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A32    FEATURE/ENTERTAINMENT
                    Tuesday 24 March 2020
            'A really big experiment': Parents turn teachers amid virus




            By CAROLYN THOMPSON          "It's a really big experiment,"  45  states  have  closed,  af-  plans,  telling  them  few,  if  saw  20,000  new  students
            Associated Press             Ojeda-Valentin said as she  fecting  53  million  students,   any, schools would reopen  enroll during a single week-
            BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — After  left the school, her second  according  to  a  tally  kept   before summer.             end  in  March,  compared
            her sixth-grade son's school  stop after picking up mate-  by  Education  Week.  While   Los Angeles father Filiberto  to the 80,000 who have at-
            in Buffalo, New York, closed  rials  from  her  fourth-grade  many closures were initially   Gonzalez's  three  children  tended class since its 2017
            amid  the  coronavirus  out-  daughter's school.          announced  as  short-term,   have  daily  contact  with  launch,  CEO  Amir  Nathoo
            break,  Roxanne  Ojeda-      Even in school districts that  parents   are   wondering   their  teachers  and  one  said.
            Valentin  returned  to  cam-  are  providing  remote  in-  if  schools  will  reopen  this   to  four  hours  of  work  they  The  company  offers  live,
            pus with shopping bags to  struction,  the  burden  falls  academic year as the out-   can  do  on  an  existing  on-  teacher-led  online  classes
            take  home  textbooks  and  on  parents  to  keep  their  break intensifies.           line  platform  that  supple-  beginning at $5 each, but
            weeks'  worth  of  assign-   children  on  task.  In  oth-  After  Kansas  became  the   ments classes. But he never  has  also  offered  free  we-
            ments prepared by teach-     ers, parents are left to find  first  state  to  announce   thought  the  arrangement  binars  on  running  online
            ers.                         educational  websites  and  schools    would    remain    would  transform  from  a  classes through video con-
            A single mother with a full-  curricular materials on their  closed for the year, a task   stopgap  measure  to  per-  ferencing.
            time job, she now joins mil-  own.  And  while  the  chal-  force  recommended  from   manent situation.            Child   development     re-
            lions of parents around the  lenges are daunting for all,  30  minutes  of  work  a  day   "The  news  ...  was  a  real  searcher  Jessica  Logan
            country — and the world —  they can be nearly impos-      for the youngest students to   shock to a lot of us," he said.  and  her  husband  contin-
            suddenly thrust into the role  sible  to  overcome  for  par-  up  to  three  hours  daily  for   In  Portland,  Oregon,  Katie  ue  to  work  full-time  from
            of  their  children's  primary  ents  limited  by  access  to  students in sixth grade and   Arnold's 7-year-old son has  home  and  have  been
            educators,  leaving  them  technology  and  their  own  up.  California  Gov.  Gavin   been  spending  his  days  in  tag-teaming  school-relat-
            scrambling  to  sift  through  levels of education.       Newsom also has urged the    his mother's office, keeping  ed  questions  from  their  8-
            educational resources and  Across  the  United  States,  state's  more  than  6  million   busy  on  an  iPad  and  her  and  12-year-old  children,
            juggle lesson plans with jobs  more  than  118,000  pub-  schoolchildren  and  their   laptop while she's manag-    home  from  Columbus  City
            and other responsibilities.   lic  and  private  schools  in  families to make long-term   ing accounts for a catering  Schools in Ohio.
                                                                                                   company.                     "I see all these people writ-
                                                                                                   Oregon  has  shut  down  ing  out,  'Here  are  the  six
                                                                                                   schools  through  April  28  hours we're going to spend
                                                                                                   and some districts have put  each  day  doing  home-
                                                                                                   optional  activities  online,  work,'  and  was  like,  'Not
                                                                                                   though they are not meant  happening  in  my  house,'"
                                                                                                   to replace the regular cur-  she said.
                                                                                                   riculum.                     "When  am  I  going  to  get
                                                                                                   While  her  son's  district  ex-  my  work  done?  I  still  have
                                                                                                   plores  virtual  learning,  she  my  own  work  to  do,  so
                                                                                                   has  been  combing  the  in-  does my husband. Neither
                                                                                                   ternet and tapping friends  of  us  can  take  the  entire
                                                                                                   for suggestions.             day off to sit with them and
                                                                                                   "Scholastic  had  a  bunch  do math worksheets or sci-
                                                                                                   of free things and I have a  ence experiments."
                                                                                                   friend  who's  a  teacher,  so  "All parents are in the same
                                                                                                   I've  gotten  a  lot  of  work-  boat," Logan said. "Your kid
                                                                                                   book pages for him to do,  is not going to fall behind if
                                                                                                   just to try to keep him busy,"  they don't do these assign-
                                                                                                   said  Arnold,  who  also  has  ments every day."
                                                                                                   been  using  educational  Nevertheless,  Vancouver,
                                                                                                   websites like ABCmouse.      Washington,  teacher  Re-
                                                                                                   Arnold is making plans with  nee Collins has committed
                                                                                                   other parents to teach chil-  to  keeping  not  only  her
                                                                                                   dren  in  small  groups  if  the  own  10-  and  8-year-old
                                                                                                   closure is extended, and is  children on track academi-
                                                                                                   resigned  to  the  idea  that  cally, but two of her friend's
                                                                                                   her  workdays  will  be  fol-  children  and  a  second-
                                                                                                   lowed  by  evening  school  grade neighbor as well.
                                                                                                   sessions.                    "We're  going  to  do  Mon-
                                                                                                   "We'll  muster  through  it,"  day, Tuesday and Thursday
                                                                                                   she said.                    with  the  five  kids  together
                                                                                                   Some  parents  are  turning  and  the  other  days  I'll  do
                                                                                                   to  those  with  experience  individually  with  (her  own
                                                                                                   homeschooling  for  guid-    kids). So we'll do five days,"
                                                                                                   ance,  unsure  of  whether  she said.
                                                                                                   to  enforce  strict  schedules  "The one thing that kind of
                                                                                                   and where to look for aca-   gives  a  lot  of  us  comfort,"
                                                                                                   demic help.                  said  Collins  who  teaches
                                                                                                   Amid  an  influx  of  interest,  middle-school   math,   "is
                                                                                                   the National Home School  that  it's  not  just  our  state.
                                                                                                   Association  dropped  its  It's our entire nation. It's not
                                                                                                   membership  fee  from  $39  just going to be the state of
                                                                                                   to  $10  for  access  to  tip  Washington  that's  behind.
                                                                                                   sheets and teaching mate-    It's not just going to be my
                                                                                                   rials,  executive  director  Al-  children  that  are  going  to
                                                                                                   len Weston said.             be behind. It's going to be
                                                                                                   The  online  site  Outschool  everybody."q
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