By Kylah Stoy
In Mrs. Corley’s Family Studies class, students are taking home a robotic baby to experience the struggles and joy of being a mom or dad. The responsibility of parenthood is an important life lesson that Family Studies teaches. Some students had an easier time of it than others. Sophomore student Jaelyn Leyser said, “It was not as hard as it seemed, especially when people talk about it. Except when you’re getting up three or four times in the night to feed the baby, or when it will just cry, and you don’t know what to do, and you have to switch through rocking it and burping it.”
Many students said they enjoyed the time with the baby, but it was a struggle keeping up with its needs. When asked how she fared with her baby over the weekend. Sophomore Lilly Kent (pictured on left) replied , “It was actually really fun, and my friends hung out with them. The only really bad thing was that it woke me up every hour one night.”
Students were evaluated on how well they attended to their baby’s needs. If they missed any diaper changes or feedings, it negatively affected their project grade. The babies have sensors, and instructors (aka Mrs. Corley) are able to monitor how well the students took care of their babies based on the sensor data. Unlike real parenthood, students return their babies to class after a weekend, a luxury that actual parents are unable to have. However, getting a taste of what it takes to take care of an infant is a valuable life lesson for high schoolers.
THE BULLDOG BARKER BLOG 