Guys. I was homeschooled K-12. My master's thesis was a case study of homeschooling in an individual county. For the past six years, I have run a national nonprofit organization that advocates for homeschooled children.

Let me tell you what I know about homeschooling. 1/x

Homeschooling works best when it’s something both the parents and the children WANT to do. It also works best when one parent is able to devote themselves to homeschooling full-time. In these circumstances, homeschooling can be absolutely awesome! 2/x

None of this is no the case for many of us right now. Many parents considering homeschooling due to COVID don’t really want to homeschool. And many don’t really have the time to — they WFH, etc. And anyone homeschooling this fall will not be able to do it optimally. 3/x

Optimal homeschooling involves frequent trips to the library, hands-on field trips, museums, and playdates with friends, enrichment classes, and co-ops with other homeschooled students. We can’t have these things right now. Not if we’re trying to avoid COVID. 4/x

Homeschooling during COVID will be suboptimal both because it’s not something families chose & because it will be far more isolated and constrained than positive, involved homeschooling experiences usually are, simply because we are in a global pandemic. 5/x

I know, I know, I am being SUCH a Debbie Downer! I’m sorry! Let me switch gears and give some more positive advice. There are very good reasons to educate your kids at home this year — and many families will, in an effort to keep their families safe. That’s a good thing! 6/x

Advice #1: If there's no adult in the home who is able to devote themselves full time to homeschooling, I suggest looking into whether your school district is going to offer a virtual option. This means you will have support & will not have to choose or create a curriculum. 7/x

Advice #2: If there is an adult in the home who is able to homeschool full-time and wants to do so, it is absolutely worth considering whether to homeschool autonomously. It'll involve choosing or creating a curriculum, but this can be fun and rewarding if you want to do it. 8/x

If you are considering homeschooling autonomously, consider enrolling in the introduction to homeschooling course my nonprofit is offering. This course is designed to get you started homeschooling! 9/x

 https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/courses/ 

Advice #3: Be rigorously child-centered in everything you do. Make this about your child, not about you. Ask your child what THEY want. Talk to them about our current situation. If you’re going to homeschool, involve them in the process and the planning. Get them excited! 10/x

Advice #4: Make sure your child will cover the basic materials expected at their grade level. How you cover them can be innovative or hands-on, but if you want to enroll your child in school again when this is over, they will be expected to have covered certain things. 11/x

Advice #5: Make the experience fun! Build an Egyptian bark out of cardboard. Read books together as a family (surely the libraries will figure SOMETHING out?). Design unit studies like identifying every tree on your block, or creating a timeline of the civil rights movement. 12/x

Homeschooling CAN be a fun, positive family experience. It takes work, it takes finding proactive ways to create a safe, happy home environment, and it takes lots & lots of deep breaths. But it can also involve making lots & lots of positive memories alongside your child! 13/x

As you gather information, make sure you listen to individuals who were homeschooled. Having homeschooled a child is not the same as having been homeschooled as a child. We’re out there, and we have our own unique perspective. And thoughts! 14/x

Whatever decision we make, we all have to make the best of a set of absolutely sucky options. Let’s make the best of this bad moment that we possibly can. Let’s be the calm, the rock, that our children need. Let’s get through this together — our kids and ourselves. 15/15

If you’re considering homeschooling for the first time this fall, please do check out our Introduction to Homeschooling course! We offer a sliding scale payment system for those with financial need! Our goal is to give you the tools you need to succeed. https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/courses/