Unsure About the 2020 - 2021 School Year?

We are living in such a different world right now ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. When schools closed, parents were thrown into the world of helping finish out their child's school year from home. Whereas many people said they were now homeschooling, I called it 'crisis schooling' and it's WAY harder than actual homeschooling. Trust me.

It was hard enough on me and my family when we chose to leave public school to home educate, but the thought of having to figure it out in the span of a couple weeks (some only a couple of days) must have seemed very daunting and overwhelming for many families, teachers and staff. My hats go off to all these parents!

School is just now finishing up for many students (whew!) but now families are already faced with the question about what school will look like in the fall. Based on a variety of articles (like this one from WFAA) and the recommendations from the Center for Disease Control, school will not look like school any more I'm afraid. (See the Texas Education Agency's ideas in this Powerpoint presentation for the upcoming school year calendar.)

When I first read the CDC's recommendations, about the 2020 - 2021 school year, my heart sank both for the teachers and the students. How can schools implement such recommendations without completely changing what makes school, school?

I remember the school days of eating lunch with my friends in the cafeteria, playing outside at recess, playing dodge ball in PE, talking in the hall with friends around my locker, being in classes with different people and having a variety of different teachers. According to their recommendations, none of those things can happen. Maybe it will only be for a year but the likelihood of it ever going back 'to the way it was' is very slim.

This image I found on Facebook sums up what the CDC is recommending:

This type of environment may seem "safe", depending on your definition of the word, but is this really a healthy learning environment for our children?

Now more than ever, families need to know they have choices in how educate their children in a healthy and individualized way. And, it may look very different (but in a good way!) than what you think.

When I first starting teaching public school, I thought the only choices in education were private school or public school. Then when public school didn't work out for us (you can read our full story here) and we couldn't afford private school, I realized there had to be other options. And guess what? There are! There are a ton of options! And, you as the parent get to find the option that best fits your child. It's an individualized education just for them. 

Does it take some work? Yes! Does it take creativity and 'outside the box' thinking to make it work? Yes! It is all worth it and so are your kids!

I've come up with a few suggestions if you're interested in at least dipping your toe in to see what's out there:

• There are a lot of myths out there about homeschooling (like homeschoolers don't socialize, they don't learn as much as public school children, they don't go to college, parents are qualified to teach, etc.). I encourage you to do research about the facts of homeschooling and don't buy into these myths. A short but informative article that addresses some of these myths can be found here.
  
  Another article that I thought was insightful helps us realize that the 'crisis schooling' that many parents have had to do is not the same as homeschooling. It's actually much more difficult. Read the article here.
• Read the book So You're Thinking About Homeschooling Fifteen Families Show How You Can Do It by Lisa Whelchel. This book was a huge help for me to see that homeschooling takes on many different shapes and forms. She tells of families who travel and learn together, of a family who schools in the evening when the parents get home (the kids are with their grandparents during the day), some families that educate by attending their local co-op, etc.
• Read The Little Book of Big Reasons to Homeschool by David and Kim d'Escoto. This is a quick and easy read written by a former public school teacher on the benefits that homeschooling has on the mind, body and soul.
• Look through the Database of Resources I've put together. Don't spend too much time there yet. I just want you to get a feel that there are a lot of places (online and in-person) where you can get support and find encouragement if you choose to school in a different way.
• Ask me questions! I'd be happy to help you and talk with you as you decide what educational path will work best for you and your children.

Just so you know: I do not receive any type of compensation for the book recommendations. These books are just ones that have helped me over the years and think they would be beneficial for you, too.

I hope that no matter what educational path you choose, you feel you had a choice in the matter. And, just because you chose one way this year, doesn't mean you are stuck with it forever. Every year of our homeschooling looked and felt different because my children were different, their needs were growing and changing so our education matched where they were each year.

Best wishes to you and your family on your educational journey!

-Christi