Homeschooling moms advice during coronavirus: routine helps

Emilie Young of Fairfield admits the first week after schools and businesses closed around the state because of the coronavirus pandemic, it was kind of a relief.

No juggling school work with a plethora of outside activities. Her kids could focus on assignments when, she said, their brains work best.

“It was like, wow. We could all breathe,” said Young, the mother of four ages 10 to 18 months.

Young isn’t speaking as someone suddenly thrust into the role of a homeschooling parent.

She’s been doing it all along.

Like other parents who home school, Young wants the world to know that what parents across the country are being forced to do in this self-isolation is very different from what home schoolers do on a regular basis.

“We are in the same boat as everyone else is in this shutdown,” said Angela Capinera of Stratford, who has two sons, one still being home schooled. “It is hard to change the routine of going to libraries, parks and museums. They are all shut.”

For home schoolers, however, there a plan, a selfdesigned curriculum and a routine.

“I think the biggest confusion about home schooling is that we don’t actually stay home,” said Catherine Pollock, who until two years ago home-schooled her daughter in Trumbull. The family now lives in Kent. “Life has completely changed for us as well.”

But in some ways, Pollock admits, “We are more prepared.”

Advice from the experts

After one week in isolation, Young said her husband and the kids, including Jack, 10, Ingrid, 8, Luke, 6 and Cole, 18 months, still haven’t gotten back to their normal home-schooling routine. Instead, they turned to family projects. They also ventured out every day and went on hikes.

Normally where they hike is deserted. Now, there’s a crowd, Young said.

Her advice for parents who suddenly have to oversee work assigned by schools is to create a schedule of what the day and week will look like. And involve the kids in the planning.

Deb Stevenson, an attorney from Roxbury who home schooled both her now grown daughters, said her advice to parents is to simply “de-school” for a while before jumping from one kind of education to another.

“Everyone, take a breath,” she said. “Don’t panic. You don’t have to do it exactly the way you’ve been told. You need a period of transition to get use to the new normal.”

Stevenson insists that most students won’t fall behind and will actually work more effectively if they have had time to adjust.

Capinera also recommends maintaining a schedule as much as possible — but make sure the routine is filled with breaks.

“You don’t want them sitting at a table all day,” she said. Or staring at a computer screen.

Ashleigh Stevens, a home-schooling parent from Milford, has four children. She said the shutdown provides a great opportunity for parents to connect with their kids and get involved in their education.