WHEELING — When the youngest child’s iPad doesn’t work, the older child won’t sit to learn at their Chromebook and their parent still has their own life issues, it is easy for the parent — or even a grandparent — to vent frustration.

“It’s Friday the 13th! I’m trying to keep my cool and not throw my granddaughter’s iPad off my porch onto the road,” one frustrated grandma said on social media this week.

But the worst thing a parent or grandparent can do is show stress, said Sarah Schimmel, associate professor and director of the teacher education program at West Liberty University.

She is also a mother of a 7-year-old daughter who is presently learning at home.

Shimmel said it is important students and their parents maintain relationships with their child’s teachers — many of whom are parents of students who are themselves learning from home.

“I have been a teacher for almost 20 years, and I teach teachers. Yet I feel I’m a first-year teacher again,” she said. “I feel the pressure again.”

Parents are finding themselves in a role they typically don’t have at home — that of an educator, she said. They are having to teach “the people they love the most” and force them to sit down at a computer.

“And the children are having a hard time regulating emotions,” she said. “They miss their friends and regular routine. Home is home. School is school. And they are not at school.”

It is important parents try their best to stay calm when overcome by the duties of homeschooling because this stress transfers to the child and makes the situation worse, according to Shimmel.

“Our mood decides the mood of the home, and it is important.to not make the home more stressful,” she said. “Let them know you are going through this together. Tell them, ‘I care about your education.’

“If you are frustrated, they are frustrated. That won’t get either of you anywhere.”

Having a designated place to do school work and a set schedule can be very helpful in establishing a needed routine for the homeschooled child, Shimmel said.

“I see it personally,” she said. “I can see a difference in my daughter getting work done. She knows the schedule. There has been less fighting, and she knows she has to get it done.

“The closer to the school day you can make it, the better the child will behave.”

Shimmel suggests parents also permit in the schedule some time for their children to do something they enjoy — and then, after a while, remind them to get back to work.

Sarah Clark of Wheeling is the mother of a fourth grade student at West Liberty Elementary School.

“I can say the virtual learning has been a bit challenging,” she said. “It is of no fault of our teachers and the Ohio County School System. They’ve all jumped through hoops and done the best they can. I simply cannot thank them enough through all of this. However, it’s been extremely hard for a 9-year-old to adapt to this new way of schooling.”

Parents always have sought to get their children away from their devices, now they have to contradict that edict and make them go sit at a computer “for hours on end” to learn, Clark said.

“My child is extremely independent, but still requires some help navigating through this stuff most days,” she said. “It becomes quite a task for me to work and juggle time for her school work. I even make my own work schedule, but still seem to have issues making this all happen.

“Then comes the dilemma of when I work and she has to rely on grandma or her aunt or someone else to help her. Everyone gets discouraged then. Especially when they aren’t versed in any of this. It’s a lot to put on anyone.”

Clark said what used to seem easy for her daughter now has her old self-stressing.

“She becomes frustrated when some of the technology just doesn’t work. She adapts quite well usually but … it doesn’t seem to have an end in sight,” Clark said.

“Let’s not forget the social aspects of things. This has been very hard for my child to not see her friends. I’ve always called her my social butterfly. She does better in a classroom environment for sure. She always looked forward to going to school and now I’m lucky if I can get her on the computer and working on assignments by 10 a.m. This was an OK temporary fix, but I’m afraid of the long-term effects on these little ones and their parents.”

The burden of seeing that students do their required homeschooling often is falling on their grandparents.

“This has been a nightmare!” said Maryann Winchester McCardle of Wheeling. “I have four grandchildren from two different states homeschooling this week in my home. Let’s face it — homeschooling is not for everyone!”

Her grandchildren are in eight, sixth, fifth and first grades. The one who lives in Ohio has a set Zoom time everyday for classes, but those in West Virginia have no live-streamed lessons and log in to do classes at their convenience.

There have been technical issues with the first-grader’s iPad and with an older child’s Chromebook, she said.

“The 13-year-old wants to do all homeschool, and assures me he’s getting it all done — but then the call comes from the school proving otherwise!” she said.

The other children have struggled, but the grandson from Ohio seems to be faring better than the others, according to McCardle.

“Let’s be honest, my life was stressful to begin with and this has just made it so much more stressful!” she said.

Wheeling Park High School junior Michael Borsuk said virtual learning is better now than it was during the spring call for remote learning.

“Teachers have been able to prepare better and know how to use the technology,” he said. “I’m the type of student who learns from asking lots of questions and having hands-on experience.

“This week, WPHS teachers began to do Google meets for every class, which is better for me but there are some things that cannot be taught through a computer screen. This is a problem for shop and CTE (career technical education) students — like myself — whose classes are based on hands-on experience.Online trainings are good, but not as valuable as being in class with the teacher actually teaching and showing you how to use tools, and other valuable skills.”