When my children’s school district announced last week that their first semester would be held entirely online, I felt relieved. Since there are so many unanswered questions about kids and coronavirus, in-person learning—even if it was only two days a week—seemed risky.
Then I began to panic. It was hard enough to help my elementary school-aged boys with online learning this spring when they each only had one class on Zoom. How will my husband and I juggle our full-time jobs while helping our kids with (potentially) several hours of schoolwork?
I know that we’re not alone in our anxiety. My Facebook feed is abuzz with posts about pods, tutors and babysitters. Actually, I had to delete the app from my phone recently because reading about other people’s potential plans for the upcoming school year was becoming overwhelming.
But parents aren’t the only ones worried about school. In our new back-to-school issue, Megan Gregoire talked to teachers about their expectations for the fall and discovered that the uncertainty is stressing them out, too.
Before I deleted Facebook, I also saw many posts about families considering private school. If you’re thinking about making the switch, you’ll want to read Joy Saha’s story about the changes to admissions events during a pandemic.
Also in our August 2020 issue: creative ways kids have been making money now that traditional summer jobs are unavailable and expert advice on raising an eco-conscious family. Plus, we’re sharing books to get your kids excited about school, our favorite places to pick fruit and three s’mores recipes to try at your next cookout.
Deep breaths, everyone. We’ll get through this. (I hope!)
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