I recently reached out in a local Facebook group to get insights about homeschooling in the Harford County vicinity. What I learned is that the decision to homeschool is dependent on a number of factors, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to this form of education, and it can be accessible for all different types of families with the right structures in place. Thank you to the parents who contributed to this article!
Background Information
The local parents in this article have a wide range of experiences and life circumstances. Some have been homeschooling for about 6 years (including during COVID), and others have just started this year. Their children range in age from 4 to 16.
Work Situations
From stay at home parenting, to working part time, and working full time up to 60 hours per week (with a partner who stays home with the children), it’s evident that homeschooling offers the flexibility for these local families to build educational opportunities into their busy schedules.
Decisions to Homeschool
Some of the factors that influenced these families to homeschool their children include:
School Safety
Carli K. explained, “Between violence on school grounds, bullying, and mental health concerns at younger and younger ages, the public schools do not always feel like a safe place to send my young children. I also like to limit screen time for my kids. My older daughter received a Chromebook in kindergarten and regularly participates in instruction and recreation online while she is at school. While technology has its benefits, I prefer to limit screen time and provide more hands-on learning opportunities.
Additionally, three of my four kids have fall birthdays, including two who barely missed the September 1 cutoff. I don’t want to stunt my kids and make them wait until they are nearly 6 to start learning if they are ready for a kindergarten curriculum before that. Homeschooling lets us focus on mastering skills on our own timeline without the limitations of an arbitrary cutoff date.
Last but most certainly not least, class sizes are becoming unmanageable. I worked in the public school system for years, and while the teachers and staff are nothing short of amazing, managing the behaviors of 30 or more children is a Herculean task. So much of the school day is spent redirecting student behavior. I know if I were asked to focus and learn in a room of 35 others, I would feel lost in the mix. Many young children just aren’t wired to focus in a large group like that.” This is Carli’s first year of homeschooling two of her children.
Time to Be a Kid
Rachel T., who has been homeschooling for about 5 years, stated: “Homeschooling gives them ample time to do their chores and be responsible, but an enormous amount of time to play outside, explore hobbies, follow interests and just be kids as their full time job. If necessity is the mother of invention, boredom is the father of it, and my kids are always finding awesome ways to squeeze every drop out of childhood with their spare time at home instead of at a desk.”
Challenges During COVID
Courtney B. and Jessica S. said the shifts that occurred during COVID and virtual learning negatively impacted their children's education. Courtney explained, “My family was not set up for success during covid from the public school, and the requiring masks to go back to school, which would be a health risk to my children. The bullying that was taking place in the school system was not safe for my child and their mental health.” Jessica had a similar experience stating, “Our children did poorly during virtual learning and we didn't want to send them to school masked.”
Other Factors
Michelle C., who works full time from home, has been homeschooling her two older children for about three years. A dangerous/toxic school environment, severe anxiety, and learning challenges that the school refused to address were among the reasons she decided to pull her teens out mid-year during the 2023-2024 school year. She began homeschooling her two younger children this year.
Daily Structure
Homeschool schedules vary per family, and often vary per day, depending on the needs of each child.
Carli K. keeps a general structure for each day: “We do a morning meeting over breakfast. This is our time to preview the day, go through the schedule, and review any lessons from the previous day. Then we do word work/phonics and then go to our class or meet up group for the day. We typically do a math lesson in the afternoon after playgroup and end our learning day with a read aloud from our story of the week. Spanish, vocabulary, science, and music are embedded through the week.”
Courtney B. schedules certain activities on certain days, while leaving other days more open. “On a good day we get started around 8:30-9am and are done by 1-2pm. Some days we get started at noon and are done by dinner time. We take brain breaks and exercise breaks as needed, going outside and walking or scootering. Tuesday and Thursday we volunteer at a local horse barn, caring for and feeding horses. Then we come home and start our school work. Fridays are flex days. We work on projects or other subjects we need more time on or take family field trips. Over the years, things have gone faster or taken more time, depending on the child. And when homeschooling, we can take that time that each child needs to assure they understand the material.”
“Each day is different, but we generally have a consistently varied schedule once we get into the groove of things.” Rachel T. explained, “For example, Mondays we will do spelling and handwriting in the morning before leaving to go to homeschool soccer through Harford County Parks and Rec from 10-1130. We get home, eat lunch, I might do literature and language arts with my middle schooler which is a time intensive commitment of at least an hour on its own while my elementary student plays outside or finds something to entertain himself (he's big into puzzles right now). Then once we're done, I will simultaneously do a lesson of math with both and then one or both of the kids will do Mia Academy online for one of their specialized subjects like American Sign Language, Geography, Vocabulary or World Music. Each day we have something different going on outside of the home and different times, so the schedule varies daily but is usually consistent with each week.”
Advice for Parents
The following statements are summarized pieces of advice from local homeschool parents who currently homeschool their children, to those who may be considering homeschooling as an option for their own families.
- Start with an easy online quiz to see what kind of learner style your child has and what kind of teaching style the parent has. It's a great way to see what curriculums could be a good fit for your family.
- Write down WHY you're homeschooling, and always bring it back to that. If you are seeing the benefits that relate to WHY you are homeschooling in the first place, the struggles in other areas don't feel like deal breakers. Homeschooling isn't easy, but most worthwhile things aren't.
- Educate yourself on what effective reading instruction looks like. Learning to talk is a natural process but learning to read is not natural. Kids require direct instruction in reading in order to learn. Just reading to them and with them is not enough and many of the most popular curriculums leave kids behind because they are not based in reading science.
- Don't try to emulate public school! Find what works for your family but don't make it miserable. If sitting at a desk really does help your child concentrate when reading and they like it, that's fine. If they prefer to read hanging upside down off the sofa with music playing, that's fine, too! Homeschooling is about adapting to your child's needs to challenge them but also go at a pace that fosters their love of learning.
- Grade levels don't really apply when you're homeschooling, because it's about your child being challenged but actually learning. If your child isn't a strong math kid, don't shove them through to the next grade level just because. Spend time focusing on the important stuff they need to learn until they're actually able to do it confidently, even if that means switching to another math curriculum and not moving up to the next grade level.
- Give yourself space and time to figure out how school will look for each of your children at each stage. There’s no straight line or cookie cutter or one size fits all.
Homeschool Resources
Some of the parents in this article belong to a co-op other homeschool group affiliation, and they use different curriculum to structure their lesson plans. The resources below were provided by the article contributors, and are listed alphabetically by category.
Co-Ops/Homeschool Umbrellas
Abingdon Classical Homeschool Academy
Grace Academy Homeschool Umbrella
LAF (located in Shrewsbury, PA)
Curriculum
Facebook Groups
Baltimore County Secular Homeschoolers
Harford County(and surrounding areas) Homeschooling Families
Harford county homeschool moms
Final Thoughts
There are many resources available for families who are just starting out with homeschooling or considering it as an option. Speaking with other local parents, determining goals, and finding a supportive community can make the process more enjoyable and manageable.
