Interviewer
Stacy Steele
Files
Abstract
This interview was conducted by Stacy Steele with Rebecca “Becky” Baker (b. 1984) as part of Project 2020: A Collaborative Oral History. Baker, a native of Sharon, South Carolina, discusses her experiences as a parent of two young children during the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges created by changes to their education. Her children, a prekindergarten student and a fourth grader at Hickory Grove-Sharon Elementary School, experienced different educational arrangements during the 2020–2021 school year, including face-to-face instruction, remote learning packets, and virtual learning.
Baker discusses the safety measures implemented by the school, including mask requirements, increased cleaning, reduced use of common spaces, and changes to classroom practices. She describes the difficulties of completing large quantities of remote-learning assignments at home while both parents worked full time. Baker expresses concern that the volume of assignments sometimes resulted in completing work rather than fully engaging with or learning the curriculum. She also discusses her fourth-grade child’s adjustment to spending more time at home, missing the library, gym, cafeteria, and other social aspects of attending school in person.
The interview addresses Baker’s concerns about the long-term educational and social effects of the pandemic. She worries that interruptions to instruction beginning in spring 2020 and continuing into the following school year could leave students academically behind for years. Baker also discusses the limited academic support available to her child and expresses concern about children whose families may not have the same resources to support learning at home. She reflects on the importance of social interaction for younger children and the potential effects of reduced opportunities to interact with peers. Notable topics include COVID-19, parenting, education, remote learning, school safety protocols, academic progress, socialization, and the long-term effects of the pandemic on children and the educational system.
Publication Date
10-9-2020
Unique Identifier
OH 717
Format
MP4;
Length
00:09:24
Restrictions
Open under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University
Keywords
COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020, Parenting, Education, Virtual Learning
Recommended Citation
Rebecca Baker, COVID-19 Pandemic, and Education, "Interview with Rebecca Baker - OH 717" (2020). Winthrop University Oral History Program. OH 717.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/oralhistoryprogram/634