Education In The Pandemic From a Mom/ Teacher Perspective

So much has been going on. One thing we have all been trying to do is survive this pandemic. We have no idea what's ahead, but we do know it's time to get back to our regular lives. Working from home felt like juggling multiples jobs at once. I was happy to be home more with my family, not taking public transportation or getting ready in the morning. However, one of the hardest things for me during the pandemic; was not engaging in my regular activities. My activities were going to the gym, yoga, and engaging in sports. These activities helped me balance work and motherhood. This experience was new; the pandemic taught me so much about budgeting and time management. Focal components I once took for granted; I realize how important and detrimental they are. I am happy and blessed that my family and self-made it through. Educating myself; on how to build my immune system and taking better care of myself was helpful. While most people were frantic over the virus, I didn't panic. I learned more about my body and how beneficial it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

As an educator, I felt disconnecting from my students. That social interaction was missed and needed. College and graduate school did not prepare me for this. The pros of being in a classroom were the one-to-one instruction. On-the-spot feedback where scholars can get their questions and concerns clarified was all gone. Small group instruction/ activities are beneficial to all learners. Teachers play a vital role in scholars learning, but scholars learn a lot from their peers. Turn and talk help scholars gather their thoughts and build off their peers.

Working from home, I noticed that there were a lot of distractions. Too many family members in the household. Sharing room because of the lack of space. There wasn't a quiet place for scholars during their virtual class. The wifi was another issue. Some days it worked, while other days, it didn't. When parents attend work, scholars' attendance dropped. Parents didn't have anyone to watch their children. Unfortunately, this leads to them missing class. The curriculum took longer to teach virtually. A typical lesson that would have taken one day turned into two or three days.

Fourteen Months laters, scholars are struggling to come to school. Are we surprised? Months of rolling out of bed and logging on to google meets were convenient. This pandemic left us emotionally and physically drained. Scholars return to the school building overwhelm; because of the expectations and standards. How can we retain scholars if they didn't learn the curriculum? In a regular school year, scholars don't master all skills. Do we expect them to master most of the skills in a pandemic? These factors should be addressed and considered.

As a mom juggling work and parenting. Thank god for smart TVs! I mirrored my son's virtual class to the tv to deter him from switching tabs on the computer while monitoring my class. My focus was to stay active in his development. Fostering basic skills has helped my son academically. When my son was struggling, he would call on me from the next room.

What worked for me during the pandemic

1. Routines and being consistent

2. Creating space for my scholar that foster learning

3. Googling standards and targeting skills that he needs to master

4. Assessing what my child knows and what he needs to know (taking ownership of his learning

5. Utilizing resources at home

6. Internet sites abcya.com, epic, read works

7. Checking out books online

8. Barnes and Noble trips.