10 • July 31 - Aug 1, 2020 LOCAL • BACK TO SCHOOL Continued from page 2 ture check upon arrival. Students showing symptoms will be monitored in a protected area before being sent home. Students and staff that have experienced COVID-19 symptoms will only be allowed to return to school with a release from a health care provider or from the health department. Parents should check their children for symptoms of COVID-19 before sending them to school each day. If your child has a fever of 100 degrees or higher, or • HOMESCHOOL Continued from page 3 Mara Hughes, mother of 11, has educated her children at home since her oldest was of the age to start school. She currently has six school aged children, all of whom participate in homeschooling. “There are so many benefits of homeschooling,” exclaimed Hughes. “One is family time. You really build family relationships and you’re building relationships between the kids. And, really knowing how your kids are doing with different things. There is obviously a lot more control of what they’re learning. And, you don’t have to worry about different political or social perspectives that may be pushed by someone at school, or about the language of some of the kids, or even bullying and other things that can happen at school. However, you have to prepare them to face those things, because they’re going to have to face them in life. But, it helps to be able to work on those things at home, and help build a foundation so they can have tools to deal with things like that.” Three of Hughes’ children havealready completed their homeschool studies, have successfully taken their high school equivalency exams, and are well on their way to pursuing their life bransonglobe.com any other symptoms, please keep them at home. EPA-approved disinfecting products will be used to clean frequently touched surfaces. Hand sanitizer dispensers are available throughout the buildings and frequent hand washing is encouraged. Visitors and volunteers are not allowed in buildings during the school day. Students will be assigned seats on the school buses. Hand sanitizer will be available as students board. Bus drivers and all riders will be required to wear face coverings. No parent gatherings in school lobbies or pick-up areas will be allowed. goals. Hughes’ oldest son is the head of the sales and marketing department at the family’s theatre, while taking a full college course load. One daughter, recently married, is looking forward to beginning a career in early childhood education, and another daughter is using her homeschooling education and the skills she has acquired as she serves a mission through her church. Two more of Hughes’ children are currently preparing to take their high school equivalency tests soon. Like everything, however, homeschooling does have some challenges. ‘For us, a big challenge is scheduling. Making sure you have a consistent schedule is difficult at times, because there are so many things going on in our family,” said Hughes, wife of Jason Hughes, who performs alongside her husband, children and a host of other family members in Branson’s popular Hughes Music Show. “Sometimes it’s a challenge keeping kids motivated and excited about doing it. One of the best ways to remedy that, I have found, is by letting them be as involved as possible in choosing the curriculum, and learning things they are excited about. Of course they have to work on things like reading and writing and math, but SEE HOMESCHOOL, PAGE 14
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