Mothers as teachers to their children: lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic

The study examined Israeli mothers' engagement in their children's distance learning during COVID-19 crisis. A thematic analysis of interviews with 20 mothers from high and low socioeconomic background yielded three core categories: (a) mothers' responses to the situation of school closures that addressed to organizing, supervising and less learning pressure by keeping boundaries between school and home activities; (b) challanged and concerens that refed to workload, instruction& difficulty and the quality of teachers' work; (c) mothers' resources for engaging in their children's learning that comprised social capital and human capital including digital skills. Socioeconomic differences were found in regard to these three core categories that sustain inequality. However, mothers from low socioeconomic background reported being actively engaged and critical toward teachers. Implications regarding parent engagement at the postCOVID-19 are suggested.