I would like to talk to you about the rising popularity of Homeschooling among parents. There’s a lot of families who’ve never even considered homeschooling and are now considering homeschooling due to concerns brought about by the pandemic.
Including safety and health concerns schools will be shut down very quickly without notice. So many parents are favorable about homeschooling post-lockdown.
There can be a couple of possible explanations. First, it could be that many parents are getting a closer look at their children’s curriculum, some perhaps for the first time, and they are alarmed by what they see. They fear that the quality of education they are seeing on their kids’ Zoom classes is emblematic of what’s normally offered.
When it came to moving instruction online, some states and school districts were more prepared than others. Florida, for instance, has invested a lot in online schooling over the past two decades and had the advantage of that experience and infrastructure.
Florida has even exported its state-run virtual school to students in other states during the pandemic. The implementation of online schooling was slow and stumbling. Instruction consisted largely of optional online assignments that in no way duplicated the level of instruction the students were supposed to receive in the classroom. These set up will make a 7-year-old mostly bored and disengaged.
A second possible explanation for increased interest in homeschooling may have to do with fear of the virus itself. Those respondents see the Coronavirus as a long-term crisis that won’t go away any time soon.
They wish to minimize their kids’ potential exposure to the virus even after the end of the lockdown. They don’t think schools are safe. In other words, some parents may see homeschooling because it’s less risky.
Will the current shift in attitudes about homeschooling have a lasting impact on education in America? It is important to note that a majority of parents surveyed said they expected life to “return to normal” within six months.
On the other hand, 13% thought it will take more than a year, and 5% said life would “never” return to normal. Whether the current positive shift of opinion on homeschooling and virtual schooling actually results in more parents choosing these options for the children over the long term—that’s the big unanswered question.
Parents considering homeschooling should register prior to the start of the school year in their county so the student isn’t counted as absent. You need to also check what the law in your county requires for the number of hours you should teach your child per day for 180 days.
The mounting changes, questions, and uncertainties in schools this year would be more detrimental to your child. Also, there are more resources and support from other parents to homeschool.
While the term has taken on different interpretations over the years, as long as you are committed to fulfilling the role of teaching your own kids from a curriculum that meets their needs, homeschooling will be the best option for these times. Preparation and proper information is what you will need to not be overwhelmed by this new set up.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
