This week, Oak Learners hosted Andrew Chang and his team from CBC News: The National to film a segment about what children are hearing and thinking about the current issues surrounding the Coronavirus outbreak.
Current students of our day school as well as PA Day Camp participants joined Director Kelly Farrell in a special interview with Andrew Chang and a group discussion asking and answering questions about the causes and effects of the Coronavirus.
Kelly spoke with CBC about how parents and teachers need to always be aware of the effect of new stories on our children and take the opportunity on a regular basis to keep conversations open while providing age-appropriate factual information, keeping the focus on the facts, not fear. Children in particular have the worst opportunity to receive the whole story; rather they pick up bits and pieces of new clips and adult conversations. Graphic photographs flash across screens and appear frequently across social media and children are often left with more questions than answers.
Students from the Oak Learners community spoke to CBC about how misinformation was causing wild rumours and even discrimiation at their schools and how researching and asking questions helped diffuse the fear and uncertainty they felt when listening to the news and schoolyard rumours.
Watch the entire segment at https://oaklearners.ca/students-at-oak-learners-talk-to-cbc-the-national-about-coronavirus-in-the-news/
