The Reality of Virtual Teaching!

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By Bethany “BST2” Armstrong

I hear a cry and my student announces, “I have uncle duties!” I pause our lesson while he gets his 3-year-old niece some lunch. She sits on his 13-year-old knee, getting more food around her mouth than in it, while we resume our lesson. We break again so that he can wash her face and hands. She sings the ABC song while he dances her in circles. A horn sounds. “Mama’s here!” he puts her into a snowsuit to take her out to the car. We resume our lesson.

Fortunately, we were working 1 on 1 to catch up on assignments. Otherwise, the adorable antics would have taken up an entire class period. It’s all so sweet until we think about the fact that a 13-year-old was 100% responsible for the life of a 3-year-old and for learning scientific notation.

Just a few weeks prior, another of my students was “babysitting.” while taking a district assessment. She had the responsibility of caring for three younger siblings as well as watching the neighbor’s kids, both 18 months old, along with the responsibilities of being an online student, all at the ripe age of 14. Spoiler: she did not do well on the assessment.

One of my seventh graders has newborn twin siblings that she tends between lessons. One of my eighth graders is constantly tackled by his little brothers in the middle of a meeting. The squeal of toddlers and the cries of babies are frequently caught by students’ microphones.

Most of my students are alone or oversee younger children all day. Their parents must work. Somebody must watch the young children. Something needs to change and soon.

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