VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE # 178
AIR DATE: 06 11 2021
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Parent and Teacher
((SOT))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Give me a thumbs up.
It’s very rare that you get to see your child as a student and
it’s very rare that children get to see their parents as
workers.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Too Much Screen Time
((SOT))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
When COVID kicked off, I wasn’t really prepared to having
both of my children home throughout the day. I had to really
balance that.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Talking it Out
((SOT))
((Karim Roberts, Sixth Grader))
I know like they’re kind of going like over a lot of review. I’m
not really learning anything. But like it’s hard for me to learn
because I don’t move. I just keep. I don’t keep still. I move.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) FIRST GRADE TEACHER
((Previously aired February 2021))
((TRT: 04:50))
((Topic Banner: Mother + Teacher + Pandemic))
((Reporter/Camera: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Urbana, Maryland))
((Main Character: 1 female))
((Sub Character: 1 male))
((MUSIC/NATS))
Noah, do you want a turn?
Um, yeah.
((NATS))
Which is more, scared or terrified? What in? Show me the
one that is more. Scared or terrified?
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
So, teaching first grade virtually and having a child who is
virtually learning kindergarten has been pretty
interesting. Very chaotic. Not chaotic in a bad way, chaotic
as in there’s a lot going on under the roof of our house at
one time.
((NATS))
Go ahead and click that blue box.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
I have 20 students learning and then I have a kindergartner
who’s also trying to learn.
((NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Since he is in kindergarten, he does not know how to, pretty
much, login by himself with like the passcode and
everything. So, I have his computer on my lap and I’m
logging him in while I’m communicating with my students.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
I’m very open with my students. So, I told the adults in the
beginning of the year and throughout that I do have a
kindergartner at home, and I’m here pretty much by myself
all day, while my husband’s at work.
((NATS))
((Robbie Ford, Kindergartner))
I have to meet with my Ms. James in ten minutes.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Yep, I have an alarm on my phone that’s going to tell me,
okay. All right, so you’ve got ten minutes. You have Brain
Flakes in there.
((NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
I am continuously trying to listen in on his learning as
well. So, I wear headphones and one headphone is always
out, so that I can hear what’s going on. Because if he
minimizes his screen, if something happens with his
technology, I need to be able to put my students on mute,
tell them give me a second, and fix it real quick.
((NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Seven-year-olds cannot sit for 30 minutes or more. I can’t sit
for 30 minutes or more. So, there’s a lot more brain breaks.
((NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
So, we’re going to go ahead and start our 20 minute break,
okay. Give me a thumbs up. Got it. All right. Go run outside
or something. It’s really nice.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
It gives enough time for them to use the restroom, eat a
snack, play with a toy in their house and then come back
and be ready.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Robbie Ford, Kindergartner))
These crackers for you.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Okay.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
The parents and adults of my students have been
phenomenal during this. They’re very supportive and
understanding.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
So, what I want you to think about is what emotions does
The Recess Queen have? And what does the word ‘bully’
mean?
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
They’re telling me things the students can’t tell me. For
example, “Ms. Ford, you’re talking to your son and you’re not
on mute.” Like, things like that. And I think it’s cool that
parents get to understand what you’re actually teaching. It
gives me a sense of confidence as well, and it makes me
stay on my A game at all times.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
I need you to stretch your faces. What? You’re gonna stretch
your faces because we’re going to make different faces to
figure out if we’re happy, sad, angry. Show me angry.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Being with him every day, I can support him. Also
understanding my child in a different setting. It’s very rare
that you get to see your child as a student, and it’s very rare
that children get to see their adults and parents as workers.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
So, can anyone tell me what we are supposed to be
discussing?
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
He can go outside more. He can play more.
((NATS))
It’s lunchtime. We have to eat. We have 20 minutes.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
And we just get to have a different relationship than we
normally would.
((NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
You want to share an apple with me?
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
There are difficulties, don’t get me wrong, with balancing
home life and work life. As a mom, I like to keep both
separate, but they’re now both one.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
I’m planning with my teammates for our next part of our
day. I sent a group of books to them through the
computer. Online books for the kids to access that have to
do with what we’re learning and reading.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Kids are very adaptable. I think that is something, as an
adult, I need to also understand.
((NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Mozzarella pizza.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
They all have different backgrounds, different things going
on at home, but trying to give them a support in one place
and give them encouragement and knowing that they can do
this and we can do it.
((MUSIC/NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Parent Advocate
((SOT))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Kindergarten Parent))
How was school?
((Azaan Siddiqui, Kindergartner))
Terrible.
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Kindergarten Parent))
Every day, after four, my kid is just so sad, you know. And I
have to, I have to say, ‘Good job. You did great. I’m so proud
of you.’ They feel like they’re doing something wrong by not
understanding.
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) STAY AT HOME DAD / WOOD ARTIST
((Previously aired November 2020))
((TRT: 06:15))
((Banner: A Balancing Act))
((Reporter/Camera: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Vienna, Virginia))
((Main Characters: 1 male))
((Sub Characters: 1 male; 1 female))
((NATS))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
My name is Ron Johnson. I grew up all over the world.
