Newspaper Page Text
20TH CENTURY FOX
arts & culture
► kiddie dope
Pod People
ATHENS PARENTS PAIR UP KIDS FOR ONLINE LEARNING
By Kristen Morales news@flagpole.com
WELCOME BACK
STUDENTS!
When I first heard about the “pods,” all I
could think about was Cocoon and the glow
ing alien eggs in the pool the old folks used
to energize themselves. Except, these days,
the pods are for kids, and it’s us parents
who need the rejuvenation.
In case you haven’t heard, pods are the
newest thing this fall when it comes to
school. While I’d probably be fine with an
alien beaming down and hanging out with
my kids while they watch their teachers
online, the concept revolves more around
a small group of kids (or just a couple of
families) who are teaming up to assist with
the learning. They agree to shoulder the
burden—either by paying someone to guide
instruction or sharing the homeschooling
across a few homes—and in return, con
tinue to shelter in place to stave off the
coronavirus.
I’ve gone through what seems like sev
eral stages of grief during the podding-up
process, troubled by the impossible deci
sions some parents must face if they work
at a job that takes them outside the house,
or the expense of hiring additional caregiv
ers on an already thin budget. In late July,
when it seemed clear that showing up for
in-person school would create a perfect
storm of COVID-19 cases, I waited, think
ing surely we’d have some options from
the school district that would allow for...
something. Maybe we could commandeer
churches or vacant stores in the mall and
create smaller classes? Maybe we could
rotate kids into their regular classrooms,
with some learning remotely and some
in-person? Maybe we could... oh, heck.
There is no good answer here.
As time rolled on and the cases mounted,
we—not just in my house, but across the
state and the country—began to realize
there was no plan. No guidance. No larger
ideal framework from which we could draw
inspiration. We were left on our own to fig
ure it out.
This is when I went into parent hyper
drive. Facebook groups began to sprout up,
connecting parents of kids with similar ages
or situations. I scoured my neighborhood—
then cast wider nets—looking for parents
of a rising pre-kindergartener whom we
could pair with, in some utopian fantasy
where our kids were happily learning online
while I was somehow still able to do my job,
all in the comfort of my living room.
We needed an app, except I’d probably be
doing a lot of swiping left.
Now, I know for some, the pod idea has
worked. They are able to connect with a
teacher and are paying them a living wage,
and they now have peace of mind going into
the school year. How health insurance, lia
bility insurance, workspace needs, materials
and food all work out, I don’t know. But
bless ’em, they’re making it work.
But for as many people who have con
nected and found a match, there are many,
many more who are still searching for that
special someone. For me, connecting with
parents wasn’t the problem—It’s actually
a heartening feeling to chat with a com
plete stranger and know you both want the
same things for your child. But in the end,
between schedules and siblings and any
other number of conflicts, nothing’s panned
out. So here we are, our family
unit as a pod of one.
Exploring pods is also an
interesting exercise in risk
assessment. How much are
you willing to trust a stranger
to hold up their end of the
bargain to leave the house
only once a week? What if
your pod partner (podner?) is
an essential worker? What if
they have older children with
their own pod, or younger sib
lings in daycare?
I was a little surprised to
learn about so many parents
who have enlarged their
pandemic “bubble” to include select fami
lies so their kids have a regular playmate.
Throughout the summer, small playgroups
have been meeting up, allowing parents
a few hours of uninterrupted work while
the kids rotate between homes. For kids
who have been in school a few years, this
makes sense—you entered the pandemic
with a friend group, and you’re weathering
the storm with them. But, with a child who
just aged out of daycare and is now poised
to enter Pre-K, we have yet to even make
playdates a regular thing, never mind hav
ing a core group of friends. Our GroupMe of
parents from our preschool class has splin
tered, with some kids even moving out of
the area. We’re all, in a sense, starting from
scratch.
And so, as the start of the new school
year dawns, we’ll continue to hunker down
and hope that my youngest child’s Zoom
experience with his own parents bodes well
for his education.
I’m feeling a mixture of hope and dread.
Hope because my kids are craving some
thing—self-directed projects are only good
for so much—but dread because I know that
once a month my husband and I have to
be on the same Tuesday morning meeting,
right as our 4-year-old logs in. How many
Zooms and Google Chats can our household
accommodate? This is just one of the many
questions I never saw coming this year.
Good luck and Godspeed to all you par
ents out there. May the odds be ever in your
favor. ©
BARBERITOt
VOTED ATHENS FAVORITE BURRITO
IS YEARS IN A ROW
online.com
/sexysuzathens
ig ^ COUPLES’BOUTIQUE.
^ Celebrating Love and Staying Sexy
4124 Atlant^wy^thens^M060^
CELEBRATING LOVE AND
STAYING SEXY
Adult Toys ❖ Books ❖ Sexy Gifts ❖ Lingerie For Men & Women
Novelties Sexy Shoes (Shoes to size 13) o Adult DVD's
Relax the Student Stress with our New Inventory of
CBD products from Prerolls and Topicals!
BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL!
20% OFF
ONE ITEM WITH YOUR STUDENT ID
EXPIRES 9-30-20
Ph: 678-661-0700
SEPTEMBER 2, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM
7