CBE online families contemplate option to return to in-person learning

Calgary Board of Education families who chose Hub online learning are now three months into online school, and while for some families it's been a good experience, others are anxious to have their learners return to the classroom.

Families still weighing the pros and cons have just weeks to decide if they'll continue online or send kids back to more traditional learning.

• The CBE isn't allowing in-person learners to move online in the new year

Halfway through the first semester of school, Erin Dykstra and her husband realized HUB online learning wasn't working for their family.

"Mid-October we were like, 'nope, this isn't going to work for us.' We have to find out how to make this different," she said.

Moving back to the classroom

Dykstra saidher son's Grade 2teacherwasgreat.

"I knew that teachers were amazing before, but this just it blows my mind that they're able to keep the attention of all of these small people and help them learn things that I can't manage to doin a one on one situation with my own kid," she said.

But, she said they know HUB isn't sustainable for their family, and their son's principal quickly helped facilitate anearly transition back to in-person learning this week.

"That just because forus, I'm going back to full time shift work. My husband works from home and parents full time and is doing his fourth of six rounds of chemotherapy," she said.

"So being at home and exhausted, and looking after a kid with a new ADHD diagnosis, and trying to do his work and then parent all the times that I'm not aroundwhich is quite a bit seemed like the risk of that in terms ofmental health and just being drained in general really outweighed the risk of getting sick for us."

• Calgary teachers expected in schools despite work-from-home mandate

Tamara Rose, who has been sharing her family's experience aboutschooling during the pandemic with CBC News for months,said working from home full-time and trying to hold the attention of her second grade daughter has been a challenge.

"When I say very behind, I mean, like we have over 100 pending assignments that still need to be handed in," she said.

"With me working full time during the day, Scarlett is in theory supposed to be sitting there and doing her schoolwork next to me while I'm working, however, it's just become kind of slightly chaotic."

'This hasn't changed anything for us'

And when her daughter can't focus, neither can Rose.

"It really just leaves us with a couple of hours in between me cooking dinner and her going to bed. And it's just not enough time for us to kind of get it done."

Rose said she chose Hub because she suffers from an autoimmune disease, and during the last few months her daughter was diagnosed with the same one.

Despite the challenges, Rose said they'll continue with online learning.

"This hasn't changed anything for us. If anything, it has just made it that much more serious for us to stay within the Hub system and keep us both safe," she said.

Rose said they plan to do a lot of catching up over the holidays, but if things don't work out the way they hope, she isn't opposed to Scarlett returning to second grade next year.

"Her teacher has told me that it's really hard for us to hold a child back, but I think that they're going to have to probably reconsider that option with this unusual school year," she said. "Ican't be the only one that has so many lessons pending."

'I completely flip flop'

Single mom of three, Kerri Knoxsaidwhile Hub got off to a rough start, her kids are now established in a routine.

"The first two months were sort of a write off, it was all over the place and particularly at the junior high level," she said. "It was a total cluster, to be honest, at the beginning. But we figured it out eventually and it worked out."

But, her kids are missing the social aspects of school, and she's undecided about if they'll continue with Hub or head back to their classrooms.

"To be honest, I completely flip flop. But with the numbers and the fact that they've now sent these kids home, they're saying they're going back in January, but, how do they know for sure?" she said.

Knox said she would hate tosend herkids back and then have them sent home again.

"But with new teachers who aren't used to doing Hub and with a completely different schedule and no flexibility anymore," she said. "So right now I'm thinking I'm going to stay with Hub, but I haven't actually made the final call."

Staying in Hub

Sarah Shaw said her first grade sonhas hasstruggled a bit with focus at home, and misses seeing hisfriends at school.

"Getting him to to focus and kind of view me as another teacher is has been a little bit of a challenge, but histeacher is amazing," she said.

And with hisdad going through cancer treatments, and her ability to be home, he will remain in Hub.

"His doctors were saying that, yes, the kids can go to in-person school, but they can't hug their dad and they have to wear masks at home and socially distanced from him at all times," she said."It was basically his deciding between school or family, so it was not a difficult decision for us."

The deadline to move from Hub back to in-person learning is Jan. 8. The CBE isn't allowing in-person learners to transition online.