((Courtesy: Ron Johnson))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
My dad was in the military. I spent 25 years in the military
myself. After getting out of the military, I decided to start
working with wood and it was about 10 years ago. I
transitioned from working with wood to make furniture to
making pieces of art.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
I use wood truly as my medium. I’ve studied everything from
spoons to bowl making to furniture making to sculpture. The
peace I find when I’m carving, I really do go to a different
place. Wood really kind of talks back to you. It really speaks
to you when you’re working on it and you get to have this
one-on-one communication with the tree.
((NATS: Ron Johnson
10/10:45 says math, whole group meet link. So, there’s a
small group schedule.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
I’m a stay-at-home dad, in addition to being an artist. I have
a first grader and a kindergartner.
((NATS: Ron Johnson
Daddy tax.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
When COVID kicked off, I wasn’t really prepared to having
both of my children home throughout the day. I had to really
balance that.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
We try to treat it like a normal school day, like they’re going
to be heading out to school. So, I get them up. They get their
clothes on. They’re not in their night night clothes, for
example. Then, when school starts, I’ve got one child is
downstairs in the basement and one child on the top floor.
((NATS:
What is the time?))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
This is my work area. I tend to sit here and listen to both the
downstairs classroom and the upstairs classroom, with a
little bit of an ear on both classrooms, because the kids get
into a, a little bit of, you know, their pattern. But the classes
don’t match except lunch time is pretty close together. Their
breaks are different. So, I have to send one outside on a
break and one, you know, stays inside during their class. My
son, who’s younger in kindergarten, he generally tends to
be, he’ll turn his computer off and he’ll just say, “Oh, I think
I’m done.” And so, I have to refocus him back down to the
classroom. Also, I go and look at their class schedule each
day and I update it very quickly to see what’s going to come
up, because it changes periodically. And both kids try to stay
on track, but honestly, it’s tough for me to keep up and these
folks, you know, little kids trying to keep track.
((NATS:
Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
Having them both online and the attention span really is the
issue. They don’t want to be staring at a screen.
((NATS: Ron Johnson and daughter
Look all these people are in there. Why are they in there?
I’m not supposed to be in there.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
To understand and to navigate technology for a five and six-
year-old is pretty daunting. Trying to figure out how to get
them comfortable with technology, so they can navigate to
their classrooms correctly. It’s a lot we’re asking of the
teachers and it’s a lot we’re asking of our children for sure.
And parents.
((NATS: Ron Johnson
I made you a nice sandwich.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
The positives about having our children home with me
throughout the day is how close we’ve become as a family.
One thing we get to do is we get to schedule out our time
really well. We eat lunch together. We eat breakfast
together. We eat dinner together. And all those meals just
add that communication and you build a really decent
relationship with your children.
((NATS))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
So that’s one positive. The other positive is, I’m spending
time with them in their classrooms and understanding what
they’re learning, so I get to, I get to affect what they’re
learning too. I get to understand that.
((NATS: Ron Johnson and teacher
Ms. Jacoby. Hello.
Yes.
Hi, yeah. Quick question. We had some computer issues.
Now we’re on iPad for a few minutes. Just wondering, what
are they supposed to be doing right now?
Oh, we just did letters. We found objects that begin with….))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
We do bike rides almost every day, just to relieve some of
that frustration and that built up pressure.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
How this has impacted my personal flow as an artist? It’s
been the seven hours I may grab throughout the day when
my children are both in school to that right brain shift, to
become creative. It’s not something that you can just, it’s not
a light switch. You have to find that peaceful moment. You
start moving yourself forward.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
So, really to manage between the kids’ online school,
spending all day in and out of the house, I have to really
grab time. And I have to make that time for myself, which
means get up earlier in the morning, create and carve out
time in the evening when they’re kind of calming down and
winding down from the day. Sometimes, I just walk outside
and work on a very small piece and then walk back inside,
because it’s in my head and I want to make sure I can put it
into the piece I’m working on. So, I’m thinking about that, the
piece I’m currently working on, all the time, throughout the
day. It’s my, it’s my timeout spot for myself on a stressful
day.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Ron Johnson))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
Some pieces I’ve made, one is ‘Dreams’. A lot of people
have been having these just amazing dreams or, you know,
chaotic dreams. And I created a piece specifically from
COVID, the influence on the dreams that I’ve been having.
And I thought, well, this is something that other people are
having. So, I thought I’d make a piece to, to represent that.
And another one was, trying to find center in my own life as
everyone else is, with this new world we’re, we’re
experiencing.
((Courtesy: Ron Johnson))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
I made one piece called ‘Finding Center’ and it really is, it’s
also, I created the chaos all around. There’s only two pieces
that marry up in the entire piece and that’s finding it right
dead in the center.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Popup Banner:
Following the interview, ‘Dreams’ was selected to be in the
2020 Virginia Arts Juried Show))
((PKG)) PARENT ADVOCATE
((Previously aired December 2020))
((TRT: 04:17))
((Banner: Parent Advocate))
((Reporter/Camera: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Vienna, Virginia))
((Main Characters: 1 male; 1 female))
((Sub Character: 1 male))
((NATS: Saqib Siddiqui, Mahwesh Siddiqui))
If any kid says mean stuff you have to tell Ms. Scarborough.
