Turning Crisis Schooling into Homeschooling

Over the past several months, parents have been initiated into at-home learning whether they wanted to be or not. When COVID-19 arrived, things began locking down and families were forced to remain at home 24/7. At that point many parents became educators instantly. It wasn’t their choice, it wasn’t the best situation for them to begin, but they grabbed hold of the moment and did the best they could.

Maybe you are one of those parents who thought you could never teach your own kids. I must confess, I said those exact words back in 1991 when someone announced that they were considering homeschooling. I had a choice and time to prepare and I still didn’t think I could do it.

In 2020, many parents have had to juggle teaching their children and working full-time from home simultaneously. Not an easy task! I’m sure many felt like they were thrown into the sea with no life jacket. But here we are in July and everyone survived the end of the school year.

So what now? With the schools scrambling to come up with a plan while the virus case numbers keep climbing, there are many who are considering not sending their children back into a brick and mortar school setting. Perhaps you are one of them or know someone who is.

So how do you turn crisis schooling into effective homeschooling in such a short time? It may not be as difficult as you think.

Here are some resources to help you navigate, or just explore your options.

Online public K-12 schools are just like public schools in that they use set curriculum and have designated teachers that your student is assigned to for the school year. They follow a formal school calendar and have a traditional grading system. Most are under the education department of your state government so each state has slightly different systems. Here is a list of free K-12 programs in the states that have them.

Tuition-based online homeschooling is also available from many reputable schools. These schools choose their own curriculum and each have their own set of expectations for their students and families. Some offer completely online options and other have workbooks and other assignments for their students. You can find several of them listed here.

Boxed curriculum programs are just what they sound like. You find a program you like and you order all the books, tests, and resources needed to cover whatever school year your child is in. There are dozens of options here. Some, like Curriculum Express, design packages based on whether you child learns best by listening, watching, or doing.

Parent-designed programs are fine-tuned to meet your child’s specific needs. It isn’t as hard as you might think, to design your own program. You can pick and choose parts of the free materials available and create a homeschool experience that works best for your family’s strengths and schedule.

The most important decision you will have to make, if you embark on a homeschool journey, is to give yourself grace when things don’t seem to be flowing very well. Over my 26 years as a homeschool mom of 7 boys, I can tell you, things won’t always go smoothly!

My most important goal as a homeschool parent was to instill a love for learning in my boys. We didn’t always get everything right, some subjects got much greater attention than others, but I learned that the ebb and flow of homeschooling is one of the best parts. We were able to focus on what my boys were excited about at any given time and let the rest go for a while. It all came into balance and we covered most of what we needed to and the areas I felt we may have given too little attention were not as far off as I feared. In the end, I was very proud of how my boys took responsibility for their own learning and excelled in the areas that interested them, turning their passion into careers they love.

Something else to consider is that you can find a homeschool coach to assist you with ALL of the options I mentioned above. What I do as a coach is to come alongside my families and give them encouragement, help them pick curriculum, provide private tutoring when needed, and help them stay on track to meet the goals they have set for the school year.

If you are considering moving from crisis schooling into homeschooling, even if it’s just for a year or two to see how things work out in the public schools, there are plenty of resources available to you. If you are interested in discussing your options with me, you can check out my homeschool coaching and tutoring services page and click here to book your free 30-minute phone consultation.

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This option allows you to request information and assistance that may take research or planning on my part. I will do this research or planning at a billable rate of $45 per hour. You will be emailed a document of recommendations with relevant links. Click here to purchase.

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This option allows for 4 email exchanges over a 12-month period. It is for quick questions for things such as:

  • Grade-level recommendations
  • Curriculum assistance
  • Lesson planning
  • Accountability
  • Homeschool structure and scheduling

This option is billable at $60 per 4 emails per year, nonrefundable. No credit will be given for unused emails. Renewable as often as needed but the original nonrefundable agreement expires after 12 months. Each additional email will be invoiced at $20 each. Click here to purchase.