Circumstances led to many Iowa families deciding to homeschool in 2020. We told you about one Ankeny family that made that decision a couple of weeks ago. But they definitely weren’t alone.
Here is what another new homeschool family told us about their decision:
“We decided to homeschool once our local school district chose the hybrid learning model at the end of July. We wanted our children to be learning five days a week and didn’t want them wearing a face mask all day long.”
The switch to homeschooling wasn’t easy.
“We only had three weeks to select a curriculum before the normal school start date,” the family said. “Being a teacher, I had some idea of what I wanted to use. However, homeschool materials are in abundance, but quite expensive, so I wanted to be sure to choose something that would work the best while being cost-effective. Once we got into a routine with a schedule and the curriculum, homeschooling became much easier.”
They said one of the biggest advantages is having total control over what their children are taught and exposed to.
“We are Christians, so we’re thankful we can teach learning content from a Biblical perspective. We learn every day. Another great advantage has been the flexibility. We can do school when it works. We can spend more time on one subject than others. We’re able to take our learning on the road if we’d like. I feel our kids are going to be ahead of their peers because they are getting one-on-one instruction five days a week.”
The children have a sense of security being taught by their mom every day.
“They know the daily expectations and there is no sense of uncertainty. They are emotionally stable. We still make plenty of time for them to see their friends. They don’t have the stress of worrying if tomorrow is an ‘at school’ synchronous day or ‘at home’ asynchronous day under the hybrid model or worry whether school may be moving to 100 percent virtual the next week. Also, there is no talk of COVID or worry they might have to quarantine because of exposure at school.”
Ultimately, homeschooling has benefitted the entire family.
“The most rewarding part has been spending more time together as a family. Everyone is at home, including my husband who has been on mandatory telework the last eight months.”
