With remote learning being forced upon parents throughout the world because of the novel coronavirus, many are still adjusting to their new roles in the education of their children. In Guyana, it is no different. Some parents may just want some more support and are anxiously awaiting the physical reopening of schools; some may worry that this may be a long-term arrangement due to the continued rise in COVID-19 cases; and some might even be welcoming playing a greater role in the education of their children. Then there are others for whom the experience is not new as they have been homeschooling their children long before the pandemic.
Candice Rowena Ramessar, a former high school teacher of Biology and Environmental Science in the United States, and Adriana (only name given) are two parents who fall into the latter category. Ramessar has homeschooled both of her children, one 16 and the other five years old, and she told Stabroek Weekend that she fell in love with the concept after she read a magazine article long before she had children. Adriana has also homeschooled her two children and for her the need arose because they have special needs that were not being catered for in the traditional school system.