Suburban parents share challenges of e-learning during COVID-19 schools shutdown

Sara Sadat is fast reaching the point of pulling out her hair between juggling working from home and making sure her three children are using e-learning opportunities provided by their schools.

“With my husband continuously on the job, I'm a little concerned,” said Sadat, a Lisle village trustee and senior manager in the finance industry. “I have a lot of virtual meetings ... kids are running around in the back. It just comes down to isolating them from pretty much all the chaos that happens in the house.”

Amid a COVID-19-induced statewide shutdown of schools starting Tuesday and running until March 30, suburban parents working outside or homebound are struggling to keep it together while ensuring their children are getting educational support.

School districts are excused from having to make up for this emergency closure, deemed an “act of God” by state authorities. But those with e-learning capabilities are exploring new ways to keep students engaged.

Sadat said her 13-year-old daughter Zoya, an eighth-grader at Lisle Junior High, will be recording clips of herself playing the flute and saxophone for the band director's review. Music teachers also are using YouTube videos for instruction.

Zoya and Sadat's fifth-grader, Yunus, will be using a Chromebook to keep up with assignments and interactive lessons, while her second-grader Myra will study using online work sheets, games and math learning programs. The challenge is getting them to focus before they sneak away to play video games.

“We really have to be on top of them,” Sadat said. “Their morale is kind of low. Initially, they were very excited to spend time at home, but as reality hit them today they were like, 'I can't believe I'm not going to see my friends.' The learning curve for us is keeping them on task, on schedule and regimented.”

Having schools that are prepared to provide e-learning is a luxury not all suburban families enjoy.

“It's amazing how in this horrible time, teachers are going above and beyond to make sure kids stay on track,” said Leora Smith of Crystal Lake, whose family is under health quarantine.

A teacher from Husmann Elementary School in Crystal Lake dropped off a Chromebook and e-learning materials for Smith's fourth-grader, Noah Feinberg.

“Today, he had to watch a video about the effects of hand sanitizer and explain it to us ... how it's made, how it works, why it's important right now,” Smith said. “Every subject has like a complete task list and it's interactive.”

Her 17-year-old son Ben, a senior at Prairie Ridge High School in Crystal Lake, lost his job at Panera Bread, which has been a bigger life lesson than any other, said Smith, who runs a home-based dog breeding and training business.

“This whole virus situation has taught them so much more than they could ever get through e-learning,” Smith said. “You just have to look for the silver lining.”