To go to school or not to go to school in the fall is the question on every parent’s mind right now.
Do I think going back to the classroom full-time like the good ole days is the best option?
No.
Do I think keeping the kids home and doing everything online is the way to go?
Also no.
Is a mix of virtual learning and in-class learning the most beneficial?
I also don’t think that is the way to go.
To sum up, I have no idea what is best and I feel for those in charge of making that decision.
I also feel for teachers. Most of my friends who are teachers want to be prepping their lessons for the fall and getting their classrooms ready, but no one will knows what is going to happen.
And a second wave could hit at any time and whatever plans are made will then have to change.
Premier John Horgan knows parents want answers. He said last week that he understands the challenges that families are facing right now.
“This is unprecedented for all of us,” he said in Victoria.“We’ve never gone into a summer of a pandemic, we’ve never come out of a summer of a pandemic, so we’re doing our level best to make sure we’re listening, being attentive to the needs of the broader community within the K-to-12 system, and I’m not surprised there’s anxiety.”
“In major urban centres, there’s going to be a focus on similar approaches. But in rural British Columbia, whether you are in Kamloops or Smithers or Dawson Creek, we’re going to have different approaches in those communities.”
Different approaches for rural communities? Why and what does that even mean?
Cool that he mentioned Smithers, nice to not be forgotten, but in this circumstance, is that a good thing or a bad thing? Do we want to be singled out?
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And where does this leave us? My daughter is supposed to start her first year of Kindergarten in the fall and is already feeling anxious about it. A pandemic and uncertainty surrounding how she’ll begin her education and her school career won’t help.
I don’t know how, as a mom, I can help her and alleviate her concerns. I’m also feeling anxious about everything. I thought if I bought her a new backpack and a new outfit for her first day that would help but I’m not so sure anymore.
Are five-year-olds supposed to learn how to Zoom? I’m not even sure my daughter would sit in front of a computer and listen to a teacher. I’m not even sure at this point that she’d sit in a regular classroom and receive instruction.
Whenever we ‘bump’ into people we know (at least six feet apart) they ask her if she’ excited to start school and she always responds with, “I’m not going.”
Now ,I’m wondering if she is right. I guess only time will tell.
@MariscaDekkema
marisca.bakker@interior-news.com
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