With schools either reopening part-time or continuing to encourage students to stay at home and learn, some parents are forming COVID pods – also known as pandemic pods. This option allows students to learn in a group of others, led by a parent or teacher. The problem is that these pods tend to go against the CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of the virus. While the safety of these pods is still up for debate, it all comes down to weighing the pros and cons before deciding to either put your child in a pandemic pod or keep them learning virtually from home under your supervision.
So, let’s explore the interesting world of COVID pods and the benefits they offer versus the risks they pose.
What is a COVID Pod?
COVID pods or pandemic pods, as they’re commonly known, are one of the newest educational happenings that parents have come up with in order to get through this dreaded pandemic. They consist of a small group of students, many of which are the same age or a range of different ages, but from the same families, learning in one particular place. Usually, the group of students is led by either a parent who has teaching experience or a tutor who the parents have hired to lead their learning. These pandemic pods are forming all over the country, as a result of COVID-19 shutting down physical schools, but this doesn’t mean that they are foolproof.
Advantages of a Pandemic Pod
There are a few advantages to enrolling your children in a pandemic pod, such as:
- Allowing Working Parents to Focus – Parents who have to work full-time from home often have a hard time balancing both work and helping their kids will school. A pandemic pod allows them to have some time to focus on just one task, while their kids are occupied and supervised.
- Providing Socialization Options for Kids – Not only do schools teach children the academics that they need to know, but they also provide plenty of opportunities for socialization. Pandemic pods create a chance for kids to continue to grow and mature socially and not feel quite as isolated.
- Guided Teaching Helps Students – Some kids just need to have a teacher or tutor standing there in person in order to help them focus. These tutors or teachers can also answer any questions that the students have and guide them as they go through their educational material. Not every student does well with online learning, so this is a solid alternative option.
Issues with Pandemic Pods
According to the CDC, pandemic pods can make it more likely to spread COVID-19 from person to person, because the regulations are usually not enforced. These casual groups may not wear masks or follow social distancing guidelines because they feel safe together in their academic pandemic “bubble.” Plus, the rooms that the pods take place in may not have the right kind of ventilation or enough space to correctly socially distance. All of these factors make it much more likely that someone who has COVID-19, but no symptoms, will spread it around to everyone in the group.
On top of that, if the tutor or one of the students comes down with COVID-19 or is in close contact with someone who has, there is no official communication plan in place like there is for traditional schools. These unregulated pods can potentially pose more safety problems than academic solutions.
Making the Decision
Choosing to put your child in a COVID pod is a decision that you have to make alone and based on the group you are considering. It’s important to weigh the various advantages and disadvantages before placing your child in a pandemic pod or allowing them to learn online from home. While it’s not an easy choice either way, it’s certainly a personal safety and educational decision that millions of parents across the country are shouldering.