In just the first week of school, there were five fights, according to Instagram feeds and student surveillance. In the following weeks, there have been continuing tallies of shows of aggression formed as fights across all demographics. Particularly notable fights have reportedly consisted of thrown chairs, students being pinned down, and, in some cases, even blood drawn.

Students and staff alike have been essentially pent up for almost a year and a half, so it is no surprise that there have been some notable growing pains in the form of fights with the return of literally thousands to campus. The fights however, point to a larger problem: students are struggling to regulate their own emotional needs. After being isolated for a year, kids just can’t mediate through conflict reasonably. We’ve spent legitimate years alone, and now, our social skills are struggling. According to NewsDirect, 71% of parents are concerned about their children’s social skills.

So, what is the solution? Integrated activities within the school day promoting social competence and literacy. It is Li, Flynn and DeRoseir’s opinions, fire-tested educational psychologist researchers, that programs including such education will be vital to ensuring the proper development of youth, especially those who spent their pivotal developmental years in quarantine.

So, what do developmentally appropriate activities look like that promote our social skills and help us get back to normal? Well, they are already well incorporated into our school day, but could just use a bit more emphasis. Community meal times, in other words lunch with friends and discussions, like those had in class, are vital building blocks for social-emotional literacy.

Hopefully, with the integration of some normalcy and the presence of some socialization, social skills will improve and fights will decrease with better, rational-minded, conflict resolution skills.