As the Gettysburg Area School District (GASD) students finish their school year using online learning, parents are playing an oversized role in the process.
I talked with three parents over the past weeks to learn about their approaches, concerns, and successes with the home-based curriculum. All three parents praised GASD, saying it was doing the best it could under the circumstances, but also said the learning their children are doing is difficult, and sometimes frustrating and confusing.
Internet Access
One issue that was not always immediately addressed by GASD was internet access.
“We weren’t able to participate until we had Chromebooks and I only got my WIFI hotspot last Thursday. I had been using my phone but I ran out of data,” said Jenine Weaver, parent of GASD children in grades 1, 5, and 7. “I was a little frustrated. They didn’t really have it all covered.”
“We had devices, but not enough devices for each kid. We’ve been picking up devices and packets the last two days,” said Denise Weldon-Siviy, parent of 5th, 8th, and 9th graders at GASD.
Children’s Emotions
The parents were sensitive to their children’s emotions, and noted these feelings affect their schoolwork.
“The kids are lonely and have never dealt with anything like this,” said parent of 4th, 6th, and 8th graders (and GASD school board member) AmyBeth Hodges. “We’re worried about their mental health.”
“Kids get frightened and don’t know how to express it. You can visibly see the depression,” said Hodges.
“It’s hard to get kids to focus. Our home is not set up as a school. Kids are anxious,” said Weldon-Siviy.
Parents said children with emotional difficulties are particularly hard hit by the change in schooling.
Online Education Does Not Work for Every Child
Parents said the online curriculum posed challenges because some children were not comfortable with it and because children who did participate ended up with even more daily screen time than normal.
As a result, parents said they did not want to force their children to engage in the online materials if they didn’t want to and they did not want the school district to push the online learning too hard.
“The Zooms haven’t been education-based. They’re mostly a chance to get together,” said Weaver. “I tend to not force things.”
Some kids “can’t focus on the videos. This method does not work for kids who have problems focusing,” said Weldon-Siviy. “I hope they continue to be laid back about it.”
“My kids do not want to Zoom,” said Hodges.
“My oldest is in 7th grade. “There are days he decides he doesn’t want to do work,” said Weaver.
“We can’t assume kids will sit at their computer all day,” said Weldon-Siviy. “Two of my kids are not willing to do that much screen time so I’ve been printing things and doing alternative assignments.”
Parents worried about how much time children spent at home. “For some children home isn’t their safe space,” said Hodges.
Parents were also aware that online learning also tends to go better for children with more skills.
“This is going to exacerbate the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Kids who are struggling don’t have the skills to be in charge of their education,” said Weldon-Siviy.
Organization
A common theme among parents was that organization was essential, especially because the curriculum was complicated.
“We only have one laptop. I have a chart that we adjust week by week for different Zoom times. It was a scheduling nightmare,” said Hodges.
I’m doing one-on-ones with each of my kids every day, but it’s difficult when they each have different assignments, said Weldon-Siviy.
“If there are more than two students in the house it’s insane,” said Weaver.
“This is not like home schooling. Home schooling involves planning and ordering materials. This school is being created on the fly; sometimes it seems like YouTube videos with ads,” said Weldon-Siviy
Parents said the information from the school district was useful but the requirements were often overwhelming.
“I get an insane amount of emails. I was getting 15 emails a day,” said Weaver.
“They cannot make us use so many applications. They need to stick to one learning platform” said Weaver. “It’s way too much. “
“The number of apps is incredible and they are different for every kid,” said Weldon-Siviy.
GASD is Doing a Great Job
Each parent said they thought the GASD teachers and administration were doing an outstanding job.
“I love my kid’s teachers,” said Weaver.
“The school has done an excellent job at getting information to the parents and the teachers are fantastic. They’re working so much harder than they normally would, and some have kids of their own,” said Hodges.
“None of the people I’ve talked to at the district have made me feel uncomfortable. They’re doing the best they can but the resources just aren’t there,” Said Weaver.
“The system is very accommodating and flexible. The teachers have been wonderfully responsive,’ said Weldon-Siviy.
Hodges said the learning was not always from the online curriculum. “I’ve learned so much about our children – their strengths and weaknesses academically,” said Hodges. “I’m a lot more informed.”
Summarizing her struggles, Weaver said “Teachers’ knowledge is not replaceable.”
Charles (Chuck) Stangor is Gettysburg Connection's Owner, Publisher, and Editor in Chief. I would like to hear from you. Please contact me at cstangor@gettysburgconnection.org.