Encouragement for Covid-19 homeschoolers

Homeschooling was not the plan

As I watch the news and read the papers, encouragement for Covid-19 homeschoolers is needed. There are millions of parents who did not plan on homeschooling. Covid-19 has forced families to adapt to schooling, working and living 24/7 at home. As a homeschool veteran, I hope to provide some encouragement and a few solid tips. If you are struggling, there are ways to make things easier. Whether you plan to continue in the fall or not, you and your children can learn, grow and find joy in this season. I feel for all of you who have been thrust into the homeschool world without an instruction manual. Maybe some of what I learned will help.

Homeschooling wasn’t our plan either

We didn’t plan to homeschool our children. Our oldest son was about to start kindergarten. The director of his is pre-K suggested we consider homeschooling as we considered local schools. We visited every school, public and private in our area. There were so many good choices, but none was exactly right for our son. After my mother (a retired schoolteacher) suggested we take a look at homeschooling, I finally relented. She went with me to our state homeschooling convention. My husband and I were intrigued and decided it was worth a one-year experiment. After all, it was kindergarten and he could start “regular” school in first grade. And that was the plan every year; “one more year” until it eventually added up to eighteen years.