kids saw their life change in front of them, just as the rest of us did, but their opinion, their perspective, was forgotten.

My mom runs a Montessori pre-school, so I would visit from time to time. When the school year started, my mom had to keep her school open because the kids' parents had to go to work, and the kids needed a place to stay at. I was curious as to seeing how different the school environment must be, because of all of the safety precautions put into place. Upon visiting, I quickly noticed the difference in the dynamic, what used to be a (relatively) loud classroom full of smiling kids became an unsettling level of quietness-- for a preschool classroom at least-- filled with dispirited kids with 75% of their face covered by a mask. Through this portfolio, I hope to shine light on their perspective of the past nine months.