Sitting in the quiet of my basement, I started a Google search that I never expected I’d do. As I type in the words “non-religious homeschooling,” I couldn't help but feel a little ashamed, as though I was doing a much naughtier Google search. But as someone with a long history in education and previously zero desire to ever homeschool, I still can’t quite believe that the pandemic has led me here.
Here’s the thing: I don’t really believe in homeschooling.
As someone with a PhD in higher education and years of part-time teaching experience at the high school through graduate school levels, I’m a true believer that teaching is an art and a science.
Really effective, life-changing teaching isn’t something that everyone can do. There’s a reason we require teachers to get specially trained in curriculum development and lesson planning and strategies for managing a classroom. There is a reason we have middle school and high school teachers who specialize in specific subjects.
I'm just in general not confident in untrained parents teaching their own children.
The truth is that most parents don’t have the skills and knowledge to replace a well-trained teacher, and I can talk for hours about why sending kids to diverse schools where they have to learn alongside kids who are different than them is crucial to their development. While I don’t think all teachers are amazing (my kids have had a dud here and there) there is also value in the resiliency that can come from having challenging teachers.
I’m not sure I’ll ever get over the fact that so many people were willing to gamble with kids’ lives, all in the name of “freedom.”
In three weeks, another school year will begin for my kids, which means time is running out for me to choose between my deeply held beliefs about education and my increasing concern that school might not be a safe option for my child.
After over a year and half of watching so many people be so selfish when it comes to community health, it’s scary to know that this kind of decision rests in the hands of the school board and the teachers and principals who aren’t afraid to stand up for science and safety. May they choose wisely.
Do I think the average parent is better than the worst teacher? Maybe. Are they as good as the best teachers? Absolutely not.
And although there might be some circumstances that homeschooling might be the best alternative, I think most kids in most circumstances should be at their local public school, learning from trained teachers.
So, I’m pretty ride-or-die about my kids skipping with our large urban school district. Last year that meant dealing with distance learning for a year for my 9-year-old daughter and distance learning and then in-person for my 13-year-old. It wasn’t ideal, but they got to stay with their home schools and their classmates and we made it work. This year, my 13-year-old is vaccinated and ready for his eighth-grade year. My 9-year-old is too young to be vaccinated, and there is no virtual option at her school — at least not yet.
My only hope for her to go back to school is a mask mandate and a sane COVID-19 policy
Although the superintendent has thankfully come out in favor of a mask mandate and is heavily promoting vaccines for eligible students, the school board hasn’t voted yet and the anti-mask, anti-vaxx, anti-science parents will have their chance to weigh in during public forums this week.
I’m hopeful that our school district will do the right thing, but I can’t fathom sending my daughter to in-person school if she’ll be in the minority of kids who mask if masks are made optional. It feels like a betrayal to be considering this thing, homeschooling, that I’ve never wanted to do, but it would feel worse to send her into an environment where she’d be at high risk for catching a virus that could have long-term effects on her health and could put others in danger too.