Okay?
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
Our son, he just started kindergarten and he was quite
excited. He loves going to school. He loved going to
preschool. So, when summer happened, we were really
struggling to find him, and he’s the only child, to find him a
social aspect of kindergarten. And he had been home since
March,
((Courtesy: Saqib Siddiqui))
but then all of his soccer, tee ball, you know, name it, flag
football, swimming, everything was canceled.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
Kindergarten is all about getting kids assimilated, what
school’s like. You bring your backpack, you put it here. You
know, you’re independent. You’re using the bathroom.
That’s what kindergarten is about. You can’t do that virtually.
((Mahwesh Siddiqui, Online Advertising Consultant,
Parent))
Yeah.
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
You can’t assimilate them to school when they’re not in
school.
((NATS))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
Luckily our friends moved nearby who we had known for a
long time and their daughter was also going to kindergarten
at the same time in the same school. So, the thought, the
idea, crossed our mind, why don’t we group up with them
and start a pod.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
The idea was, these kids are going to be together in a room.
You know, for kindergarten, I don’t think they're going to
expect a full virtual day. We hired a teacher. The teacher is
going to guide them, help them do online learning, help them
navigate the virtual classrooms. And then after that, she can
supplement their teaching and either teach them more in-
person or just, you know, reinforce what was taught online.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
But then, the school system changed it on us and they was
like, kindergarteners 9-4, virtually, on the computer.
((Mahwesh Siddiqui, Online Advertising Consultant,
Parent))
I mean, teachers are doing a great job. You know, they’re
trying their best to do what they do in class, but it’s not
sustainable.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Mahwesh Siddiqui, Online Advertising Consultant,
Parent))
Their entire plan is, like, to keep them engaged for seven
hours, give them what they used to do in school in-person.
But let’s just admit it, this is not normal times. It’s a
pandemic. We don’t need to give them seven hours of
virtual, you know, learning. It doesn’t have to be more than
two hours.
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
My biggest concern is we’re, like, dimming their yearning for
learning. When you set them up on something where they’re
trying and they’re not seeing results internally, they get
frustrated and they shut off.
((NATS))
That’s the biggest concern I have.
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
I communicated with the principal, with a group of 15
kindergarten parents. Just letting them know, they all agree,
that hours need to be shortened from 9-4 to 9-1, you know.
Then I went above that. I went to the, wrote to the Fairfax
County board members, members-at-large. And for that I got
a bigger group.
((NATS))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
How was school?
((Azaan Siddiqui, Kindergartner))
Terrible.
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
Every day, after four, my kid is just so sad, you know. And I
have to, I have to say, ‘Good job. You did great. I’m so proud
of you.’ They feel like they’re doing something wrong by not
understanding.
((NATS))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
Nobody’s going to watch out for these kids' interests more
than the parents themselves. And we want to be there
advocating for them, because they can’t advocate for them.
I don’t mind if I fail, but I want to be able to tell him that I tried
my best to change the system when I thought the system
was not watching out for them.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
I believe that education is a fundamental right and I want to
change the system for everybody and make it better for
everybody.
((Popup Banner:
A few weeks later, Azaan attended an in-school pilot
program twice a week. But when local COVID-19 cases
began rising again, the program was paused.))
((NATS/MUSIC))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up….
((Banner))
Talking it Out
((SOT))
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Sometimes my lighting is like very, very bad and I look like a
greasy egg, so.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
It’s way too long for looking at a screen. I know we have
breaks, but still.
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) 6th GRADERS VIRTUAL LEARNING
((Previously aired February 2021))
((TRT: 5:42))
((Topic Banner: Offline Talk About Online School))
((Reporter/Camera: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Vienna, Virginia))
((Main Characters: 2 female; 2 male))
((Popup Banner: Virtual Learning; A Conversation))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Hi, I’m Leighton and I’m 11 years old.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
Hi, I’m Claire and I’m also 11 years old.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
Hi, my name is Omar and I am 11 years old.
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
Hi, my name’s Karim and I’m 11 years old.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: Real Talk))
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
How is virtual learning has been for you guys?
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
It’s been pretty good. It’s hard to like look at a screen for so
long.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
And focus.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
Yeah.
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
They take like too many directions on things. A lot.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
Like you have to turn on your camera. And if you don’t want
to turn on your camera, you don’t have to.
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Sometimes my lighting is like very, very bad and I look like a
greasy egg, so.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
It’s way too long for looking at a screen. I know we have
breaks, but still.
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
It’s very easy to get distracted too.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
Yeah.
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Because like you have like your phone or there’s like
YouTube on your computer. And there’s like no way to block
that.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
The other thing is, a lot of times, the WiFi or the internet will
like go down and like that’s another thing I dislike.
