Why homeschooling may be your best option this fall
If you are a parent, educator, or anyone who is even vaguely aware of current events, you know there is a HUGE debate about schools in the fall. There is no shortage of opinions about this. Even food bloggers are wading into the fray.
It is one of the many reasons I decided not to return to classroom teaching this year. I do not envy the people trying to devise a plan that is even remotely feasible in the midst of a global pandemic. I envy even less teachers, parents, and students caught in the middle. It is a mess, and I am not going to debate what schools should do. I have no idea. There are no good answers, and whatever plan is put into place, lots of people will lose.
So that is not the aim of this blog post. Instead, I want to explain why, if your school is continuing “online learning” (distance learning, non-traditional instruction, digital education, or whatever term your state is using), you should strongly consider homeschooling.
In short, your kids are at home anyway, and homeschooling gives you freedom. This is not freedom to let your kids slack off (most states require some proof that you are actually providing an education for your kids), but freedom to do school in a way that works for your family.
As a teacher who was thrown into the deep end of online learning this past semester (with two days notice), I can attest that teaching online is completely different from teaching in the classroom. And it was hard. (This video pretty accurately captures how most teachers felt about it.)
In the classroom, effective teachers make dozens (maybe hundreds) of minor and major adjustments throughout each lesson, based on verbal and nonverbal feedback from students. We are constantly helping kids focus, explaining more when we see blank stares, answering questions, etc, etc. Almost none of this is possible when we are teaching to a screen. It is not as effective, and we feel it deeply.
Sure, technology is trying it’s best to replicate the in-person learning experience, and they are making effective changes, but it is still not the same. For many kids, learning this way did not work, and, as parents, you know it. You were the ones “managing” someone else’s teaching. You were the ones helping your kids focus, trying to answer questions, and keep your kids on someone else’s schedule and meet someone else’s expectations, even if you knew it wasn’t working. (If you have not seen this mom’s hilarious video of her son doing schoolwork, stop reading this blog post and watch it now. Make sure to watch until the end— her final face is priceless. You are welcome.)
Homeschooling means that you are in charge, and you can adjust as you need to for your child and your family. Do you have extra Zoom meetings on Wednesday? Don’t assign a lesson that will need extra guidance. Give them a lighter day, and move that big assignment to next week. Have some last-minute cancellations and suddenly have a free afternoon? Maybe today is the day to do that cool science experiment that needs a lot of supervision, spend some time going over their report about great white sharks, or review that confusing math concept. Did you finish a big project for work or it’s suddenly sunny after days of rain? Celebrate as a family and spend the day exploring a local park, identifying native plants, or just take your reading books and blankets outside with snacks and lemonade. This level of flexibility is possible if you are working on your schedule.
This is especially helpful for families sharing devices. No one is telling you that all three kids have to turn in lessons on one computer by 4 pm. You can stagger and share technology as you see fit.
You can also work non-traditional hours. Research is pretty clear that teenagers need more sleep. There is no rule that says they need to be up and dressed by 8 am, ready to learn. Let your older kids sleep in, and start the day later. They can start at 2, and end at 6 or 7, if that works for your schedule.
But I barely have time to do my own work— how am I going to plan my kids work, too? This is where we can help. There a lot of resources out there for parents, at all levels of involvement. You are already spending time each day, managing your kids’ work. Even with someone else doing the planning, many families are acutely aware that what they had in the spring did not work for their families. There are plenty of ways to plan (or simply choose) lessons for your kids and still have the freedom to do what you need to, as well. If you are homeschooling, you have the freedom to adjust to fit your needs.
This is your family, and your choice. Do what works for your family.
I will end this with my most common piece of advice for potential homeschoolers: Most family can homeschool, if you are willing to learn and adjust. But that doesn’t mean every family should homeschool.
However, the uncertainty (and absurdity) of some school reopening plans add another layer to the debate this year. For more and more families, homeschooling is an option you should consider..
