Dear Corona Schooling Parents...We See You
Dear Emergency Corona Schooling Moms and Dads,
We see you.
We feel you.
This is hard and it’s different. It sometimes feels like a gift of time and togetherness, and sometimes it feels incredibly lonely and disconnected.
As a family who has chosen to homeschool, this pandemic has completely turned our normal groove upside down. In fact, we only ever had one weekday per week without activities scheduled. Staying home is not our jam and my kids and I are feeling it.
We miss our friends and family. We miss our classes, teachers, and the activities themselves. And while we are adapting and filling our days with as much joy as we can, it is not the same.
This style of staying at home and trying to educate our children is not “homeschooling.” In fact, homeschooling is a bit of a misnomer, there are so many better ways to describe what we do:
home educating
world schooling
family learning
The formal school aspect of our day-to-day homeschooling is actually pretty minimal since we capitalize on our opportunities to learn everywhere. We do have curriculum we use and an amazing teacher who supports us as a part of our charter school. However, during this crazy time, even we have toned down our academics. I am letting my daughter choose her activities and right now, and she is devouring books. Thank goodness for ebooks and audiobooks since even the libraries aren’t an option right now!
We are taking heart, though, and we are finding ways to adapt! One of my favorites is our virtual playdates with friends and family. My daughter can easily spend 2+ hours on Zoom talking with 1-2 friends showing off their projects, doing a fashion show challenge, talking, singing, and just connecting. And I am okay with that right now. It is such a wonderful way to remember that our friends are there:
It is our hope that we can support all families right now whether you’re new to homeschooling or a homeschooling veteran. With the public schools rolling out plans to help parents educate at home, some of the stress on how to school at home will be relieved. We have several helpful tips to you through the rest of the school year. If you would like to know more about what homeschooling is, check out our post on that here.
Has this experience inspired you to consider homeschooling?
Did you know there are different homeschooling options? Privately homeschooling, public homeschool charters, homeschool hybrids where students attend campus a couple times per week, and many enrichment opportunities scheduled during the day for homeschoolers.
We have many more helpful tips coming soon and posts with details on different homeschool options and curriculums for those looking to switch over!