When COVID-19 closed schools in the spring, some students may have said goodbye to public school classrooms for good.
The number of families considering homeschooling is skyrocketing according to Anne Miller, executive director of Home Educators Association of Virginia. Miller said their office has been flooded with calls from parents interested in homeschooling, and their Facebook group Homeschooling in Virginia has welcomed nearly 3,500 new members since the virus hit.
About six in 10 Americans say they would be likely to pursue at-home learning instead of sending their children to school this fall, according to a USA Today/Ispos national poll. “Most parents of school-aged children feel their kids have adapted well to online learning, yet a majority acknowledge they are worried about their child(ren) and that teachers have struggled to support their child(ren)’s distance learning,” Ipsos reported.
Miller said many parents who were debating homeschooling before the pandemic are now more seriously considering it after experiencing distance learning in the spring.
Alexandria mother Melanie Downie is waiting for Fairfax County Public Schools to clarify COVID-19 safety measures before supplementing her youngest son’s homeschool education with in-person kindergarten.
“They're going to be using masks as slingshots, and they're going to be touching each other,” Downie said. “It’s just the way little kids are.”
FCPS students have two options this fall: full-time online instruction four days a week or at least two days of in-person instruction with independent work completed remotely, superintendent Scott Brabrand announced Tuesday. The City of Alexandria’s school leaders are still working through multiple scenarios, leaving parents uncertain about whether school will be entirely virtual or partially in-person this fall. It is not guaranteed that all parents will get what they want.
Miller said she has heard parents express concern about their children staring at a computer screen all day during distance learning. Homeschooling can be different — as Virginia enters the third phase of Gov. Ralph Northam’s “Forward Virginia” plan to reopen the state, parents may once again have access to local historic sites, museums and educational opportunities that aren’t on a screen.
Downie, a single mom who also homeschools her older son, said many local resources, from co-ops to programs like Boy Scouts, can help parents both educate and entertain their children and provide needed friendships.
She acknowledged that juggling work meetings and household responsibilities with a high schooler in addition to her preschooler learning at home this past spring was “very difficult.” Still, she said she homeschools so her kids can explore their academic interests and move at their own pace. Her older son, 18, takes community college classes and is working towards his associates degree.
Miller said many students have thrived at home.
“Parents are saying their kids seem much happier,” Miller said. “They’re much less anxious. One mom said to me, ‘My son has started playing again.’”
Ann Cameron Siegal, an Alexandria parent who homeschooled her daughter from third grade through high school graduation, said, "For us, the fear of diving into unknown waters didn’t last long. We found the homeschooling community included an incredibly supportive network of folks who’d “been there done that” and were more than willing to share their insights and resources. We only had to ask." The Organization of Virginia Homeschoolers is a great resource for ideas, resources and support, she said.
"Of course we delved into the usual academic subjects, but our fossil hunting expeditions, forensic science and anatomy programs, historic tours, craft classes and nature workshops greatly enhanced our curriculum. Each enriching activity led to further study. Each came about because we approached an expert in the field with a simple, 'Would you help us….'," Siegel advised.
Before parents homeschool their high schoolers this upcoming year, Miller urges them to check with their child’s school to understand the requirements to return once the pandemic ends.
But Downie said she expects many families who experience homeschooling this fall may never go back.
“It's overwhelming at first,” Downie said. “You're scared you're going to mess your child up. But you find your communities, you find your people and your child becomes somebody they weren't before.”
