Drinking and smoking during online classes alarms teachers
An elementary teacher is alarmed by parents who appear in their children’s online classes drinking and smoking. She urged them to stop, arguing for the safety of the children who may be exposed to such behavior.
An elementary school teacher from Florida, Edith Pride, let her frustration known during a school board meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 16, when she cautioned parents about activities they were doing during their kids’ online classes.
Online classes becoming chaotic
The teacher had noted that parents were doing activities such as drinking and smoking during the online classes at their homes. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but because these classes were being broadcast over the internet and teachers, staff members and sometimes other students could see what the parents are doing, it became an issue with the teacher.
The Boca Raton Elementary teacher told the parents to ensure they put appropriate clothes during their children’s online classes, especially when stepping in front of the camera. She continued by saying that some of the school’s classes had parents walking in their drawers and bras, urging them to consider other students.
Support from other teachers
Other teachers joined in the conversation, by also highlighting their experiences with distance learning. One teacher urged parents not to appear in front of the camera with big joints in their hands and cigarettes. She narrated one experience which shook her, where at 11:45, a father appeared in front of the camera with no shirt on, holding a beer, during a live session with his child.
Other teachers expressed their fears that other children were being exposed to imageries they are not accustomed to. They argued that such students needed to be protected and to do that required full cooperation from parents who were drinking and smoking during online classes.
The good news is, most parents were found to be behaving appropriately during these online classes. The school district, where the elementary school is located, also confirmed that the lessons are recorded for future reference, therefore, this may make parents think twice before doing something inappropriate during an online class.
Kelvin Maina is a computer science graduate who has previously worked for top tech companies in Kenya. He has over five years of experience in Software Engineering and hardware solutions. He enjoys reading fictional writing, football and swimming.
