Now that the new school year is underway, we asked: What is life like during this unique back to school time? Things look different across the world as kids are experiencing a variety of schooling options — from entirely virtual to entirely in person, to a hybrid mix of both.
What does school look like for your family these days? Reach out to our content manager at content@aafsw.org let us know. We’d love to feature more member stories!
COVID-19 Schooling in Beijing
In Beijing, China school is in person and full time for all grades at the international schools. Masks all day and twice daily temperature checks.
It’s going great, the only challenge is a lot of the teachers aren’t back yet. Kids are delighted to be back with friends though. Even after school activities and some sports have started back up.
Virtual Schooling in Ohio
The Evans Family has been doing virtual schooling in Ohio since late March. Carli (15), Adelaide (13), Ginger (11), and Arthur (8) finished up their year with the Lycee Francais Mexicain in Mexico City. In September they started virtual school with the Lycee Francais Jules Verne in Guatemala City.
The family is staying on the 85-acre family farm in rural Ohio. It is an easy place to socially distance and there is plenty of space for the kids and the dog to run and play. A small cabin in the woods is our home, although we often visit Grandma in her farmhouse. Grandpa spent the summer farming and we all pitched in and helped picking up rocks in the spring, baling hay in the summer, and picking vegetables from the garden in the fall.
We built special classrooms for the kids so they could have a quiet space to work. One worked in the cabin, one in a slightly renovated moving van bed, one in the farm office, and one in the farmhouse. During show and tell, kids would share views of the fields, the tractors, and their beloved dog.
Virtual schooling was challenging in the spring as we tried to figure out the Internet, technology, and timing issues. This year has been much smoother as the school is very organized and communicative. Each grade level has a counselor on call in case there are problems with passwords, connectivity, or classes. My kids work both independently and spend a lot of time in virtual classrooms. All four are thriving and say they might even prefer this way to learn. They have free time during the day to run outside and play and they don’t have to spend any time commuting to school.
Soon, the family will move to the next post and do virtual schooling in a new house. They will all miss this time close to family and with so many outdoor activities.