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Editor's Choice -- Ismaili Digest -- Here's why 41% of parents are considering homeschooling this fall As the Politco article, linked below, makes crystal clear, the USA the 2020-2021 academic year is in chaos, disarray and turmoil -- both at the school and university level. At the school level, surveys have revealed that: • up to 20% of teachers may not return; • states are anticipating a 20%-30% cut in aid; • schools have no clear idea of how they will operate: on-line, in class or a mixture; • only 56% of schools say they "intend" to open on time. And now, with the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, existing plans will have to be reconsidered creating even more uncertainty. However, parents of elementary and high school children have another option that surveys show up to 40% of parents seriously considering: homeschooling. Homeschooling is quite different from distance learning, like that of the past few months, where children are still enrolled in school, but just taking their classes online, from home. With homeschooling parents take full responsibility for their children's education. Traditional teachers and schools are not involved in homeschooling. For decades homeschoolers have had to defend themselves, and the quality of the home education, from an avalanche of myths, misinformation and stereotypes even though study after study after study have proved conclusively that homeschooled children are academically and socially equal to or better than schooled children. In fact, many first tier universities -- like Stanford and Brown -- prefer homeschooled children for these reasons and more. However, due to COVID-19, all of these myths and stereotypes were swept away in just 3 months. An EdChoice poll found more than 50% of parents now have a more favourable view of homeschooling and a Real Clear Opinion poll found 41% of parents, split equally between Democrats and Republicans, are more likely to homeschool this fall. Surveys have also made clear that on-line classes have been very disappointing, especially for school children, and the quality of education substandard. In fact, the Associated Press reports university students have launched class action suits against 25 universities because "they're not getting the calibre of education they were promised." Meanwhile, Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said "We're not going back to how the school system was any time soon. People are going to have to be ready for it." So parents who have little confidence or clarity about how their children's schools will be operating this fall, and who now are seriously considering homeschooling, need to start planning now, over the summer. In particular, they should: • acquaint themselves the advantages, disadvantages and challenges of homeschooling, • acquaint themselves with the various homeschooling styles parents use (of which there as many as there are parents) from which they can mould their own unique style to suit their circumstances, family and children, and, in fact, • even begin experimenting over the summer because homeschooling doesn't run on a 9:00am to 3:00pm, September to June timetable, but on your schedule, and what works best for you and your children. We strongly recommend parents study articles and websites by parents who have homeschooled their children for years (such as https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com), rather than articles by educational professionals with little or no experience in homeschooling. To help you get started, over the past two years, in an effort to help raise the community's awareness about homeschooling, and dispel myths, Ismaili Digest has linked over two dozen homeschooling related articles. A few have been featured below, and the entire collection can be found here: http://isma.li/homeschool Our interest in homeschooling is born out of our founder's experience, living in a household where a family member was homeschooled from elementary through high school, 30 years ago, when homeschooling was not on any Ismaili parent's radar. That experience inspired the article "Homeschooling - Some Facts for Parents (reprint, Ismaili Africa, 2008)" featured below. Although written in 2008, it is as applicable, if not more so today, and we strongly recommend parents, considering homeschooling, read it first. Warm regards
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