STAYNER, ONT. -- Parents across Simcoe Muskoka are in the midst of yet another week of online learning.
Remote schooling has been challenging for single mom Megan Hogg and her two daughters, three-year-old Aubrey and seven-year-old Jose.
"It's pretty hectic. My child does not enjoy it," Hogg said.
The Stayner mom said her seven-year-old is the type of student to love school, her friends, and her teachers, but she has changed drastically since remote learning.
"She doesn't enjoy getting up in the morning to get ready for online learning. As soon as she hears online learning, she's turned off, and then after she's done, she's sort of zombified. She's not the same," said Hogg.
Rebecca Robinson said she and her 11-year-old daughter were also expecting to go back.
"I'm hoping they can get back to school very soon so they can just be happy and not have their mental health affected so much," said Robinson.
As a frontline health worker, Robinson said she knows the risks involved in sending her daughter back to school and would only do so if deemed safe by the experts.
"If it takes another six months to go back to make sure they're safe at school, obviously I will do the home learning and keep her on track and do what I can. But it's just hard."
Meanwhile, Natasha Jacobs and her two kids are wrestling with being online at all.
"Having a reliable internet source is definitely a struggle. I just can't access anywhere I'm at," she said.
The Muskoka mom said she has the added challenge of having to shuffle her kids across town for a better connection at her partner's house.
Most parents and students are waiting to find out when in-class learning will return, but so far, there has been no clear communication from the province.
"You're just sitting there in the waiting game just to hear if you're going to resume to a somewhat normal life and how quickly that's going to happen," said Hogg.
And it's the same story for the Robinson's, who feel like their hands are tied.
"Not knowing when we're going to go back is hard," said Robinson. "You can't prepare, you cant plan daycare, and you can't give your kids the security of not knowing when they'll go back."
The Simcoe Muskoka Catholic School Board told CTV News it expects an update from the ministry of education in early February; however, the ultimate decision about heading back to in-person learning remains with public health.
