Homeschooling numbers soar amid continued school closings, signaling post-pandemic resilience

[PeteS in CA]

Homeschooling numbers soar amid continued school closings, signaling post-pandemic resilience

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/education/school-closures-drag-homeschooling-numbers-remains-high

Interest in homeschooling shot up late last year, particularly as teachers nationwide were refusing to return to classrooms and in-person education in the winter and spring of 2021 appeared less likely.
...
Johannes Ziegler, the founder and CEO of the home instruction company Miacademy, said he "absolutely" expects interest in homeschooling to remain elevated above its earlier levels.

"The reason is that the motivation for homeschooling is changing," he said. "It used to be a few years ago that a very large share of homeschoolers were homeschooling for religious reasons and [other] worldviews. The shift began prior to COVID and is big-time now."

"Beyond the immediate need of schools closing more and more people are dissatisfied with the experience in public schools and are homeschooling for very pragmatic reasons." He cited "bullying" and "negative experiences" associated with schools as two motivators.

While Mrs. S in CA and I are Evangelical Christians, our initial reason for homeschooling was academic quality (in the mid 1980s!). So even the "religious homeschoolers" image is not as complex as reality. This article goes into some of the adjustments and considerations entailed in homeschooling once the country reverts to whatever will be the new normal. The consensus seems to be that a fairly high percentage of those who went with homeschooling will continue, but quite a few will go back to PS, since they can't/won't make the lifestyle adjustments entailed in homeschooling.

[jmyrlefuller]

My experience in public school was nothing short of traumatic, particularly from middle school onward. I wish my parents would have had the resources to homeschool, but 1) they really didn't have the resources to quit their job(s) to devote the time to it, and 2) they weren't all that well-equipped to teach me at that level (I was diagnosed with Asperger's as a teenager--I was a whiz at learning stuff, but struggled with the busy work and the social aspects of school; I was exhausted every day I came home and couldn't do any homework until I woke up the next morning). For reasons I won't get into here, immediately before being diagnosed, I spent about three months in "homebound instruction" (basically a substitute teacher would bring down my teachers' notes and I would do my assignments) and I excelled. Just being out of the toxic environment was a lifesaver. I tried every possible way to not go back. There were no Christian schools in a 20-mile radius (and even those were Catholic, which my parents would never allow), and the neighboring public schools all rejected me.

[Sighlass]

We homeschool 5 kids most every day. Two or ours, Three we are paid to homeschool. It is a full time job.

[roamer_1]

There is no better news. The PEOPLE are beginning to take into their hands what their politicians refuse to do.

This is fantastic. Pull your children from out of their grasp. let their indoctrination centers become empty tombs for their doctrines. And teach your children about life yourself. Nothing is more important than to put America back in the hearts of our youth.