Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many parents now find themselves in the position of having to homeschool their children. Wading into these new waters has been very different for most of these parents, and they are learning right along with their children.
Melissa Tran, the mother of lower elementary first-grader Eddie Tran, has found her son works better if she lets him have a little free time first. Eddie likes to go
outside after he gets up in the morning; then he comes in, eats breakfast and begins his school work. He usually starts with an eBook online.
“Then we do whatever the teacher tells us,” said Tran. “I like to spread it out so that he doesn’t get bored with just one thing. I also don’t want him to just play games on the iPad all day.”
In addition to the school work, Eddie likes to do artwork and music. He spends part of his schedule practicing the piano. Tran likes the fact that the teachers text what Eddie needs to do and that he can do his reading on Facebook and it keeps him entertained. He has also been able to do his math online.
One of the difficulties that Tran faces is being consistent.
“Edward often asks ‘Why do I have to do this?’ and it is tough to fix a schedule when he wants to go outside and play,” she said.
Another challenge for Tran is that she herself had to learn some of the technology.
“I was not familiar with Facebook, and I had to learn that,” she said.
Homeschooling has blessings as well as challenges.
“We are getting more family bonding. I used to always complain that I don’t have enough time with family. I am trying to treasure every moment,” Tran said. Although her nail business is currently shut down, she feels lucky to be able to stay with her son at home.
Eddie enjoys art the most, but he has been fairly easy to homeschool since he likes a little bit of everything, his mother said. The one exception to that is reading.
“He will ask, ‘Why do I have to read so much?’” said Tran. Ironically, even though he doesn’t like to read, Eddie loves Mrs. Terry (Rosie Terry, KLE librarian) and misses going to the library.
“He will often say, ‘Is the library open?’” said Tran with a laugh.
Shaneka McDonald, mother of Pre-K student Siya Riley, has also had to set a routine for her daughter.
“Our routine is rather basic, but we manage to get the job done. Siya loves ‘morning work,’ as she calls it, and we spend the afternoons coloring or playing dress-up or make believe,” said McDonald. “I try to incorporate all skills in our daily routine.”
Siya has enjoyed all of her work, but especially ABC Mouse. McDonald is also quick to praise the school for getting work to the students.
“Our teachers and office staff have been amazing with providing material and websites to help the kids,” she said. McDonald also uses Google and always monitors the school page for necessary information.
The biggest challenge in homeschooling for McDonald is constantly explaining to Siya what is going on and why she cannot go to school.
“It has been tough. I have to keep a level head when I have little ones depending on me,” said McDonald.
Overall, however, she has found it a blessing.
“As for me and my household, we are enjoying the homeschool trend, but pray that our nation is healed soon,” McDonald said.
Andrea Hamilton, mother of kindergarten student Hanna, does not have a set schedule, but usually starts the school work after breakfast.
“Hanna loves getting on the computer. Her teacher (Brandi Burrell) is fantastic, and we have used our packets that they put together for us, iReady and RenLearn. She does learning games on the ABCYa website,” said Hamilton.
Another boon for Hanna is her two older brothers, who show her different activities to do online.
Hamilton is fortunate that her husband’s work schedule allows him to be home Monday through Thursday, so he helps with the homeschooling.
Evaluation is also a part of Hanna’s school day.
“She is very independent and we check over things that she does on paper, but the computer assessments she does on her own. We help with words when she doesn’t know one. If we have any questions or issues, I send Mrs. Burrell a message and she is always very helpful,” said Hamilton.
Hanna especially likes being able to stay in her pajamas for school. The biggest disadvantage is not being able to be around her friends.
“We just started Zoom meetings with her class, though, and they all got to see each other on the screen. It was the sweetest moment,” Hamilton said.
The mother said having the Lower Elementary staff available has been helpful.
“KLE is absolutely the best! They love our babies so much and always take care of them,” Hamilton said of the partnership between school and homeschool. “Michelle Nowell has a special gift, and we are so blessed and thankful she has been all three of our babies’ principal.”
Like the other parents, Rachel Hawkins praises the schools and teachers for their help during this time.
“They have everything posted by early Monday morning, and the kids know what is expected of them,” said Hawkins. “Plus, they have done a phenomenal job at getting the kids motivated.”
Hill, fourth grade, and Reid, first grade, usually start their work around 10 in the morning.
“Hill has to log on at a certain time for quizzes. He is competitive, and it is a good way to interact with his friends,” said Hawkins, who explained that Hill uses websites such as iReady and Prodigy to keep him on track with what he was learning before he left school.
The family’s afternoons are a little more flexible than the mornings.
