NEWNAN, Ga. (NCC News)- This is a transitional year for many students including Dania Russell and Nicki Cline’s children.
Russell’s youngest son, 5, is starting kindergarten, and her oldest son, 17, will be a senior in high school. For Cline, her son, 12, will start sixth grade, and her daughter, 15, is a sophomore who’s starting to think about college.
The Coweta County Board of Education announced that the fall semester will start online due to uncontrolled COVID-19 cases.
Russell prepared for her sons to learn virtually before the official decision was announced.
She works from home, so she knew it wouldn’t be hard to manage her sons’ schedules.
“For me, it wasn’t a super drastic decision because I am able to be home with my children,” Russell said.
Her youngest, Zimri Russell, was excited about starting school with new teachers and friends. Russell’s oldest, Kamari Russell, will be a high school senior at a new school. Russell believes both sons will transition well with the online platform.
“One thing it has taught my children is resourcefulness, perseverance and being able to bounce back,” Russell said.
Nicki Cline was disappointed in the school board’s official decision because she thought they did a great job at seeking parental feedback and proposing a hybrid and online-only learning model.
“For me as a parent, I feel like my children need to be in the classroom,” Cline said.
She has seen her son, Parker Wilson, grow academically over the past two years. The sixth grader once needed special instruction but hasn’t needed it because of his connection to his teachers. Cline is worried that he won’t show the same progress with virtual learning.
The mother of two also has concerns for him socially. She saw a withdrawnness from him when school abruptly ended and was told he wasn’t going back. Her daughter, Laura Wilson, wasn’t as negatively affected, but Cline is uneasy about how her daughter will retain information as she prepares for standardized testing for college.
Cline is an essential worker who doesn’t have the flexibility to work from home often. Her husband works from home but also has a busy schedule. The working mother hopes she can have work-from-home days to help her children.
“Regardless of their age, you can’t just expect your kids to be at home alone all day educating themselves,” Cline said.
Cline has been pleased with her children’s schools, teachers and administrations but said online learning will bring a new set of challenges for her family.
