Let’s face it. The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted millions and created hardships for families world-wide. For over a year, the majority of schools across the nation have had limited attendance or closed doors. Because of this, teachers have resorted to the virtual classroom by teaching via video chat. What does virtual learning say about our future? Children are learning fundamentals from a screen and getting more screen time than ever before. How has the virtual classroom effected your family? Here are some concerns school districts and families may face in the future.
Will snow days become a thing of the past?
The best part of the winter as a school aged child was waking up to a SNOW DAY! School was closed and that meant no homework, no nothing. This meant sleeping in, going sledding, extra snacks, and building snowmen. There was nothing quite like a good old snow day! Will the virtual classroom take over future snow days?
School districts across the nation have varying thoughts on eliminating snow/bad weather days and continuing the curriculum with virtual learning. Some districts believe snow days are a rite of passage and that it is important to carry the tradition forward. While others believe snow days should be replaced with built in ‘mental health’ days throughout the year to ensure the school year ends on time, yet still provide a day for fun. However, first, school districts should address issues involving disadvantaged families before requiring remote learning when school doors are closed. For example, in rural districts, bad weather is likely to disrupt internet access for many families.
According to a post by USA Today, in a national survey from many school districts, nearly 75 percent of districts have already eliminated snow/bad weather days or are considering alternatives. Is your school district canceling snow/bad weather days?
See What Education Week Says about Snow Days
Here is What USA Today Has to Say
Childcare and the Virtual Classroom
Childcare costs can be enough to create undo stress on many families. Since the Covid-19 Pandemic, many have transitioned from full-time work to full-time teacher. As the modern household depicts working families, reliable and affordable childcare is harder to come by as families return back to work. This increased need for childcare is the result of limiting indoor capacity to maintain social distancing guidelines. With more children at home than ever before, how has your family handled the role of educator?
Is your current childcare situation capable of helping your children complete e-learning when schools are closed? I don’t know about the rest of you, but our household internet is not capable of smoothly running 20 or more devices at once. Aside from the lagging WiFi, many of us send our children to in-home day cares. Is the staffing suffice enough to guide larger groups of children through virtual lessons? More importantly, are these individuals qualified enough to teach them? For example, the governor of Indiana recently adjusted child care regulations to accommodate the increase of school-aged children learning virtually from a home setting. This executive order allows more children to be together in a home for e-learning without requiring the homeowners to obtain child care licensing.
How has the pandemic effected your family? Share your stories with us!
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