As Palmerton Area School District teachers entered the second day of a strike Tuesday, parents continued to look for ways to keep their children’s minds sharp. Others hoped to line up child care to make it through the day.

The parent of a junior high school student, Krista Campbell said her daughter is using the time away from school to “help around the house, catch up on reading for pleasure, and has been using the website used in the classroom to keep her math skills fresh in her mind.”Campbell’s daughter also took coffee and hot chocolate to teachers on the picket line Monday during temperatures well under freezing.“She appreciates all of the hard work and dedication her teachers give each and every day, beyond the work day and on days off,” Campbell said. “She has asked many questions and understands school politics and teachers’ right to strike.”Meanwhile, Brandi Lyn is one of many parents who have had to put their child in day care during the work stoppage.“I am paying someone for him to sit at a daycare and play on his iPad all day,” Lyn said. “I work hard for my money and make nothing close to what (teachers) do, so it’s annoying. And my child is upset because he is bored all day.”The back and forth between supporters of both teachers and the school district has offered some parents an opportunity to teach their children a lesson in civility.“My kids are learning about caring and compassion,” said Kelly Smith Warner, a parent of two Towamensing Elementary School students. “They are learning that you don’t have to agree with everyone but you should be a decent human being. They are learning that teachers show them love and support every single day and therefore we will support the teachers. I’m sick of seeing the teacher bashing going on. You don’t have to agree with everything going on to be a decent human being.”By law, the first teachers strike can last up to 10 days. A second strike is allowed under certain circumstances, but the 180-day school year has to end by June 30.The possibility of any extension of the school year has several parents concerned.“My 11-year-old son is really mad that he has no school because he said now he has to make it up during his summer time,” said Kim Henry.The district has pledged to notify parents by 9 p.m. each night if school will be closed the next day or if the strike has ended.Some parents consider that deadline too late.“At that hour parents need to make arrangements for their child care for the next day,” said Kaylee Fischer. “This affects my summer with my children. And the teachers say they are thinking of their students.”Patty DeSousa took a proactive approach to keeping her second grade Towamensing Elementary School student engaged in his education.“I bought some workbooks for him over the weekend, knowing the strike was about to be real,” she said “He did some math pages, reading pages, completed a story and a book report. He struggles with dyslexia, so the plan is to keep him on task so he doesn’t fall behind during this time.”