my wife and I have been having a discussion about education and what covid are doing. The school that our kids go to will be requiring face masks. So we have decided to pull the kids from public education and do homeschooling.
What are your thoughts on this?
Our kids are 7 and 9, not sure how they think they are going to keep masks on the kids. Also the part that I don't fell its a good idia because of possibility of infection, rashes and what not. I havnt and won't wear a mask so I don't expect my kids or wife to eather. Our state has a requirement that all employees wear a mask and if my boss asks me to ill tell him to lay me off.
Sorry for the rant just curious of your thought on homeschooling
Loooooong post ahead!
We‘ve homeschooled three of our four children. The youngest one is severely autistic and we tried public schooling him just to see if the programs available to us here would be of benefit. The real benefit wasn’t the programs or school system as much as it was the teachers he had. We had good experiences with them. Also, unlike many autistic children, my child is rather passive and mild-mannered, so there were no behavioral issues with him.
But, on to our experiences with the other three:
Of my three oldest kids, one has his bachelor‘s degree in mechanical engineering and one has his masters in mechanical engineering. They are both gainfully employed. My daughter currently is in college majoring in chemistry. All three of them were entirely homeschooled.
The most critically essential factors in successful homeschooling are the parents. It takes a lot of personal commitment, discipline, and organization to be successful. While I am definitely in favor of homeschooling, I am not anti-public school, either. I do believe we should have public education. I will also be the first to say that there are some people who should not be homeschooling. But, I believe the parents bear the primary role and responsibility when it comes to educating their children, and they have three avenues by which to accomplish that task: public education, private education, or home education. You have to honestly assess the best route.
One big challenge is for your child to see you and your wife in the new role of “teacher.” Initially, your children may see this new home school thing as a perpetual vacation! There will be a transition. Some kids make the transition quickly. Some can take a long time. Even for those of us who have children who have always been homeschooled, there is often a point where the child will challenge this role. Do not be mean, harsh, or threatening. But, you have to be firm and consistent.
As for the things to keep in mind, the first thing you need to do is to investigate the rules your state and county have concerning homeschooling. The rules vary quite a bit. Most jurisdictions will require some sort of oversight. The oversight may be through your county board of education, or it may be via an umbrella group. Many states don’t have umbrella groups. Of those that do, an umbrella group will usually be associated with a church. Even if you get oversight through an umbrella group, that group is usually required to identify those people under its oversight each year to the local board of education. Like I said, the rules vary, so check your local guidelines. Some states are rather loose, others are very strict. A lot will actually come down to the attitude of the person at the county level who is responsible for monitoring home schooling and oversight.
Many jurisdictions allow homeschool cooperative groups (co-ops) to provide some portion of the homeschool learning experience. Co-ops are often part of an umbrella group and they consist of homeschooling parents who may have knowledge or education in a certain area and who teach a group of homeschooled kids. I‘ve seen co-op classes that range from music to drama to chemistry to physical education to algebra. At times, I’ve even guest-taught a class on basic electronics. I brought in my Les Paul and amplifier to illustrate a practical application of electromagnetic induction! The setting of a co-op is very much like a traditional school. These can be very useful. However, many jurisdictions limit how much of your homeschooling can be done via a co-op and will mandate that some percentage of homeschooling be done by the parents, themselves. This is to keep co-ops from morphing into a de facto unlicensed private school. Nevertheless, co-ops are very popular with many homeschoolers. They broaden the depth of instruction parents have available to them, the kids spend the day with other kids, and the parents get a chance to be together. The homeschooling group we were part of even conducted graduation ceremonies for the graduating seniors, had a yearbook, and even had a prom (with student committees for each of them). Again, most co-ops will be operated within the context of a church.
As for actual instruction, the key is to find a good curriculum. A good curriculum bridges the gap between what a parent may know and what the child needs to learn. Most home school parents I know are not coming up with their own teaching material. They are purchasing a prepared, grade-appropriate curriculum that is written and designed to match, or exceed, the same pace and level of education which students in a traditional school would be learning.
This brings up another thing: money. Homeschooling will cost money, especially in the middle school and high school grades. The curriculum, books, supplies, and any fees you may pay to a homeschool group come entirely out of your own pocket (as I think it should be). This is not to scare you off, but it is one of those things a lot of new homeschool parents don’t anticipate.
I‘ve alluded to this a couple times - I don’t want to dwell on it, but I do want to set expectations. Traditionally speaking, homeschooling has been very much associated with churches or people of faith. While this is changing, this still represents the preponderance of homeschooling groups and curriculum. That describes me, so it doesn’t bother me. However, if an association with a church or religious content is not your preference, finding a group or curriculum may be more of a challenge, but it can be done. I don’t say this to start a discussion and I won’t say anything more on it; I’m just trying to give you a sense of what to expect as you begin your research.
Good luck!
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