Parents, students transitioning to distance learning
By Ashleigh Plemper
Farmer Staff Writer
When stay-at-home mom, Jennifer Clevinger, received the news that the McKenzie County School District No. 1 was canceling school for the remainder of the year on March 15 to prevent a potential spread of the coronavirus, the background noise of her husband and son playing in the next room of their Watford City residence suddenly began to fade. And she pondered on how she would deliver the news to her 9-year-old son, Jameson, an actively involved third grader at Watford City Elementary School.
“At first Jameson was kind of excited, until he realized it was because of something so serious,” says Clevinger. “It meant no friends coming over and no going anywhere. And that’s when he got upset.”
Clevinger says her son really just misses the simple notion of getting to go to school five days a week.
“I miss not seeing my friends and my teacher, Mrs. Foreman, every day,” says Jameson.
Gradually, Clevinger says her son warmed up to the process when he started doing online school work assigned by his teachers. But the adjustment has not only been tolling on him, but his mom as well.
For the full story, subscribe to the McKenzie County Farmer