LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As virtual learning drags on for a little longer for Kentucky students, one Louisville grandmother is turning the Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) into a personal triumph. The challenges that Tysha McDougal faced while helping her granddaughters, led her to once again pursue the high school diploma she forfeited 34 years ago.
It has been a long few months for McDougal. She's been helping granddaughters Nyema, 12, and Ny'Ree, 9, learn from home through NTI with Jefferson County Schools (JCPS) since August. NTI proves to be a challenge for McDougal, particularly when it comes to math.
“Yes, it was. And then like I said, I was just overwhelmed and I didn’t have a clue. So I reached out to Mrs. Levinson," exclaims McDougal. “It was just, I had a headache at the end of the day."
Heather Levinson is the teacher at the Phoenix School of Discovery, with whom McDougal came forward to share a secret. She told the teacher of how she'd dropped out of high school at 18, to start work immediately instead of struggling further while learning math.
"It took a lot of courage to come forth with that secret that I’ve been, you know, carrying around for the past 30-33 years," she adds.
“I don’t think it’s impossible to understate just how challenging it can be for families, particularly when you’re trying to balance jobs and helping your kids," says Levinson, touched that McDougal was so inspired to learn the material for herself.
McDougal has now enrolled in JCPS' eSchool. You might call it another lesson McDougal is teaching her granddaughters.
“I just want them to be proud and…to just have that ‘I can do it’ attitude. You know, 'if she can do it, I can do it,'" McDougal beams.