The period of the covid pandemic changed day-to-day full-time teaching into distance learning. Teachers, but also parents without any prior training, had to react immediately. What has long been theoretically talked about professionally, namely the use of digitization of teaching in the online environment, has suddenly become a reality. Long discussions about the innovation of the curriculum for primary schools in terms of the scope and quality of educational content were suddenly solved by the teachers themselves using their professional skills and experience. Most of the surveys show [22], [15] that the teachers handled this situation very responsibly and that it can be stated that they managed it within the specific possibilities.
Teachers, parents, and especially first-year primary school pupils had a very specific role during the pandemic, and thus the transition to distance learning. It is for this reason that we focused on this group, in our opinion the most affected by pandemics.
The present study describes the experience of parents with distance learning reading and writing in the first grades of primary schools at the time of closing schools in the Czech Republic in the school year 2020/2021. The aim of the survey was to describe the effects of distance learning on the development of initial literacy, the differences between day-to-day and online teaching; problems, challenges, pros and cons that the distance learning period brought. The research was carried out as a multi-case study, in which interviews were conducted with six mothers of children - first-class pupils. The results showed that distance learning did not affect the quality of children's acquisition of reading and writing techniques, it only slowed it down. However, there was a decline in pupils' interest in reading and a disruption of their relationship with education in general. It was difficult for parents to motivate children to learn, to help them in case of difficulties with reading and writing techniques, and to evaluate their learning outcomes. On the other hand, distance learning has made it possible to further individualize education with regard to the needs of children and has deepened cooperation between school and family. Distance learning placed increased demands (physical and mental), especially on mothers, when it was necessary for their intensive involvement in the teaching process. Based on the evaluation of the course of distance learning, the paper brings general recommendations applicable to both distance and full-time teaching reading and writing.