Parents make tough educational decisions

We are experiencing unprecedented times. Parents face some tough decisions due to the new Covid precaution procedures implemented. Should you keep your children in public school and follow all the physical distancing, sanitation, and masking requirements? Or should you opt for the school district’s virtual offerings? Another choice is to completely take them out and homeschool them yourself. For various reasons, many parents feel they have no choice but to homeschool. And, as you know, so many are leaving the public school system in droves this year.

Getting creative

Despite everything, there is a silver lining to all these Covid restrictions.  Many parents are getting creative by pooling their resources and hiring teachers to use homeschooling curriculum in group situations.  Many new ways of thinking outside the box are being discovered during these tough times.  It’s awesome that so many families are now recognizing the many, many merits and advantages of homeschooling.

What to do?

With the new school year right around the corner, are you finding yourself in one of these situations?  One thing to remember before you leap into this great new world of home education is to find out exactly what your state’s education laws are.

The first step, if you’re not planning on using public or private school resources this year, is to make sure you’ve followed your state’s laws to formally withdraw your children, even if it’s just for the year.

New to homeschooling? Find a veteran homeschooler to hold your hand (no shame!) and show you the ropes of being your children’s sole educator.  If you’re jumping into a pod-school situation, make sure you’re staying on the right side of your school’s educational laws.  There are many organizations to help you navigate these waters if you find yourself stuck.  One such is the Homeschool Legal Defense Association. This group is committed to making homeschooling easy and accessible to everyone. There is even a link to homeschooling laws state by state.

Here to help!

We are all being bombarded every day with new and sometimes conflicting information during this Covid outbreak, but the easiest decision should be to do what is right for you and your family, in whatever form that may take.  If you have any questions about homeschooling, please know that I’m happy to help.  The comment box is below, or feel free to drop me a message.  Don’t forget, we’re all in this together.

How will your kidlets be “doing school” this fall?  Will your routine be different from other years?