BOONE COUNTY, Ky. — Every few minutes, Tiffany Watkins is either tending to her three kids or checking in with her 22 students.

It's a balancing act for teachers.

Since the start of non-traditional instruction (NTI), almost two months ago, teachers have absorbed multiple roles including parenting and teaching their kids.

“It's non-stop. It’s almost like an assembly line of getting work finished,” Watkins said.

Their kitchen has transformed into a makeshift classroom.

Watkins wears many hats. Her husband is an essential employee so she’s absorbed a lot of the duties. She juggles teaching her three kids, as well as managing her virtual 4th-grade classroom for Yealey Elementary. 

Most recently, she’s taken on an unofficial new role. Watkins is a listener to her students who on the other side of the camera could be needing that extra support during the pandemic.

“They don’t have their friends that they can play with like they used to or they don't have the playground where they were able to go to so there is definitely the social-emotional aspect of all of this that we kinda wear that hat as well,” Watkins said.

Watkins acknowledged that the road ahead won’t be easy as the school year wraps up.

“When our students come back to us, we’re going to start the day and we’re going to embrace them and embrace the challenges that are ahead of us and we’re going to do everything we can and we’re going to fill that gap,” Watkins said.

The teacher shares a tip for students during the summer to continue learning. She said you can create projects that are concrete such as cooking a recipe that requires measurement or take science-based concepts outside by making observations.