My Teens Won’t Return To School In the Fall if We Have the Option for Online Learning, Instead

By: Katie BinghamSmith

I know many parents have had it with online learning and I certainly get that. Many are hoping for a safe place for their kids to learn that is not their bedroom or the dining room table.

I am not a good teacher, and when my kids should be doing their school work and aren’t and when they choose to play video games rather than do work, I get pissy real fast. Trying to help my son with his 7th grade math was enough to make me snap many a pencil in half.

These past few months haven’t been a cake walk for me or for anyone. But, when school starts in the fall, if remote learning is an option, I’ll slog my way through it.

My teens want to continue online learning this fall. (Twenty20 @kayp)

The CDC has issued guidelines for returning to school

The Center for Disease Control recently released their guidelines for reopening schools safely in the fall stating that “Schools can determine, in collaboration with state and local health officials to the extent possible, whether and how to implement these considerations while adjusting to meet the unique needs and circumstances of the local community. Implementation should be guided by what is feasible, practical, acceptable, and tailored to the needs of each community.”

Because this virus is so contagious in closed spaces, the CDC recommends that our teens return to school with smaller classroom sizes, hybrid learning (some kids participate in the classroom while others work from home). Additionally they recommend face coverings, more sanitizing of the school, students and staff stay six feet apart, and that barriers are used to keep teachers and everyone else safe.

Do I want to do this? Do I want my kids to do this when they can just stay home?

I want my kids to stay at home where it’s safe and I don’t want them to have these stressors in their life– going to school is stressful enough. So, if at-home learning is an option this fall, and it looks like it will be, we are doing it. Sometimes great sacrifices are required from us. I don’t mind that my kids are learning that right now.

4 Reasons I Will Choose On-Line Learning

1. I have the resources to work from home and be with my kids. I can offer them a greater sense of normalcy and routine at home at this point than school can. We were able to work out most of the kinks after a month or so of staying home so I won’t be as hard or as complicated as it was this past spring and we can pick up where we left off.
2. This is what they want. My three teenagers seem to be thriving while doing their school work from home. My daughter even finished her work early and has been raising ducks. I feel like she’s learned more than she ever has this year. I know that isn’t the case for every child, but it is working for us.
3. It will ease the pressure on others. With the new restrictions and CDC guidelines, I feel that my kids being home would ease the pressure for the teachers and other students who need to attend school in a physical space. There would be fewer bodies and less cleaning for the staff and teachers to worry about. Fewer kids a school would also make for smaller classrooms so those who want to return to school can do so more safely.
4. I can keep my kids safe. I can control and be aware of who my family comes in contact with while they are home. Safety is my preference during a global pandemic as I know it is for all parents. But, if everyone heads back to school, even with restrictions in place I fear that the virus will spread more easily.

I realize a lot could change before September and the start of a new school year. And, of course, I want things to go back to normal and for the kids to return to their old lives. But for now, my main goal is to keep my kids safe and happy and keeping them home may just be the right choice for us.

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Source: https://grownandflown.com/teens-want-online-learning-fall/

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