Home Education 101

Do you feel lost and confused by the overwhelming amount of information on home education on the internet? Are you having difficulty choosing an educational path for your children under the current situation? I have been homeschooling my children for over 6 years. We have taken a few different paths until we found what works best for our family. Please be aware that what we are all doing now is crisis education rather than home education. Home education normally includes trips to libraries, parks, museums, and many other programs. In addition, there are playdates, social gatherings, and co-op meetings. Under the current pandemic, most of these options are unavailable and we are all struggling to find creative ways to fill that void. I hope you find the following explanation helpful in making your decision. There are several home education choices available. I will list each one with a brief explanation of each.

1. Public School Distance Learning. This option isn’t usually available under normal circumstances. It is available now temporarily due to the Pandemic situation. Your child would be enrolled in a specific public school and learn remotely instead of attending school physically. This is available whether your child is already enrolled in a public school or is transferring from a different one. Each district has different guidelines. While some schools are giving parents the choice between remote education, physical attendance, and a blended set up, some are not giving choices. If you choose this option, I highly recommend calling the school to understand their policy first. At some point during the school year, the school administration may require students to physically attend.

• Free
• Official grades and report cards provided.
• Children will interact with the same teachers and classmates they are used to if they were previously enrolled in the same school last year. 
• Parents are not the primary teachers but rather act as a learning coaches or mentors to facilitate learning.
• Parents have minimal control over what children are learning.
• Parents will have to add religious and Arabic education on their own
• Lacks flexibility that is available with other options
• Children in front of a computer screen for hours daily.
• Schools are still trying to set up and figure out new online system.

2. Private/Islamic School Distance Learning. This option is also currently available due to the current Pandemic that is preventing physical attendance in schools.

• Monthly/yearly Tuition
• Official grades and report cards provided.
• Children will interact with the same teachers and classmates they are used to if they were previously enrolled in the same school last year. 
• Parents are not the primary teachers but rather act as learning coaches or mentors to facilitate learning.
• Curricula are in line with Islamic values. Parents have some say in what children are taught.
• Provides Islamic and Arabic education.
• Lacks flexibility that is available with other options.
• Children in front of a computer screen for hours daily.
• Schools are still trying to set up and figure out new online system.

3. Virtual Public School. This option has been available for years. The two main virtual programs are k12 and Connections Academy.

• Free
• Official grades and report cards provided.
• Requires child to have been previously enrolled in a public school for at least a portion of the previous year.
• Parents have minimal control over what children are learning.
• Parents are not the primary teachers but rather act as learning coaches or mentors to facilitate learning.
• Parents will have to add religious and Arabic education on their own
• Lacks flexibility that is available with other options
• Children in front of a computer screen for hours daily.
• Online system has been in place for years and technical support available.

4. Paid Online Schools. There are numerous online schools that offer 2 choices: Use their complete curriculum and detailed lesson plans to teach your children (cheaper option) OR have their teachers teach the student online (more expensive option). There are many schools with different values and setup. A few of these are Oak Meadow, Calvert, and True North Homeschool Academy. There are many options available; do your research and find the school that is suitable for you and aligns with your values.

• Paid
• Official grades and report cards provided in most programs. Inquire about this if it is an important requirement for you.
• Parents have some control over what children are learning because they choose the program.
• Parents are not the primary teachers but rather act as a Learning coach or mentor to facilitate learning if they choose the second option above.
• Parents will have to add religious and Arabic education on their own
• Has some flexibility based on the program chosen.
• Children are in front of a computer screen daily but length of time varies based on the program chosen.
• Online system has been in place for years and technical support available.

5. Independent Home Education. There are numerous ways this can be done. There is a wide array of resources and curricula available to choose from and customize for the specific needs of each child. I will add a separate post soon where I will explore this option in detail.

• Cost is based on your choices and can be adjusted to fit your budget.
• Official grades and report cards are not provided by any entity.
• Parents have complete control over what children are learning and can customize the education to allow for children to pursue interests and passions.
• Parents are the primary educators but can use outside help physically or online for any subject they choose.
• The most flexible option. Parents choose when to take vacations, how many hours of school work a day, what time to start and finish, etc.
• Parents decide how much online vs. offline work is suitable for children. There are numerous curricula for either choice.

I hope this brief summary of the choices available will help you in making the best choice for your family. Feel free to post any inquiries you have about homeschooling in the comments and I will do my best to answer them. Check back in for more detailed posts about home education.