School, parents' appeal: "No to holiday homework in DaD. Let's give the kids a week to unwind from their commitments"

No to homework during the Easter holidays after a year of distance learning, "let's give kids the chance for a week to physically and mentally detach themselves from school commitments to be sent online". This is the appeal launched by the Italian Parents Association (Age) and the Italian Federation of Dyslexia Learning (Fida) to all the competent authorities in the matter with a letter sent in these hours under the social hashtag #SalviamolaPasqua!. The effects of the pandemic - the associations underline in a note - go beyond the number of positives and deaths, and involve the emotional sphere and psychological balance of everyone, especially children and teenagers. There are already numerous interventions by pediatricians, psychologists and psychiatrists who have reported more or less serious consequences on the psyches of our minors caused by the excess of distance learning and the suspension of social relationships that they experience at school.

'As homework only fun activities to do with the family' (Adnkronos Salute) – For this reason Age and Fida ask to give families the opportunity to invent activities to do together, with the sole purpose of rediscovering the well-being of fun and play. As Easter homework we recommend 'Fun activities with the family' - ask the associations -.

We assure you that it will be a very important lesson for the children, for the parents and for the teachers themselves. “Distance learning requires greater concentration, energy and attention than studying in class, especially for the youngest children – explain the presidents Rosaria D'Anna (Age) and Maria Dimita (Fida) -. The situation is made worse by the fact that the hours of distance learning are often intensive and exclusively dedicated to the development of the disciplinary program without leaving adequate space for activities in which interactive dialogue with teachers and between the children themselves on the emotional aspects of their experience or on the events in which they are protagonists prevails. In this context – they conclude – the homework that is assigned represents a further and useless cause of stress and cannot be a priority also in consideration of its dubious usefulness”.