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
That happened to be on Thursday, a couple of days ago.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: The Pros))
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
The thing I like about virtual learning, you can see a lot of
people on their cameras. Then you can like meet up with
friends on like Gmail.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
Breakout rooms are like really fun because you could talk to
your friends and it’s like away from your teacher.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
Yeah.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
And it’s just a lot more enjoyable because you can, you
know, you don’t have to do exactly what the teacher is
saying. You can still like have, enjoy your time learning. But
you’re like, you’re with your friends.
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Some of the teachers, when you’re in the classroom, when
you ask to go to the bathroom, they're like, “No, you can
wait.” But now, you can just turn your camera off and like go
to the bathroom.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
Yeah, you definitely have more freedom. You’re working a
lot more independently.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: The Changes))
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
If you were in school, you can think of more excuses to, you
know,
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
get out.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
No, not get out. But, like say you lost your work or whatever.
But when you’re in virtual learning, then all your assignments
are there. You can’t just like lose an assignment. You just
have to get it done, because it’s right there for you.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: Grading the Teacher))
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Some of the teachers are actually like, like on top of breaks,
like on top of work.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
Our teacher is doing really well and she’s like one of the best
teachers I've ever had. She’s so nice. And she’s like hasn’t
got mad or yelled at the class once. She also like shows her
baby sometimes, you know, like.
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
My teacher’s great. She’s a nice teacher.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: Reversing Roles))
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
So, if I was the head of district like the principal or whatever,
I would probably make the breaks, definitely like some of the
breaks should be longer like, maybe, like 15-minute breaks.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
I would have just like 20 minutes of school, because all you
need is 20 minutes of school or like an hour of school.
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
If I was a leader, I would go back to school.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: Results))
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Guys, do you think we’re like actually like learning new stuff,
or is it just like a review from last year?
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
I think, I’m definitely learning a little bit. It’s like from school
to actually like technology as well. I’m learning a lot because
like I used to be really bad at using computers, but like, since
we’re on the computer so much, I’ve been learning how to
do a lot on there.
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
I know like they’re kind of going like over a lot of review. I’m
not really learning anything. But like it’s hard for me to learn
because I don’t move. I just keep. I don’t keep still. I move.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
You think you’re learning stuff?
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Yeah, definitely in science, I mean social studies. Last year, I
was just like we were learning about like Virginia, like only
one state.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: Reminiscing))
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
What I miss the most about school, it’s just like, even when I
like go back to school, it won’t be the same. You’ll be
wearing a mask. Like I would always give my teacher a hug
when I go into school. I’m just that kind of person. I’m like
really kind and stuff.
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
So, I miss like hanging out with my friends. Like that’s what I
miss. But like now, it’s just like the screen and you only see
their tiles.
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
I miss most about school, a tad on that, I miss my friends a
lot.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: Funny Stories))
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
One time, when I was talking like when I was like trying to
present or something, my mom kept on walking into my
room when she’s like, “Are you good?” Girl, I’m trying to
present right here.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
My like funny/embarrassing moment is, sometimes in the
beginning of, in the beginning of class, I just wait for it to
start and I’m like watching TikTok or whatever. I said like ‘hi’
to my teacher. I was like ‘hi’. And then I thought I turned my
microphone off, but I didn’t, and the TikTok was playing.
And then I was so embarrassed, and I was like, wanted to
cry because I was just so embarrassed.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
The funniest thing was when my brother, Sami, he was
running around, he was like this. And then he slipped on his
sock and then, he’s like that. And then, I was just laughing
so hard. And then, it’s like,
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
if it was on recording,
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
it was on recording, yeah.
((NATS/MUSIC))
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
NEXT WEEK / GOOD BYE ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
In Coming Weeks…..
Urban Wildlife
((SOT))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Cheryl Chooljian, Clinic Director, City Wildlife))
I’ve always been interested in helping animals since I was
very young.
((NATS))
((Cheryl Chooljian, Clinic Director, City Wildlife))
Yeah, it’s bad. I’m sorry little buddy.
Being a wildlife veterinarian in particular allows me to help
conservation efforts and preserving natural wildlife that we
have here in the District.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Cheryl Chooljian, Clinic Director, City Wildlife))
We currently have 96 patients. Unfortunately, most of our
problems that we see are directly human-related. We do see
a lot of trauma cases, hit by cars, birds that have flown into
windows, attacks by domestic animals, cats, dogs.
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
((PKG)) FREE PRESS MATTERS ((NATS/VIDEO/GFX))
((Popup captions over B Roll))
Near the Turkish Embassy
Washington, D.C.
May 16, 2017
President Erdogan’s bodyguard attacks peaceful protesters
“Those terrorists deserved to be beaten”
“They should not be protesting our president”
“They got what they asked for”
While some people may turn away from the news
We cover it
reliably
accurately
objectively
comprehensively
wherever the news matters
VOA
A Free Press Matters
BREAK THREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
SHOW ENDS
EPISODE # 178
AIR DATE: 06 11 2021
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Parent and Teacher
((SOT))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Give me a thumbs up.
