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Katrina Mulligan says her decision to organize a home-schooling “pod”—a modern version of a one-room schoolhouse， with a small group of parents splitting the cost of hiring teachers—wasn't done lightly.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the nation， she's grown increasingly cautious about her public school's plan for getting kids back in the building.

“I don't think it's a great idea to send your kids to school in the middle of the pandemic，” says Mulligan， 40.

At the same time， she adds， she and her husband found it difficult this spring to juggle working from home while managing their 6-year-old daughter's virtual schooling. That experience， plus concerns about school safety， prompted her family to connect with four other families in their hometown of Alexandria， Virginia， to create a home-schooling “pod”. Mulligan plans on hiring a teacher to instruct the group's first grade children on a part-time basis， which she estimates will cost $2，500 a month， or $500 per family.

Mulligan isn't alone. Several families across the US are struggling to create similar pods. There are difficulties， such as finding families with children of the same age as their own， and finances.

At the heart of the issue is parents' desire to create a stable structure for their kids， with parents worried a second wave could create more school shutdowns—creating stress for them. Pods also allow their children to socialize consistently with a small group of peers. And it provides parents with more stability for their work schedules， they added.

Shauna Hill， 42， a single parent of twin 7-year-olds is in discussions with other parents about setting up a pod. “It really is to build a little village.” She never would have considered a home-schooling pod before the pandemic， noting that she's a believer in public school education.

To be sure， the parents who spoke with USA Today acknowledged that the costs of organizing a pod， such as fees for hiring teachers， likely exclude many low-income families.

Reading check

1. Why did Mulligan and her husband create a home-schooling “pod”？

A. To make more money.

B. To secure their kid's safety.

C. To make their kid have more friends.

D. To have a better study environment.

2. What's one problem of creating a home-schooling “pod”？

A. High costs.

B. Parents' being busy.

C. No children of the same age.

D. Lacking skilled teachers.

3. In the opinion of parents， what's the benefit of the “pod”？

A. They have more free time.

B. They can earn more money.

C. Their work schedules are stabler.

D. Their work results are more excellent.

4. What's Shauna Hill's attitude to public school education？

A. Cautious.                                                  B. Favorable.

C. Ambiguous.                                              D. Disapproving.

Language Study

Difficult sentence

Katrina Mulligan says her decision to organize a home-schooling“pod”—a modern version of a one-room schoolhouse， with a small group of parents splitting the cost of hiring teachers—wasn't done lightly.

【翻译】 ____________________________________________

【点石成金】本句为主从复合句，says后面是省略了引導词that的宾语从句，破折号后面是“pod”的同位语，解释说明“pod”的功能，with a small group of parents splitting the cost of hiring teachers是with的复合结构作伴随状语。