FLORIDA, USA — Butterflies in the stomach and a special breakfast are the stuff first days of school are made of. This year, add internet connectivity, face masks, and a global pandemic to the mix.
The first day of 4th-grade was downright weird for Eryn Turcios. She attends Cimino Elementary in Valrico where the Hillsborough district decided to start the first week online for all students.
"Almost 70 people on that call, over 60 of them being kids, 4th, 5th graders, I felt bad for the teachers because there was four, five teachers on there just trying to corral the kids to pay attention," said Dave Turcios, Eryn's dad who was sitting in the next room over.
Turcios said kids were showing off their pets, using the chat feature, and he kept hearing teachers ask students to sit back down. The school day only lasted one hour.
He added, "I’m fortunate. I work from home most days. We have internet, electronics and stuff like that. I can’t imagine the kids who don’t have access to those kids of things." Dave's daughter and 7th-grade son will start in-person learning on Aug. 31.
Hillsborough County Schools reported issues with the online system the district is using for eLearning. It's called Canvas.
Around 10 a.m. Monday, Hillsborough Schools said the district was working with the Canvas Learning Management Platform "to ensure learners can access classes today."
In Pinellas County, school started online for those that wanted to stay home and in the classroom for those who opted to attend in-person classes.
Kelli Barber, a 2nd-grade Pinellas County teacher had a baby in June. She originally planned to go back to work for the start of the school year but opted to extend her maternity leave to limit the exposure to her family.
Instead, she's looking over her two sons who are in 2nd and 5th grades while they start the first nine weeks of school virtually. Despite some technical hiccups to start the morning, Barber said the boys caught on quickly.
"They were excited to see their friends online. A lot of their friends chose to do the virtual school this year."
As a teacher and a mom, Barber believes every family has to figure out what works for them. With a newborn, teacher, and two elementary-aged kids in her house, she and her husband found a way to make life and learning work for them. Next semester, it's daycare for the baby and classroom instruction for everybody else.
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