It’s very rare that you get to see your child as a student and
it’s very rare that children get to see their parents as
workers.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Too Much Screen Time
((SOT))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
When COVID kicked off, I wasn’t really prepared to having
both of my children home throughout the day. I had to really
balance that.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Talking it Out
((SOT))
((Karim Roberts, Sixth Grader))
I know like they’re kind of going like over a lot of review. I’m
not really learning anything. But like it’s hard for me to learn
because I don’t move. I just keep. I don’t keep still. I move.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) FIRST GRADE TEACHER
((Previously aired February 2021))
((TRT: 04:50))
((Topic Banner: Mother + Teacher + Pandemic))
((Reporter/Camera: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Urbana, Maryland))
((Main Character: 1 female))
((Sub Character: 1 male))
((MUSIC/NATS))
Noah, do you want a turn?
Um, yeah.
((NATS))
Which is more, scared or terrified? What in? Show me the
one that is more. Scared or terrified?
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
So, teaching first grade virtually and having a child who is
virtually learning kindergarten has been pretty
interesting. Very chaotic. Not chaotic in a bad way, chaotic
as in there’s a lot going on under the roof of our house at
one time.
((NATS))
Go ahead and click that blue box.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
I have 20 students learning and then I have a kindergartner
who’s also trying to learn.
((NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Since he is in kindergarten, he does not know how to, pretty
much, login by himself with like the passcode and
everything. So, I have his computer on my lap and I’m
logging him in while I’m communicating with my students.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
I’m very open with my students. So, I told the adults in the
beginning of the year and throughout that I do have a
kindergartner at home, and I’m here pretty much by myself
all day, while my husband’s at work.
((NATS))
((Robbie Ford, Kindergartner))
I have to meet with my Ms. James in ten minutes.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Yep, I have an alarm on my phone that’s going to tell me,
okay. All right, so you’ve got ten minutes. You have Brain
Flakes in there.
((NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
I am continuously trying to listen in on his learning as
well. So, I wear headphones and one headphone is always
out, so that I can hear what’s going on. Because if he
minimizes his screen, if something happens with his
technology, I need to be able to put my students on mute,
tell them give me a second, and fix it real quick.
((NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Seven-year-olds cannot sit for 30 minutes or more. I can’t sit
for 30 minutes or more. So, there’s a lot more brain breaks.
((NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
So, we’re going to go ahead and start our 20 minute break,
okay. Give me a thumbs up. Got it. All right. Go run outside
or something. It’s really nice.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
It gives enough time for them to use the restroom, eat a
snack, play with a toy in their house and then come back
and be ready.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Robbie Ford, Kindergartner))
These crackers for you.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Okay.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
The parents and adults of my students have been
phenomenal during this. They’re very supportive and
understanding.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
So, what I want you to think about is what emotions does
The Recess Queen have? And what does the word ‘bully’
mean?
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
They’re telling me things the students can’t tell me. For
example, “Ms. Ford, you’re talking to your son and you’re not
on mute.” Like, things like that. And I think it’s cool that
parents get to understand what you’re actually teaching. It
gives me a sense of confidence as well, and it makes me
stay on my A game at all times.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
I need you to stretch your faces. What? You’re gonna stretch
your faces because we’re going to make different faces to
figure out if we’re happy, sad, angry. Show me angry.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Being with him every day, I can support him. Also
understanding my child in a different setting. It’s very rare
that you get to see your child as a student, and it’s very rare
that children get to see their adults and parents as workers.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
So, can anyone tell me what we are supposed to be
discussing?
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
He can go outside more. He can play more.
((NATS))
It’s lunchtime. We have to eat. We have 20 minutes.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
And we just get to have a different relationship than we
normally would.
((NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
You want to share an apple with me?
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
There are difficulties, don’t get me wrong, with balancing
home life and work life. As a mom, I like to keep both
separate, but they’re now both one.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
I’m planning with my teammates for our next part of our
day. I sent a group of books to them through the
computer. Online books for the kids to access that have to
do with what we’re learning and reading.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Kids are very adaptable. I think that is something, as an
adult, I need to also understand.
((NATS))
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
Mozzarella pizza.
((Janessa Ford, First Grade Teacher, Kindergarten
Parent))
They all have different backgrounds, different things going
on at home, but trying to give them a support in one place
and give them encouragement and knowing that they can do
this and we can do it.
((MUSIC/NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Parent Advocate
((SOT))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Kindergarten Parent))
How was school?
((Azaan Siddiqui, Kindergartner))
Terrible.
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Kindergarten Parent))
Every day, after four, my kid is just so sad, you know. And I
have to, I have to say, ‘Good job. You did great. I’m so proud
of you.’ They feel like they’re doing something wrong by not
understanding.
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) STAY AT HOME DAD / WOOD ARTIST
((Previously aired November 2020))
((TRT: 06:15))
((Banner: A Balancing Act))
((Reporter/Camera: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Vienna, Virginia))
((Main Characters: 1 male))
((Sub Characters: 1 male; 1 female))
((NATS))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
My name is Ron Johnson. I grew up all over the world.
