In light of pandemic, many parents embracing the challenges of homeschooling
COVID- 19 has changed society in many ways. While the temporary shuttering of business doors and the widespread wearing of masks are some of the most noticeable chang- es, society is evolving in more subtle ways as well.
Parents and families have been forced to make some big deci- sions, including wheth- er to continue sending their kids to school in such uncertain times.
Many parents (in- cluding my husband and I) have chosen to send their kids back to school and hope for the best while preparing for the worst. Others have opted to try online learning programs. But there is a third group of parents who have joined the 2020 homes- chooling movement.
Two local moms were kind enough to sit down with me and give me a glimpse into their lives as brand-new ho- meschooling parents.
Anna Allred lives in Santaquin and never imagined she would ho- meschool her children. She said COVID-19 and her husband’s en- couragement were two huge factors in her de- cision to bring her kids home this year. But diving into homeschool has proven to be chal- lenging.
Allred explained that she has a lot of self- doubt that she is trying to overcome. She also stated that finding the right curriculum at first was challenging, be- cause there are so many options out there. But with a lot of research, she finally figured out what path she wanted to take. Now that she’s a couple of months into it, she’s realizing that the flexibility of home- schooling is freeing.
S“We’ll get up and eat breakfast and do chores or we can start right into school, or some days we go to the park or just take a walk. It’s so nice to be able to choose what we’re do- ing.”
Jessica Brown, from Springville also decided to homeschool her chil- dren this year. While COVID-19 helped in- fluence her decision, she said that bullying was one of the biggest factors. It seemed to follow her children from school to school, even after they moved from Cedar City to Springville.
“Taking the leap of faith is not an easy thing to do,” she said.
Like Allred, she too had doubts about her ability to teach her chil- dren at home, but it’s a decision she doesn’t re- gret making.
Brown related that there are so many op- tions for homeschool- ing families today, and that she and her hus- band put great thought into their kids’ futures. Through her research, she’s discovered that BYU likes to take ho- meschool students, and there’s also the option of the BYU Pathway program or technical schools. Brown stated “we are just blessed to live now. I’m so grate- ful for it.”
Allred plans to send her kids back to school next year, but doesn’t know for sure what will happen. Brown has decided to take on the challenge of home- schooling for the long term. Both parents have similar advice for anyone considering temporary or perma- nent homeschooling: make sure you have a good support group.
Join online homes- chool groups and find other homeschooling parents in your neigh- borhood. Learning from the experiences of others can help you tackle the challenge successfully.