All throughout the nation children were sent home to “homeschool” through online learning in the spring of 2020. People’s experiences varied on what it looked like to do online learning. Some loved the time together as a family while others praised the teachers who educated their children and couldn’t wait for the normal routine to be reinstated.

At the end of the school year many people said phrases like “I survived homeschooling” or “I just homeschooled my children”. While the nation’s children did school at home, in truth there is a big contrast between the online education we just experienced during the Covid-19 crisis and what most homeschoolers experience. The former I term as crisis schooling.

In homeschooling you can pick your own curriculum. You can pick your pace. You have the teacher’s guide. You can do hands-on activities. You can determine the length of your day.

To sum it up, you have freedom to choose and to tailor your child’s education to them.

In crisis schooling you are online. Your child must use the computer for all things. You don’t have freedom to pick your curriculum. If your child needs help then you too might be stuck to the computer. You don’t have the teacher’s guide. You might have frustrated and zoned out kids in the end.

I’m not trying to bash crisis schooling. It has its place. It enabled millions of people to stay home during the crisis and help reduce the spread of Covid-19.

I’m simply trying to share that if you experienced crisis schooling and think that equated to homeschooling, it doesn’t. They are quite different.

If you are interested in this homeschooling culture or would like to embark on a homeschooling journey with your own family there are many great resources out there to get started. You can check out my website, Google search for other homeschooling blogs or if you know others who homeschool just reach out to them. Most homeschooling parents are more than glad to help you begin your journey.