Thousands of Kids Tune In to This Kindergarten Teacher’s Online Classes During Coronavirus
A mother of two has seen her kindergarten lessons explode in popularity on Facebook, where her audience has grown by tens of thousands as parents around the country look for ways to educate their children during the coronavirus pandemic.
Megan Jessen is the creator Miss Megan’s Camp Kindergarten, a public Facebook group that sees her film live “morning meetings” from her home in Lake Bluff, Illinois. Her hour-long meetings include fun educational lessons for children that were inspired by her two daughters, ages 4 and 6.
“I’m an advocate of routine and structure,” Jessen told Good Morning America of starting the Facebook group last month. “I knew for my own girls we would do better with a morning routine. It helps me, too.”
Parents around the country have struggled to pick up where teachers left off after the coronavirus outbreak led to an early end to their school year.
Jessen — a former kindergarten teacher and current preschool assistant — is helping to fill that gap while providing parents and children a sense of normalcy during a difficult and unprecedented time.
“It just started off with me wanting to do this for me and my friends, and it has kind of snowballed out of control, in a great way though,” Jessen told CBS affiliate WIFR.
“It’s something for the kids to look forward to. It’s a win-win,” she added to GMA.
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Through her morning meetings, Jessen covers topics such as the alphabet, numbers, days of the week and months of the year. She often kicks off these lessons by singing and playing the guitar and ends them by reading a children’s book.
“We get up, we get dressed and we go to class,” she told GMA. “It’s the springboard for the rest of the day.”
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Camp Kindergarten has proven to be a popular destination for parents on Facebook and has since amassed a following of 93,000 since her first video was uploaded on March 16.
“Thank you for your songs Mrs. Megan!” one mother wrote in the comment section of Tuesday’s morning meeting. “My 3-year-old girl dances and gets so excited when you sing with your guitar!! You’re doing a great job.”
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“Just watched you for the first time with my almost-4-yr-old Charlotte. She said, ‘This is just like my school!’ Thank you!” commented another mother in response to a previous lesson.
Parents can turn on the lessons every weekday starting at 10 a.m. ET on the Miss Megan’s Camp Kindergarten Facebook page.
“I’m excited about it,” Jessen told WIFR of her group’s growing popularity and importance. “I am really happy I can help people through this really weird time right now.”
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