Some kids will see improvement in learning when mask mandate ends: educators

As of Monday, a mask will be optional inside Ontario schools for both students and educators.

While it’s been a contentious issue, some parents are happy about the move.

Some educators say although there are safety concerns, some children will see a big improvement in their learning.

Toronto mom Bronwen Alsop has a four-year-old son who has no hearing in one ear and wears a hearing aid in the other, and he has a mask exemption.

“A huge problem for him is that people all around him have been wearing a mask, and this has restricted him from lip reading. Even at the age of under two he was relying heavily on lip reading. To not see educators’ mouths or to see peers… wherever you go it’s been hard for him,” says Alsop.

Alsop also says her daughter struggles with hearing loss and sight, “she has glasses, and because of her mask, they constantly fog. She also has conductive hearing loss. It’s been very hard for her with her sight.”

The mom of two is looking forward to the mask mandate coming to an end.

Grade 3 ESL and French teacher, Amira Younis, works for the Peel District School Board and says there will be benefits, although she plans on continuing to wear her mask for most of the day.

“It’s really important for language learning for students to be able to see the face and the visual cues. With a mask on, it’s often muffled and you can’t really see the nuances of the language and certain sounds. So I think even just having my mask nearby but pulling it down when I do want express a certain sound will be helpful,” says Younis.

Oakville speech pathologist Joanna Haber-Lazar says communication is much more than just hearing words.

“For people that are struggling with communication they often don’t realize that they are lip reading,” says Haber-Lazar.

Haber-Lazar says she plans on keeping her mask on, however, she’s happy there’s some leeway.

“I have an office so I can remove my mask to show sometimes what I need to show and move to the back wall. With those clients that need visual cues, I can switch to a face shield,” says Haber-Lazar.

Alsop will be sending her two children to school this Monday mask-free in what she hopes is an accepting environment.

“I hope across-the-board there’s going to be no shame on either side. That we just respect what everybody is going to be doing,” says Alsop.