Homeschooling headaches: 5 challenges for at-home teachers

It turned out that all-in referred not only to embracing extensive time requirements, but also to shedding the traditional 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Monday to Friday school routine. Given that three

of her children remained in traditional school, their schedules didn’t allow for that flexibility, so the world she created was essentially a home-version mirror of what traditional schools

offer, rather than a whole new experience. Ultimately, the family decided that having one foot in each academic world was untenable; they sent all five children to a small private school. 2.

BEING PARENT AND TEACHER IS TRICKY. Homeschooling means assuming roles beyond mom and dad. Austrew explains, “When I first started, I thought, ‘Oh my god, kids will think I’m doing some

weird role-playing from mom to teacher.” Finding a balance took experimentation. “Over time, I realized I don’t have to make that shift. Teacher, mom; it’s all just me. But it takes months

until you figure that out.” “I had to teach myself how to teach,” Gretton says. She researched a half-dozen approaches to homeschooling, bought a curriculum and dug in. “Take spelling, for

instance,” she says. “I mean, who remembers how we learned to spell much less how to teach it?” 3. THERE ARE ALMOST TOO MANY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES NOW. Once you have your framework set, the

sky’s the limit. Shannon Jones, homeschooling her seven children, explains how the pandemic impacted her days. “Before COVID, our lives were full. We had co-ops with five or ten families,

and we’d plan things together.” During the pandemic, all sorts of organizations —dance, theater, karate — created virtual programming, which many have maintained. “There’s far more available

now than we can fit into our week.” Gabby (11) and Ethan (9) are building a boat out of cardboard and duct tape for a competition they entered. Shanon Jones 4. “SCHOOL” DOESN’T END. For

Jones, homeschooling exposed a chasm between school and learning. “Our ‘school days’ are never over. There’s no bell that rings and tells us we’re done for the day. There are always

opportunities for learning.”