HOME-SCHOOLING IS A SIDE-EFFECT THAT’S TERRIFYING
The prospect of schools closing and moving tuition online amid the virus panic seems good on the surface, but the reality is a good deal more problematic
I’LL admit it, I’m scared.
I’m not scared of actually catching the coronavirus (and I’m assuming that I will), I’m not scared for my family’s health and I’m not even really scared for our personal finances (although that shiver running down my spine is far more likely to emanate from the ASX than COVID-19).
No, what truly terrifies me is the prospect of being on lockdown for two – or more – weeks.
It’s not about the toilet paper (or lack thereof), it’s not about the food (Uber Eats will still deliver, right?), it’s about the children.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids – we have a lot of fun together, and so long as we have screens and a swimming pool, their entertainment is guaranteed.
But as schools across the state, country and world face the reality that classrooms may be closed for the foreseeable future, I wonder how we will cope.
I know our school has an admirable action plan to continue learning while in quarantine, and many other schools have advised parents of the possibility of virtual classrooms, but I feel like they forgot to consider one important factor: me.
I am a truly terrible teacher – I have no patience and my mathematics ability seems to have disappeared along with my stock market investments.
The idea of online learning seems like a great idea, and technically I don’t see why we can’t do it. Both of my kids have their own laptops and are more than capable of using technology, but teachers do so much more than instruct – they advise, they inspire, they command respect.
And when it comes to helping my kids with homework at least, I feel like I fail at all three.
I completely understand the intention to use online learning during this uncertain time, but I’m not convinced it’s the right decision for everyone.
Despite my own personal reservations, I actually do think it will work at my children’s school – there is a highly engaged community of parents willing to help and a robust technology policy.
Do I look forward to supervising their schoolwork while still attempting to achieve my own work? Hell no. I can only hope the coronavirus finds me in time.
But, outside of my children’s own school, what really concerns me is the number of students who do not have access to a personal device and the number of households that do not have access to a fast and stable internet connection.
It’s surprising the number of pockets in central Gold Coast where reception is still an issue (looking at you, Robina Town Centre Kmart).
What are these children meant to do while the bulk of their class continues to learn?
Beth Holland, digital equity and rural project director at the Consortium for School Networking in America, says coronavirus is set to inflame inequality in schools.
It’s not just students who will have an uneven experience and access, but teachers as well – this is not what they were trained for. It’s a whole new skillset to teach virtual students on a screen.
Besides, I’m still not convinced how much actual learning can be achieved at home – even if it is equitably distributed. As the Hechinger Report states: “If entire (school) districts move online, what can schools expect of early elementary (primary) schoolers? Not much.
“Younger children don’t have the independent learning skills, attention spans or social-emotional maturity to succeed in virtual learning environments for very long, let alone the troubleshooting skills they will inevitably need to manage whatever technology they’re using.
“Many middle and even high schoolers aren’t much better equipped.
“And what’s more, many of those older students may have to help watch their younger siblings during extended school closures, leaving them little time to tackle assignments of their own.”
Indeed, studies on the effectiveness of virtual schools have yielded mixed results. A recent study focusing on the US recommended virtual schools be restricted until the reasons for their poor performance are better understood.
I do wonder whether we wouldn’t be better to just accept that this is an unprecedented pandemic and we might all need to hit pause until life gets back to normal – hopefully sooner rather than later.
In America it’s not uncommon for students to miss weeks of school due to snow days, and they make up the lost time in the summer holidays – losing the first weeks of vacation to make up for the unexpected winter break.
It’s not ideal, but in this current situation, nothing is. And at least it would provide an equal opportunity for all students.
Not to mention a far less frightening future for me.