((Courtesy: Ron Johnson))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
My dad was in the military. I spent 25 years in the military
myself. After getting out of the military, I decided to start
working with wood and it was about 10 years ago. I
transitioned from working with wood to make furniture to
making pieces of art.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
I use wood truly as my medium. I’ve studied everything from
spoons to bowl making to furniture making to sculpture. The
peace I find when I’m carving, I really do go to a different
place. Wood really kind of talks back to you. It really speaks
to you when you’re working on it and you get to have this
one-on-one communication with the tree.
((NATS: Ron Johnson
10/10:45 says math, whole group meet link. So, there’s a
small group schedule.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
I’m a stay-at-home dad, in addition to being an artist. I have
a first grader and a kindergartner.
((NATS: Ron Johnson
Daddy tax.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
When COVID kicked off, I wasn’t really prepared to having
both of my children home throughout the day. I had to really
balance that.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
We try to treat it like a normal school day, like they’re going
to be heading out to school. So, I get them up. They get their
clothes on. They’re not in their night night clothes, for
example. Then, when school starts, I’ve got one child is
downstairs in the basement and one child on the top floor.
((NATS:
What is the time?))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
This is my work area. I tend to sit here and listen to both the
downstairs classroom and the upstairs classroom, with a
little bit of an ear on both classrooms, because the kids get
into a, a little bit of, you know, their pattern. But the classes
don’t match except lunch time is pretty close together. Their
breaks are different. So, I have to send one outside on a
break and one, you know, stays inside during their class. My
son, who’s younger in kindergarten, he generally tends to
be, he’ll turn his computer off and he’ll just say, “Oh, I think
I’m done.” And so, I have to refocus him back down to the
classroom. Also, I go and look at their class schedule each
day and I update it very quickly to see what’s going to come
up, because it changes periodically. And both kids try to stay
on track, but honestly, it’s tough for me to keep up and these
folks, you know, little kids trying to keep track.
((NATS:
Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
Having them both online and the attention span really is the
issue. They don’t want to be staring at a screen.
((NATS: Ron Johnson and daughter
Look all these people are in there. Why are they in there?
I’m not supposed to be in there.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
To understand and to navigate technology for a five and six-
year-old is pretty daunting. Trying to figure out how to get
them comfortable with technology, so they can navigate to
their classrooms correctly. It’s a lot we’re asking of the
teachers and it’s a lot we’re asking of our children for sure.
And parents.
((NATS: Ron Johnson
I made you a nice sandwich.))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
The positives about having our children home with me
throughout the day is how close we’ve become as a family.
One thing we get to do is we get to schedule out our time
really well. We eat lunch together. We eat breakfast
together. We eat dinner together. And all those meals just
add that communication and you build a really decent
relationship with your children.
((NATS))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
So that’s one positive. The other positive is, I’m spending
time with them in their classrooms and understanding what
they’re learning, so I get to, I get to affect what they’re
learning too. I get to understand that.
((NATS: Ron Johnson and teacher
Ms. Jacoby. Hello.
Yes.
Hi, yeah. Quick question. We had some computer issues.
Now we’re on iPad for a few minutes. Just wondering, what
are they supposed to be doing right now?
Oh, we just did letters. We found objects that begin with….))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
We do bike rides almost every day, just to relieve some of
that frustration and that built up pressure.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
How this has impacted my personal flow as an artist? It’s
been the seven hours I may grab throughout the day when
my children are both in school to that right brain shift, to
become creative. It’s not something that you can just, it’s not
a light switch. You have to find that peaceful moment. You
start moving yourself forward.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
So, really to manage between the kids’ online school,
spending all day in and out of the house, I have to really
grab time. And I have to make that time for myself, which
means get up earlier in the morning, create and carve out
time in the evening when they’re kind of calming down and
winding down from the day. Sometimes, I just walk outside
and work on a very small piece and then walk back inside,
because it’s in my head and I want to make sure I can put it
into the piece I’m working on. So, I’m thinking about that, the
piece I’m currently working on, all the time, throughout the
day. It’s my, it’s my timeout spot for myself on a stressful
day.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Ron Johnson))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
Some pieces I’ve made, one is ‘Dreams’. A lot of people
have been having these just amazing dreams or, you know,
chaotic dreams. And I created a piece specifically from
COVID, the influence on the dreams that I’ve been having.
And I thought, well, this is something that other people are
having. So, I thought I’d make a piece to, to represent that.
And another one was, trying to find center in my own life as
everyone else is, with this new world we’re, we’re
experiencing.
((Courtesy: Ron Johnson))
((Ron Johnson, Wood Artist, Stay-at-Home Dad))
I made one piece called ‘Finding Center’ and it really is, it’s
also, I created the chaos all around. There’s only two pieces
that marry up in the entire piece and that’s finding it right
dead in the center.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Popup Banner:
Following the interview, ‘Dreams’ was selected to be in the
2020 Virginia Arts Juried Show))
((PKG)) PARENT ADVOCATE
((Previously aired December 2020))
((TRT: 04:17))
((Banner: Parent Advocate))
((Reporter/Camera: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Vienna, Virginia))
((Main Characters: 1 male; 1 female))
((Sub Character: 1 male))
((NATS: Saqib Siddiqui, Mahwesh Siddiqui))
If any kid says mean stuff you have to tell Ms. Scarborough.
