New Brunswick parents raise concerns over another return to online learning
CBC
Lori Robb is frustrated and taking time off work after the news that her two children won't be returning to school in person for at least two weeks.
The Saint John single mother says virtual learning has been a struggle, leaving her kids, nine and 13, with reduced motivation and bad grades.
"It's been chaotic a lot of times, and it's been definitely stressful," she said. "I'm not an educator, and I can't do both and work."
New Brunswick students are preparing for a return to some at-home learning for the third calendar year in a row beginning on Tuesday.
The move comes amid an Omicron-fuelled surge in COVID-19 cases and as schools in most provinces and territories also delay a return to the classroom.
Students in New Brunswick will stay at home for a least two weeks and then the situation will be reassessed weekly. Restrictions on school sports and extracurricular activities will also remain in place.
For parents like Robb, the shift back to online learning once again is "disappointing."
Her 13-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter have been frustrated by virtual learning and the reduced socialization without in-person learning.
"I feel like they don't respect school enough anymore, it's a lack of being there and having more support," she said. "They think it's not as serious as it used to be."
Robb works from home in insurance sales but is on the phone, so she can't step away to help her kids with at-home learning. Another challenge: the family only has one computer.
"If they both have classes at once it's like, 'who gets to learn today?" she said.
Earlier in the pandemic, the Department of Education launched a laptop subsidy program to help low and middle-income families purchase devices for high school students.
Robb said she'd like to see the province do more to offer devices to families who might not have enough computers or tablets for each student to connect. That obstacle has prevented her two children from attending some classes that overlapped.
She said a survey sent out last school year asked about need, but she hasn't heard back after indicating her kids would benefit from another device.
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