“They play for a while, but later they get back on (the computer) and watch fun videos, such as with art and science. We try to be very flexible,” said Hawkins.
One of the drawbacks to homeschooling is that the kids are missing their friends, teachers and principals.
“We have relaxed our rules a little when it comes to letting Hill play interactive video games for a long period of time,” said Hawkins. Previously, he was more limited on the length of time he was allowed to play, but now his parents are letting him play for longer periods.
“That is some of the only chance he gets to interact with peers, and it gives him a sense of having his friends,” Hawkins said. “The children miss out on their routine. Their job is to go to school, and it’s hard on them to not have that. It’s been a struggle for all of us not to have that routine, but we are learning from it.”
As for the benefits of homeschooling, Hawkins says that there have been many.
“They have both taken on more responsibility around the house, such as laundry,” said Hawkins.
With more cooking at home, meal time has become another learning opportunity.
“We do meal planning in which we discuss our options and if we have the food at home to prepare what they want. Staying at home has forced us to be more creative, and it’s great to see the kids helping out more with meals, yardwork and housework,” said Hawkins.
Regina Coats is a Lower Elmentary teacher who is now at home educating her children, fifth-grader Jessalyn and second-grader Leela.
Instead on a set schedule, she prefers to allot a period of time in which a particular amount of work needs to be done. Although there is a routine to their day, the family doesn’t necessarily do school work at the same time every day.
“We have school time, play time, and reading every day, but they do not necessarily come at the same time each day,” said Coats.
Coats finds most of the activites online.
“Because I am a teacher myself, I have access to certain websites that will help them. Jessalyn uses Google Classroom, and, of course, we use Renaissance Learning for AR tests,” Coats said.
In addition to their school work, Coats makes sure that both girls read.
“They have pretty much read all the books we have at home, so we are finding books online that they can read,” Coats said.
For Coats, the difficulties arise in keeping her children focused.
“I also have a difficult time trying to help both a fifth grader and a second grader, especially when I teach kindergarten,” said Coats with a laugh. She also finds it problematic to get one to be patient while she helps the other one.
Jessalyn’s favorite homeschool activity is Quizziz. Her least favorite is science. Like other new homeschoolers, Jessalyn misses her friends.
To Coats, however, the potential drawbacks to homeschooling are far greater than social.
“I worry that Jessalyn might be missing out on some skills that she needs going in to sixth grade. I am constantly looking on the internet to see if there is something that I need to teach her before sixth grade,” Coats said.
There are benefits to homeschooling, however. Coats likes that she is right there with her children when they do their work.
“If one of them is lacking, I can see exactly what she needs,” said Coats.
Parents are not the only ones helping out with homeschooling.
Carolyn Campbell, retired elementary teacher who lives in Kosciusko, has found herself helping out with her grandsons’ assignments. Because their mom, Lisa, is an essential worker, a nurse at Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital, grandsons Conner and Braedon Campbell have been spending alternating weeks with their grandparents in order to make sure their work gets done.
When Lisa was recently scheduled to work four days and Scott needed to from home, Conner spent those few days with his grandparents. As for a schedule, Campbell does not have a set time.
“We try to begin after breakfast and get the work done in the morning,” said Campbell.
Third-grader Conner is a student at Stonebridge Elementary in Rankin County. He signs in each day with Google Classroom and is able to complete the assignment. When the assignment is completed, it goes straight to the teacher. Most assignments also have an evaluation element which immediately tells Conner his score.
“Learning how to set it all up online was the most challenging to me,” said Campbell.
Luckily, the children’s school sent detailed printed instructions about how to do that. She was also concerned about how the boys would adjust to her computer, since it is different from the one that they use at home.
“Of course, they got used to it pretty quickly. They learn so much about computers at school that they had very little trouble,” she said.
For Campbell and her husband, Kermit, the benefits have come in spending extra time with their grandchildren.
“Kermit takes them turkey hunting, and Conner likes to build things. They also help him with the yardwork and are good with the weed eater. I try to make any activity we do educational, such as with the flowers that Conner will help me plant later today. We’ll talk about soil and what plants need. Overall, we are just making sure that they learn from all that we do,” said Campbell.
As for Conner, he likes to come to Kosciusko and visit with his grandparents.
“I like that there is not as much work,” he said of his favorite thing about homeschooling. The biggest drawback, he said, is not seeing his friends.
Campbell said she likes that the boys can continue learning and keeping up with their school work. Her favorite thing, however, comes from the time spent with her grandsons.
“We’re making good memories and have enjoyed their being with us,” she said.
