Life During Lockdown Part 5: The Reluctant Teacher / Helping My Younger Brother
Photo by Nicole Rabkin-Bekker: West Broadway and Broome Street’s once-busy intersection is now nearly empty. A few New Yorkers step out to walk their dog, while others go for a masked bike ride.
The Reluctant Teacher
By DUYGU KONDAKCI
One of the nice things about quarantine for many students is the mornings spent snug under the covers, trying to hang on to last night’s dream. My mornings, however, are cut short, as I abruptly wake to the pleas of two nine-year-olds begging for some help with fractions.
As I’m yanked out of bed, I begin to question why I even wanted younger siblings in the first place. My slightly darker haired brother Samet doesn’t miss a second reminding me that I am not dreaming and that this is my responsibility. “You’re my big sister, you have to help me,” he says. “It’s your job.”
My so-called “job” entails looking over both of my brothers’ lesson plans sent by their teachers, and watching over them while they do their homework, prepared for questions to be thrown my way — which is harder than it seems.
Without much time to get ready for my day, it is now a routine that Selim, the other twin, comes rushing into my room, math textbook in hand, soon followed by Samet.
We don’t like to waste time with math since it’s the easiest of the subjects. My brothers can’t seem to sit still through writing tasks, but with math, all I do is explain some problems and let them attempt it on their own. Frequently, it takes multiple variations of explanations until it sticks, but after some practice, they catch on quick.
The thought of having to do my own homework creeps into my mind, and the anxious feeling that follows doesn’t seem to leave. I can’t even scroll through my phone to de-stress without Samet peering into my personal space to glance at the screen.
I like to think that after the math lesson, they would cut me some slack, but I can’t even look away for a second or else Selim will find a new distraction in our living room.
“I did my work already,” he says, reaching for his iPad every five seconds. With the game Fortnite on his mind, constant arguments erupt between us. They end with our dot-covered pillows scattered across the floor, pencils rolled under the couch, papers flown everywhere, and our mom coming in to break us up.
Guilt rushes over me since I know she has been doing the heavy lifting with the housework. Helping my brothers is my way of helping, and I try to push through the sarcasm they throw at me to get their homework done before it’s due.
My brother’s teachers tend to grade homework right away and post the answer key around 6 p.m., so it’s crunch time after we take our lunch break.
Trying to pry my brothers’ hands off their iPads in the afternoon is the hardest challenge we face every day. Their favorite YouTubers love uploading at 3 p.m., and hiding my brothers’ iPads in a place where they can’t find them is nearly impossible.
“I’m not going to do my homework until I play one round of Fortnite,” says Selim. He is quite stubborn, but I run a hard bargain; he is easily persuaded after I promise to play rounds with him later.
The experience has not been all negative since I’ve gotten to spend more time with my brothers. During a normal school year, I leave the house before they wake up and come home after the sun sets. We have a silent understanding to stay out of each other's way, but somehow that silence has turned into jokes being cracked left and right.
In the midst of trying to read my brother’s storybook of the month, Peter Pan, we get to chuckle at the language being used and not take ourselves too seriously in this time of a pandemic.
I’m really not the right person to teach children with short attention spans, especially those born in 2011. To me, they’re their own breed: they’d rather stay home all day and need to be begged to go outside and enjoy the sun.
But in the end, I’m proud to say I spend my mornings during quarantine alongside my brothers, strengthening our sibling bond. Even though I’m not a certified teacher, I know I’m helping them. I’ve already adapted to my new routine, and I wouldn’t want to change it now.
Photo by Nicole Rabkin-Bekker: Ralph Lauren’s boarded-up shop on Prince Street sends a catchy motivational phrase our way. Plaid and Ralph Lauren-clad, we will emerge as heroes after this pandemic.
My brother and I used to not get along. But now he’s asking me to help him with his assignments.
By AMY JIANG
What is it like being home with your siblings? Having to share the same bedroom, using the same laptop or desktop, being constantly together while staying home during remote learning? Well, it can be a big problem if you don’t get along with them.
My brother Alan is in ninth grade, and he is fifteen years old. Middle school life was much easier for him. And now, in his first year of high school, he has also been faced with the challenge of remote learning.
On a clear morning, we were all doing our Google Classroom work. I usually do not have any problems since I keep up with due dates and turn in my assignments on time. But my brother isn’t used to the stress.
On that day, he was working on his Algebra 2 homework. All of a sudden, he asked me how to solve one of the problems. We usually don’t talk to each other unless it is really needed. So when he asked me for help on his work, I was shocked.
Of course I couldn’t say no, but helping him felt awkward. I just did my explanation as he listened and nodded his head.
After a few minutes of explanation, it was over, and we went back to our own work. But from that day, everything changed. My brother and I started being more sociable and talking to each other more, not only about school work, but also about our friends and other things, too. Our relationship has started to grow from being siblings to being friends, and now we share stuff with each other.
During this time at home, we are all learning many things. Siblings have needed to form stronger relationships. Parents and children are home with each other more. We’ve had to let go of what we dislike about each other. We are starting to understand each other more and realize the good things about each other that we did not have time to notice before.
Personally, I’ve learned that sometimes you need that help from your family, since your family members are going to be the ones who will always support you no matter what. My brother and I have now become buds and we help each other out.
“Life is better when you have a sibling,” he says.