Okay?
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
Our son, he just started kindergarten and he was quite
excited. He loves going to school. He loved going to
preschool. So, when summer happened, we were really
struggling to find him, and he’s the only child, to find him a
social aspect of kindergarten. And he had been home since
March,
((Courtesy: Saqib Siddiqui))
but then all of his soccer, tee ball, you know, name it, flag
football, swimming, everything was canceled.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
Kindergarten is all about getting kids assimilated, what
school’s like. You bring your backpack, you put it here. You
know, you’re independent. You’re using the bathroom.
That’s what kindergarten is about. You can’t do that virtually.
((Mahwesh Siddiqui, Online Advertising Consultant,
Parent))
Yeah.
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
You can’t assimilate them to school when they’re not in
school.
((NATS))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
Luckily our friends moved nearby who we had known for a
long time and their daughter was also going to kindergarten
at the same time in the same school. So, the thought, the
idea, crossed our mind, why don’t we group up with them
and start a pod.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
The idea was, these kids are going to be together in a room.
You know, for kindergarten, I don’t think they're going to
expect a full virtual day. We hired a teacher. The teacher is
going to guide them, help them do online learning, help them
navigate the virtual classrooms. And then after that, she can
supplement their teaching and either teach them more in-
person or just, you know, reinforce what was taught online.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
But then, the school system changed it on us and they was
like, kindergarteners 9-4, virtually, on the computer.
((Mahwesh Siddiqui, Online Advertising Consultant,
Parent))
I mean, teachers are doing a great job. You know, they’re
trying their best to do what they do in class, but it’s not
sustainable.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Mahwesh Siddiqui, Online Advertising Consultant,
Parent))
Their entire plan is, like, to keep them engaged for seven
hours, give them what they used to do in school in-person.
But let’s just admit it, this is not normal times. It’s a
pandemic. We don’t need to give them seven hours of
virtual, you know, learning. It doesn’t have to be more than
two hours.
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
My biggest concern is we’re, like, dimming their yearning for
learning. When you set them up on something where they’re
trying and they’re not seeing results internally, they get
frustrated and they shut off.
((NATS))
That’s the biggest concern I have.
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
I communicated with the principal, with a group of 15
kindergarten parents. Just letting them know, they all agree,
that hours need to be shortened from 9-4 to 9-1, you know.
Then I went above that. I went to the, wrote to the Fairfax
County board members, members-at-large. And for that I got
a bigger group.
((NATS))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
How was school?
((Azaan Siddiqui, Kindergartner))
Terrible.
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
Every day, after four, my kid is just so sad, you know. And I
have to, I have to say, ‘Good job. You did great. I’m so proud
of you.’ They feel like they’re doing something wrong by not
understanding.
((NATS))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
Nobody’s going to watch out for these kids' interests more
than the parents themselves. And we want to be there
advocating for them, because they can’t advocate for them.
I don’t mind if I fail, but I want to be able to tell him that I tried
my best to change the system when I thought the system
was not watching out for them.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Saqib Siddiqui, Patent Attorney, Parent))
I believe that education is a fundamental right and I want to
change the system for everybody and make it better for
everybody.
((Popup Banner:
A few weeks later, Azaan attended an in-school pilot
program twice a week. But when local COVID-19 cases
began rising again, the program was paused.))
((NATS/MUSIC))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up….
((Banner))
Talking it Out
((SOT))
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Sometimes my lighting is like very, very bad and I look like a
greasy egg, so.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
It’s way too long for looking at a screen. I know we have
breaks, but still.
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) 6th GRADERS VIRTUAL LEARNING
((Previously aired February 2021))
((TRT: 5:42))
((Topic Banner: Offline Talk About Online School))
((Reporter/Camera: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Vienna, Virginia))
((Main Characters: 2 female; 2 male))
((Popup Banner: Virtual Learning; A Conversation))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Hi, I’m Leighton and I’m 11 years old.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
Hi, I’m Claire and I’m also 11 years old.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
Hi, my name is Omar and I am 11 years old.
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
Hi, my name’s Karim and I’m 11 years old.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: Real Talk))
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
How is virtual learning has been for you guys?
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
It’s been pretty good. It’s hard to like look at a screen for so
long.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
And focus.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
Yeah.
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
They take like too many directions on things. A lot.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
Like you have to turn on your camera. And if you don’t want
to turn on your camera, you don’t have to.
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Sometimes my lighting is like very, very bad and I look like a
greasy egg, so.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
It’s way too long for looking at a screen. I know we have
breaks, but still.
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
It’s very easy to get distracted too.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
Yeah.
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Because like you have like your phone or there’s like
YouTube on your computer. And there’s like no way to block
that.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
The other thing is, a lot of times, the WiFi or the internet will
like go down and like that’s another thing I dislike.
