COVID-19 Lessons from a Mother’s Perspective KELLY SAKZENIAN CAGLE
I Some educational settings did a better job than others equipping their students to excel in non-traditional environments, such as remote learning.
n March of 2020, every academic setting was challenged by COVID-19. Some educational models experienced deeper obstructions than others. In addition to the educational disruption, families were strongly impacted socially, emotionally, and spiritually by the changes to their daily school schedule. Although experiences varied, I believe some educational settings did a better job than others equipping their students to excel in non- traditional environments, such as remote learning. While COVID-19 offered us all a plethora of lessons, I will share those I learned through my family’s participation in a University-Model® school. Parents whose children attended traditional campuses (full time, five days a week) faced a challenge they had never encountered before. Adults were expected to continue their professional careers remotely, in addition to embracing the new role of “co-teacher”—an often unknown territory to them. This transition was extremely overwhelming and stressful to parents, as they also considered the health and safety of their loved ones during the viral outbreak. In October 2020, as part of a special report called “Learning” in the New York Times, Amelia Nierenberg reported on parents who were asked to answer the question, “How are you dealing with remote learning?” Some of the answers included the following: • “My third-grader does not like his headphones, which means as I sit next to him, I hear every loud voice, every math lesson, and every time a child interrupts. But it is important that I sit by him, as he is still trying to navigate the eight different online websites that the teacher uses to supplement the classwork. He is also easily distracted and a wiggly 8-year-old boy that needs redirection. He cannot do it alone, and I cannot expect his teacher to do it on her own from her home.” • “Balancing is not a thing when you are parenting, teaching and working simultaneously. It’s simply not possible to do it all or do any of it well.” • “My brain is breaking just trying to track their schedules, portals, login information, device access and so on.” Along with parents who faced new challenges of working remotely while simultaneously embracing the role of teacher, students also faced new challenges, as they were required to complete the school year with variations released weekly and in unfamiliar methods. Similar to adults, students encountered a major transition with being asked to continue schoolwork without the physical presence and supervision of a teacher. And, of course, educators also faced a major challenge. With little warning and limited time 32 October 2021 Christian Educators Journal
