HOMESCHOOLING DURING A PANDEMIC A LIFE-CHANGER FOR KIDS AND PARENTS
Karin melberg schwier Photo: Chantal Banda with her kids on the first day of the school year.
A ‘homeschooling’ online search will pop up with everything from ‘Day 1 Question: How do I get a kid transferred out of my class?” to “My five-year-old just asked me to not be loud or crazy because she’s on a Zoom meeting with her real teacher.” This gem from a homeschooler dad: “If you see my kids locked outside, mind your own business. We’re having a fire drill.” Clearly, homeschooling
parents are learning a few things about their kids and themselves in the process. And they’re getting through the pandemic lockdown with a sense of humour. Mustering the Troops For Katie Menzies and Lester Martens, the prospect of having sons Alexander, six, and Andrew, four, at home 24/7 for an undetermined length of time wasn’t a joke. It wasn’t the
only one the couple faced as the brunt of the pandemic became increasingly clear. As beekeepers who rely on seasonal Canadian and foreign workers, with closed borders, they prepared for the possibility of no employees. How were they going to handle the farm on their own, manage their household and the boys’ education? Katie’s mother is an elementary school teacher, so they had an edge with
educational resources. And they had another secret weapon. “When the children were much younger, we had opted to hire a nanny,” says Katie. For farmers, work hours can be long and unpredictable, so daycares were never an option for the couple. “When our school in Nutana shut down, they quickly came up with supplemental learning materials for students at home. The teacher was Saskatoon HOME fall 2020 | 45