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
That happened to be on Thursday, a couple of days ago.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: The Pros))
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
The thing I like about virtual learning, you can see a lot of
people on their cameras. Then you can like meet up with
friends on like Gmail.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
Breakout rooms are like really fun because you could talk to
your friends and it’s like away from your teacher.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
Yeah.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
And it’s just a lot more enjoyable because you can, you
know, you don’t have to do exactly what the teacher is
saying. You can still like have, enjoy your time learning. But
you’re like, you’re with your friends.
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Some of the teachers, when you’re in the classroom, when
you ask to go to the bathroom, they're like, “No, you can
wait.” But now, you can just turn your camera off and like go
to the bathroom.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
Yeah, you definitely have more freedom. You’re working a
lot more independently.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: The Changes))
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
If you were in school, you can think of more excuses to, you
know,
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
get out.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
No, not get out. But, like say you lost your work or whatever.
But when you’re in virtual learning, then all your assignments
are there. You can’t just like lose an assignment. You just
have to get it done, because it’s right there for you.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: Grading the Teacher))
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Some of the teachers are actually like, like on top of breaks,
like on top of work.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
Our teacher is doing really well and she’s like one of the best
teachers I've ever had. She’s so nice. And she’s like hasn’t
got mad or yelled at the class once. She also like shows her
baby sometimes, you know, like.
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
My teacher’s great. She’s a nice teacher.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: Reversing Roles))
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
So, if I was the head of district like the principal or whatever,
I would probably make the breaks, definitely like some of the
breaks should be longer like, maybe, like 15-minute breaks.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
I would have just like 20 minutes of school, because all you
need is 20 minutes of school or like an hour of school.
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
If I was a leader, I would go back to school.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: Results))
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Guys, do you think we’re like actually like learning new stuff,
or is it just like a review from last year?
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
I think, I’m definitely learning a little bit. It’s like from school
to actually like technology as well. I’m learning a lot because
like I used to be really bad at using computers, but like, since
we’re on the computer so much, I’ve been learning how to
do a lot on there.
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
I know like they’re kind of going like over a lot of review. I’m
not really learning anything. But like it’s hard for me to learn
because I don’t move. I just keep. I don’t keep still. I move.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
You think you’re learning stuff?
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
Yeah, definitely in science, I mean social studies. Last year, I
was just like we were learning about like Virginia, like only
one state.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: Reminiscing))
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
What I miss the most about school, it’s just like, even when I
like go back to school, it won’t be the same. You’ll be
wearing a mask. Like I would always give my teacher a hug
when I go into school. I’m just that kind of person. I’m like
really kind and stuff.
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
So, I miss like hanging out with my friends. Like that’s what I
miss. But like now, it’s just like the screen and you only see
their tiles.
((Karim Roberts, 6th Grader))
I miss most about school, a tad on that, I miss my friends a
lot.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Popup Banner: Funny Stories))
((Leighton Marashlian, 6th Grader))
One time, when I was talking like when I was like trying to
present or something, my mom kept on walking into my
room when she’s like, “Are you good?” Girl, I’m trying to
present right here.
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
My like funny/embarrassing moment is, sometimes in the
beginning of, in the beginning of class, I just wait for it to
start and I’m like watching TikTok or whatever. I said like ‘hi’
to my teacher. I was like ‘hi’. And then I thought I turned my
microphone off, but I didn’t, and the TikTok was playing.
And then I was so embarrassed, and I was like, wanted to
cry because I was just so embarrassed.
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
The funniest thing was when my brother, Sami, he was
running around, he was like this. And then he slipped on his
sock and then, he’s like that. And then, I was just laughing
so hard. And then, it’s like,
((Claire Nitowski, 6th Grader))
if it was on recording,
((Omar Roberts, 6th Grader))
it was on recording, yeah.
((NATS/MUSIC))
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
NEXT WEEK / GOOD BYE ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
In Coming Weeks…..
Urban Wildlife
((SOT))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Cheryl Chooljian, Clinic Director, City Wildlife))
I’ve always been interested in helping animals since I was
very young.
((NATS))
((Cheryl Chooljian, Clinic Director, City Wildlife))
Yeah, it’s bad. I’m sorry little buddy.
Being a wildlife veterinarian in particular allows me to help
conservation efforts and preserving natural wildlife that we
have here in the District.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Cheryl Chooljian, Clinic Director, City Wildlife))
We currently have 96 patients. Unfortunately, most of our
problems that we see are directly human-related. We do see
a lot of trauma cases, hit by cars, birds that have flown into
windows, attacks by domestic animals, cats, dogs.
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
((PKG)) FREE PRESS MATTERS ((NATS/VIDEO/GFX))
((Popup captions over B Roll))
Near the Turkish Embassy
Washington, D.C.
May 16, 2017
President Erdogan’s bodyguard attacks peaceful protesters
“Those terrorists deserved to be beaten”
“They should not be protesting our president”
“They got what they asked for”
While some people may turn away from the news
We cover it
reliably
accurately
objectively
comprehensively
wherever the news matters
VOA
A Free Press Matters
BREAK THREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
SHOW ENDS
