05 Oct The Challenges of Learning During a Pandemic

By Tiffany Rucker, MBA

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on every sector, especially the public school system. For almost two years, schools and teachers have tried their best to educate our children while record numbers of students and staff members are under quarantine.

At the beginning of the pandemic, operating remotely was the safest option; however, it was not always that most practical. As new variants of COVID continue to appear, school boards, administrators and teachers are doing their best to keep up with the changes. And parents like myself are in a state of continuous uncertainty.

In 2020, the school district of Hillsborough County, Fla., selected virtual schooling as an option in response to the huge surge in COVID-19 cases. For me, this meant three children at home e-learning. My eldest was starting high school, my middle child was in first grade and the youngest was in a pre-kindergarten program for children with special needs.

I had the challenge of monitoring my children while they e-learned while also meeting my own new virtual work requirements. Some of the challenges that we faced: My youngest could not sit for a prolonged period without supervision; my middle child had no idea how to operate Zoom and its many features; the eldest child became a second caregiver after his Zoom classes were over for the day. As I sat at my work computer, I realized that this setup was safe but impractical for learning.

Our next set of challenges came from the actual online system itself. The school board’s online portal used to upload activities and documents always seemed to lag or crash. Teachers would sometimes lose internet access in the middle of instruction via Zoom. The children were frustrated, and so was I.

As a parent, I felt that I was not equipped to teach the concepts and strategies that my children needed. Although I was eternally grateful to the teachers and school board staff for rising to the occasion, I was ready for my children to return to brick-and-mortar school.

But that’s not a fix-all. Now that my kids have returned to in-person learning, the school district is still faced with students and staff quarantines.

School started in August, and my children have had to quarantine three times already. I can’t help but wonder about the long-term effects that the absences will have on their learning ability. My children’s teachers have been wonderful as they checked in on us regularly.

I recognize that I cannot change the larger situation, but I am learning more ways in which I can help my children continue to learn and grow.  Here are some ways I figured out I could help my children during virtual learning. I hope they may help you and your family.

1. I used free online resources such as YouTube for reading and movement activities. My younger children really appreciated being able to dance and learn. It took their minds off the fact that they were stuck inside the house.
2. For math activities, I used Khan Academy. What I love about this resource is that it has activities for all levels. We watched some of the videos and tried a few of the activities on our own. This proved to be very beneficial for me, as I could see step-by-step directions.
3. When it came to computer skills, I encouraged my oldest son to become familiar with Word, PowerPoint and Excel. I allowed him free rein to play around with the features and create. These will be helpful skills as he gets closer to becoming an adult—and he appreciated the opportunity to learn.
4. For another way to encourage reading, I turned on the subtitles for favorite movies and turned off the sound. I wanted them to focus on the words. The goal was to get them to read. Although my oldest was completely annoyed by this activity, the younger ones found it hilarious. They did not realize that they were reading as they watched the screen intently for the next set of words.

Overall, I was able to find ways to entertain and teach them under the circumstances. I cannot change the pandemic, but I can do my part to ensure that my children do not get left behind.

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Tiffany Rucker is a small business and financial literacy coach as well as wife, mom and special needs advocate. She lives in Tampa, Fla.