ONE year on for Dylan Bethel and Charlotte Hunt as arrival at their new classrooms becomes setting up a space at home for distance learning.
It was a very different start to the school year this time.
For our family, the school year started on Friday. No new uniform, fresh ironed and posing for pictures before the drive to school this time. Instead, it was an online video session for our eldest child, getting to know his new teacher at a distance.
The weeks leading up to the return to school – which is still some distance off for many after Minister of Education Jeff Lloyd delayed the restart of public schools until October 5 – have been filled with tough decisions.
The simple question has been whether or not school is safe for our children during the pandemic.
Parents want their children to go back to school for many reasons. The first, of course, is to make sure they get the best education they can. But there’s more than that. School is where they make their friendships, where they learn how to be social outside of their family. And on another level, having children at school lets parents go to work.
All of that comes under question when you ask yourself whether it is safe to send your child to school. Read more >>