COLUMBUS, Ohio — A former charter school teacher is taking her skills and helping working parents to alleviate the stress of virtual learning.
Bonita Ellis is living a life now she’d only dreamed about before the pandemic. Like so many of us, COVID-19 forced her to change and go after what she’d put off for so long. For eight years, Bonita taught elementary and middle school students at a charter school, but when COVID-19 sent students and teachers home back in March, it gave her time to think.
Bonita was bothered by the fact that many kids struggled with remote learning and didn’t have all of the support needed. So, she quit her job and started a learning extension center.
“It’s been fun—I’ll say that. But it’s been a lot of work,” she said.
The center allows K-12 kids from all over Columbus to drop in, take their classes online and get tutoring while their parents work.
“I wanted to do something where I was still helping the kids even though I wouldn’t be in that school setting that same school environment that I was in before,” Bonita said.
Working four days a week, Bonita said grant money from a local car dealership supports the drop in center that’s housed inside New Birth Christian Ministries, but she’s hoping for more from the state. Open for less than two weeks, Bonita’s excited about the start of it all.
“It is kind of like a dream come true to me because this is what I do. This is my life. I love my kids.”
The good thing is that she’s got plenty of help. Regina Robinson-Easter has been working with students who are behind and struggling to get organized. She helped Bonita start the center after learning how stressed parents were and then working with her own daughter to make sure she didn’t fall behind.
“You know, I think the biggest thing for me is definitely trying to equip the students as well as the parents on developing systems and processes so that they can be successful,” Easter said.
Wearing multiple hats, Bonita wipes down desks as kids get ready to leave for the day. Then she follows up with tutors, leaves notes for parents on student progress and challenges the student may have had with technology. Although it’s a lot of work, she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Even if one kid comes everyday and that’s it, we only get one kid, I’m okay with that because one kid can change a world.”
Even though they’ve only been open a short time, Bonita just hopes more families will take advantage of the free service, so that they don’t have to struggle through the year alone. The learning extension center has room for 34 kids and provides lunch and transportation. Many of their tutors have a masters degree or Ph.D. If you’re a working parent and would like to know more, click here.
