Alli Fitzgerald, parent of Lauren Fitzgeraid, ’23

The Catalyst(TC): What do you think about the announcement to continue online distance learning until December?

Alli Fitzgerald(AF): I really want the girls I want all of you to be able to be together I think that’s important part of high school, but I also trust the administration and teachers at Notre Dame in their decisions that they’ve made so far, so I don’t think they took it lightly. I don’t think that they don’t want you all to be on campus. So I think it was probably a very difficult decision to make. I think everyone wants to all to be on campus, and if there is a way to do it, earlier, I think they would. Yeah, definitely.

TC: How do you feel about paying tuition for online school?   

AF: I feel like Lauren is getting a good education. I really felt that last spring. I felt like there was a really big difference between what might my daughters are getting versus the public schools or schools that don’t have any tuition. I still feel like there’s a real value in education that she’s receiving because of all of the attention I think that’s being paid, not just the academics. The fact that she has a full day, but really the amount of care that teachers are giving, and the administration is giving so, like, it’s a tough situation, no one is, it’s not ideal. I mean, would I like to pay less, I would like to pay less for everything. But, you know, I think it, it is reason there are so many additional costs to this school year, even though you aren’t on campus that we don’t see that have to go into making the campus safe for you all to go back. So it’s not ideal. I wish that everything costs less. I wish that we got the refund for everything that we’ve signed up for that would be amazing. You know, and I’m not, I’m not really talking about Notre Dame, I’m talking about everything. You know, there’s so many things that we’re marketing to take advantage of this year but it just isn’t the case. So you know, we have to live with it.

TC: Would you prefer that your daughter is going to school on-campus right now? 

AF: If it was safe and it was feasible, yes, I would prefer that she’d be with her friends and have that socializing time. I think that’s an important part of high school. But, if it’s not, you know, I know that Notre Dame has to adhere to state, county, and all these other guidelines. So, you know, if I got to make the decision, then yes, we would all go back to school. So, but I’m not, you know. Yeah, I don’t have the final say.

TC: How do you feel about your daughter going to school on-campus with others who might not be that careful with handwashing, mask-wearing, or social distancing? 

AF: I’m going to trust her to use her best judgment to wear a mask and to wash her hands, and to be careful about what she builds to not get sick herself and to not bring the virus home to us, you know and we all promise to do the same. You know when I go to work and when her sister goes to school, and I think that’s the best that we can do. I think the Notre Dame will make it as safe as possible, and the, the friends that I’ve met in her class it means that I’ve met, I trust how they good head on their shoulders. So, You know, well, I’m cautiously optimistic that she’ll be safe and will be safe and, you know, we’re looking forward to kind of reentering the world with a little bit more normalcy and you know just doing our best. I think my point is I think our mental health for everyone is important. So, you know, the risk of catching covid, I want to weigh that against like our whole family’s mental health and being able to socialize and things like that.

TC: How has having your daughter stay home for school affected your home/work life?

AF: It’s been challenging, I didn’t realize, you know, having two daughters and then working from home myself realizing like, how much we could all hear each other on zoom, you know we’re all in a different room but we can all hear each other talking. And, you know, I’ve upgraded the WiFi and we all you know the new AirPods, noise canceling. You know I’ve tried to make it as true, you know, a productive environment for everyone but it’s still not ideal. I mean we’re not in actual offices, so we’re in, you know, we’re still in the same home. It’s nice to be together, and it’s, it’s challenging.