KENT COUNTY, Mich. — A mother-daughter duo is traveling the world in an RV, taking virtual learning to new heights while cherishing their time together.
E-learning is a brand new adventure for many Michigan students but for 9th grader, Rihanna Peterson, it's been her reality for years as she and her mother Heather Zigler explore the globe in their RV.
“She really does have the best of both worlds because she can go back to her dad’s and she gets to spend time with her family,” Zigler said.
The two say remote learning through Great Lakes Cyber Academy has opened doors most people only dream about. From experiencing safaris to tasting fried rat, Zigler and Peterson say they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We can be driving down the road and Rihanna will be sitting on the passenger seat with our computer doing her schoolwork while I’m driving, its really about the freedom,” said Zigler.
Heather’s able to work at her own pace, most months completing classes ahead of time so she and her mother can spend time traveling together. Zigler says parents shouldn’t take this time with their kids at home for granted.
“Focus on teaching them to cook or teaching them to sew and spending time together and you know like they’re going to learn fractions while you’re cooking, so just things like that take advantage of the time that we have together,” Zigler said.
Peterson and her mom are practicing social distancing in Michigan, now finding other ways to explore due to Governor Whitmer’s stay-home order.
Zigler believes this time at home will help families see the value of watching their kids grow up at home.
“Especially with this lockdown, there will be a lot of kids that might not want to go back,” said Zigler.
