Summer has come to an end and the fall is welcomed with empty playgrounds and face masks being disposed of on parking lot floors. The pandemic has not ceased and the new classrooms are in the confinement of homes. There is no longer the anticipation for holiday break and children can be seen clicking away on computers and fingers on the ready on smartphones.
The San Bernardino County School District [SBCUSD] underwent the transition to distance learning for students this fall semester. Earlier this summer, the district prepared for a remote school year and created a virtual curriculum for students. Distancing learning is very different from the usual classroom settings.
The SBCUSD website states that distance learning requires students to engage in “both live daily instruction with their teacher(s) and independent assignments.” Also, depending on the grade a student is in, an average of 180 to 240 daily minutes should be spent on learning time. This doesn’t add upon the attendance requirements and efforts of students understanding how to navigate the paths of the technical side such as Zoom conference and Aeries portals for students and parents.
“The road to virtual learning has not been easy for my children and me but this is how learning needs to be handled and I understand,” said Yazmin Arroyo, Upland resident and mother of two, on how she feels about distance learning for her children in elementary school.
The transition for students to online has been a learning adjustment and for parents a new lesson on handling their children's education. Parents are diving back into learning new curriculums and investing more time in their children’s learning. The difficulties of technology have been one of the biggest obstacles for parents as well.
“My daughter gets frustrated easily with the internet connection and learning how to use so many portals for multiple classes has been an issue,” Arroyo said. “My youngest son who is in kindergarten has issues of focusing on a screen and learns better physically in a class.”
“I’ve gotten used to having my children at home all the time. The main thing is to stay positive and I am able to see how they feel and experience this with my children,” Arroyo said
The adjustment of schedules and work can be an ongoing struggle for some parents and there are pending decisions to be made upon on what will happen throughout the course of the school year.
"My work schedule has been a real conflict with how much time I can dedicate to my kids’ learning. I have to worry about paying rent and the necessities during these times but also for school and someone to watch over them during these hours," said Veronica Meias, Redlands resident.
Meias often works graveyard shifts at an Amazon warehouse six days a week in effort to be able to be there for her children. She currently does not have the support of family members and has relied on this sole job to provide her with the income to meet bills that won't delay because of the pandemic we are still in.
"Some may criticize me being a single mom and being gone most of the night hours but I have big dreams for my children to go to a university and have the experience in life I wasn't able to back in Mexico," said Meias.
Luckily in this day of age, technology is one of the things that are self-taught by many children and has been a learning curve for both parents and children. With families staying inside and isolating with one another it can also be thought that it has brought families together once again as well.
"I have developed a new skill of patience for my sons and I have observed the type of critical thinker he is as well. I have a 10 year age gap with my children, meaning I get to see how they act in their early adult phase with my 21 year old, the pre-teen stage with my 12 year old, and the terrible twos with my 2-year-old," said Mayra Diaz, Rancho Cucamonga resident.
"I have enjoyed the learning experience and keeping up-to-date with the new software and this experience has honestly made me keep up more with what's going on in my kids’ education and it makes me feel a part of their school day. I like being the one there to help them when they are struggling," Diaz said.
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