By Kendall Scott and Jake Williamson, Viking Fusion Contributors
MOUNT BERRY, Ga. — The closing of campus due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic has left many faculty and staff members working from home with their young children. Over the past weeks and months, they’ve had to adjust to having their kids home full time and had to adapt to the challenges that the situation presents.
Dr. Eric Sands, Department Chair of Government and International Studies, has one 4th grader who attends Berry Elementary and one 6th grader who attends Berry Middle School learning from home with him. Sands has had to balance his classes and department chair responsibilities with helping his children with their remote learning. “I guess you could say we’ve developed a routine to try to get through the long days and the fact that I need time alone to teach,” Sands said. Photo: Olivia Sands, an 8th grader at Berry Middle School, completes an assignment from home. 
Regardless of the routine he has created in his household, it has not been an easy adjustment. “Overall the experience has been exhausting,” Sands said, “but they are good kids and have kept an upbeat spirit about all of it which helps me when I feel like I’m being pulled in a hundred different directions. We’re just taking it one day at time and some are better than others.” Photo: Patrick Sands, a 4th grader at Berry Elementary, working on an assignment due for class 
Dr. Kimberley Field-Springer, a Professor of Communications, is another faculty member that has had to balance teaching her own classes while helping her child with their school work. She has been assisting her daughter, Harper, with daily readings. Photo: Dr. Field-Springer’s daughter, Harper, works through some assigned readings. 
She says that finding space to focus on her own work has been difficult since her husband is also working from home in addition to her kids doing school. Photo: Dr. Field-Springer’s youngest doaughter plays while everyone else works. 
Steven Hames, Viking Fusion’s advisor, helps his son Reid with school work. 
Wesley Hames works through a virtual assignment.
Floyd County Schools break for summer on May 21. The Berry Schools let out on May 22.
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