“2,000 more parents chose online learning in the Edmonton public schools this quarter,” Chair of the Edmonton Public School Board Trustees, Trisha Estabrooks.
A summary of the Diversity TV/Corona Virus Project Cool Times School Panel that took place on January 13, 2021. Diversity TV organized a conversation with a group of parents from Edmonton and Calgary about experiences in COVID-19 altered learning; online and in-person learning.
Present on the panel were; Sandra Akua from Edmonton, Evelyn Tinka from Edmonton, Lyse Riza and her daughter Brielle from Calgary, Fobete Dingha from Calgary, and the Chair of the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) Trustees, Trisha Estabrooks. The panel was hosted by Diversity TV Hosts; Harriet Tinka and Rayyah Sampala.
The first question we asked them was how they had all been dealing with COVID-19, Brielle, Lyse’s daughter who is in elementary answered, stating how she wasn’t finding it too difficult but that the fluctuations between online and in-person were somewhat challenging. Fobete mentioned how he was having trouble navigating home life as his laptop had been taken over by his daughter during times when he was meant to be working from home.
Sandra shared with the group how her husband and herself were both health care workers and that one of them had to take the hard decision to stay home to lower the risk of spreading COVID-19. A common sentiment many parents seemed to have was that COVID-19 had made their lives much more difficult in terms of navigating and adapting to the new normal.
Trisha shared some insights from the perspective of EPSB stating that everything was new and that it was being adapted to try and fit this new normal. She mentioned that EPSB offered parents a choice between online learning and in-person learning.
The next question that Diversity asked the panel was the relationship they had between the teachers and themselves and whether or not they saw it positively or negatively. Most Parents stated that they were satisfied with their communication with the teachers stating that they received daily updates and kept in contact with them through emails. Only Fobete replied that he had a hard time because he couldn’t find the time to sit down with his daughter’s teacher.
The decision of online or in-person learning was different for many parents, some like Trisha and Sandra opted for in-person education and each had their own varying reasons for doing so. Sandra, whose children go to a Charter school felt that the school was safe and this sentiment was shared by the others who opted for an in-person education for their children.
Fobete commented how he couldn’t risk his child coming back home to school on quarantine because another child caught the virus or even his own daughter catching it because it would mean him having to be out of work for an extended period of time. For Evelyn the decision was one of convenience as it meant having all her children under one roof and being safe, although she mentioned them not being able to be as active as before was something that was unfortunate about the situation.
Diversity asked Trisha for her thoughts on the mental health impact this has had on many students and parents, to which she stated that mental health is something to be watched out for as the long-term impacts are yet to be known. She also commended parents and teachers for all the hard work they had been doing and putting in adapting to this new normal. The Panel was an insight into how some parents are dealing with the new COVID-19 schooling and restrictions it has had on their day to day lives.
We will be having more of these discussions moving forward to engage more parents, educators and school Boards to share experiences and challenges, as well as, solutions.
We captured the full panel discussion for you here on Youtube as part of Diversity TV Community Newscast for January 15, 2021.
