For this family: Hybrid of in-person/virtual classes and a school under construction
Billie Vuckovich and her wife, Tambra Nipper, have been together for 13 years and married for six. They’re the proud mothers of two daughters, 7-year-old Emmala and 4-year-old Zoey. Both parents are feeling the effects of having their children at home while juggling remote work.
The kids are also heavily involved in gymnastics. Emmala goes three times per week for 2 hours a day and Zoey attends once a week. When the coronavirus first reached the community, gymnastics classes were put on hold but have recently started back up, with six kids allowed per class.
In the spring, the Nipper-Vuckovich children attended school virtually, but it’s a little more complicated this school year.
“I have to give the school credit for putting together a virtual school experience pretty quickly when the virus hit and the schools had to shut down. The school year was basically over, so there was not much schooling happening during that time period,” Vuckovich said.
Starting Sept. 1, Emmala will be attending school via the Fort Mill School District in South Carolina, starting out with alternating in-person and virtual days, and Zoey will continue attending a small church preschool in person.
Currently, Vuckovich takes Zoey to school in the morning and Nipper picks her up in the afternoon. When Emmala starts school, Vuckovich will take her to school and either Nipper will pick her up, or she will ride the bus home.
A year of changes
This school year, the family will face new stresses and plenty of change. Emmala’s school, River Trail Elementary, is still under construction, and classes won’t begin there until second semester. Those students will start the year instead at Doby’s Bridge Elementary, adding an extra twist onto an already complicated year in Fort Mill.
Elementary children are attending school for the first month on an A/B schedule to reduce class sizes, and everyone will be required to wear a mask. Students will stay in the classrooms for breakfast and lunch, and related arts teachers will come to them instead of children traveling to other classrooms to limit the potential for cross-contamination.
Even with the safety measures, Vuckovich said she’s concerned about crowding and the children’s ability to social distance and keep their masks on. Plus, Emmala will be back to virtual assignments every other day for the first month.
“I am very concerned for my oldest, who will be going to one school for a few months, while her permanent school is finishing being built. I’m afraid that since many teachers chose to do virtual, the schools do not have enough teachers and will cram as many students into the classroom as they can.”
She’s more at ease with Zoey’s situation, however.
“I feel comfortable for my youngest, since it’s a very small class size of only 7 students, and just a small school in general. The church school also takes large precautions from people entering the school, so I’m pretty confident in the school’s ability to keep my youngest safe,” Vuckovich said.
Zoey attends the school for half-days, and Nipper is usually done with work by then.
“We have been very lucky that it did not affect our work schedules and we both work for companies who have empathy towards the situation,” Vuckovich said.
Growing isolation
Vuckovich’s biggest concerns as a parent are the missed opportunities for socialization, especially if school has to shut down again for in-person learning if COVID-19 cases pop up.
“My youngest really thrives in a structured environment, so school really helps her mentally. I’m afraid my oldest will fall behind in her education if we have to miss more school. Home school is extremely difficult when Tambra and I both have to work, and I am currently in school getting my MBA,” she said.
The largest stressor on the Nipper-Vuckovich family has been having the children at home while trying to work. Vuckovich works full time for Credit Karma, and Nipper works part time for an advertising technology company.
“I have many video meetings, and they can be loud,” Vuckovich said.
Balancing work with summer fun
Vuckovich said giving their children a summer during the pandemic was also difficult.
“We did not want to take away the summer time experience from them, so we tried to visit my in-laws quite a bit since they live on a lake.”
The Nipper-Vuckovich family was still able to go boating and have fun in the water, but had to cancel a trip to Hilton Head since they didn’t feel comfortable staying a few days in a hotel room sharing air-conditioned air.
Normally, Vuckovich’s parents and sister, who live in San Diego (where Vuckovich is from) usually visit a few times per year — so that has been a hurdle. The isolation from family members, friends and activities has worn on them.
“My kids have only been able to video chat with them since the virus hit. It’s been very hard on my kids not being able to see their friends or do any of the sports they attended prior to the virus.”
Sports and summer vacations aside, the virus has also affected family friendships.
“COVID-19 not only affected us mentally, but has hurt some relationships, as well,” Vuckovich said. “It seems that it’s divided us even more so in our political climate. This has caused us to be concerned with some of our neighbors, and how they feel about social distancing and masks.”
However, some good has come out of the pandemic. Zoey was born with an airway defect involving her larynx, and though it’s since developed as she grew older, she is susceptible to getting viruses like bronchitis or croup. Now that she’s spending more time at home, she’s not sick as much. And, of course, more time at home means more time with the family.
“One of the positive things that the pandemic has brought is that I am able to work from home and spend more time with my children, even though they drive me nuts sometimes,” Vuckovich said.
CharlotteFive talked to families in Charlotte-area schools navigating the pandemic to understand how the virus has changed their school decisions, their routines and their households. This article is part of that series.
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 3:14 PM.
