I filmed this in the summer of 2020, when so many families were stuck in hybrid digital learning at home and nobody knew if schools would reopen in the fall. I was homeschooling my second grader and kindergartner at the time, and I kept hearing from mama friends who were stressed and overwhelmed. So I wanted to put another option on the table: homeschooling. A lot has changed since then, but the reasons parents gave for considering it still hold up.
What you’ll get from this post
- What parents told me was frustrating about hybrid schooling
- How homeschooling gives you control over your schedule
- Why fewer, higher-quality assignments can mean less burnout
- How setting your own pace helps kids who are ahead or struggling
- Why pulling kids out doesn’t have to be a forever decision
How was hybrid schooling going for you?
Some of my friends whose kids were in school when the pandemic hit were managing well and had found a rhythm. But most were understandably really stressed, their kids weren’t digging it, and they felt overwhelmed. Schools were still figuring out how to reopen safely, and there was talk of another wave in the fall alongside flu season. What if hybrid schooling kept going?
I don’t know your situation: your work, whether you’re a single parent, or how many kids you have and their ages. But if you were nervous about sending your kids back, or wanted to be ready in case schools couldn’t reopen, homeschooling was worth a look.
Reason 1: You get your flexibility back
Parents told me they were frustrated with scheduled Zoom calls throughout the week. Teachers were being awesome doing those, but it takes away your flexibility.
One of the great things about being in charge of your kids’ schooling is choosing what time of day you do school, which days of the week, when you take breaks and when you make up time. It’s totally your choice, and that takes away a lot of deadline stress.
Reason 2: Less busywork, more quality
The other big complaint was the sheer number of assignments, and how long it took to turn them all in. There’s probably some fat that could be trimmed without losing much. Lots of worksheets doesn’t automatically mean lots of knowledge. You can do less, higher-quality work and have less burnout with your kids.
Reason 3: You set the pace
When it’s just your kids, you set the pace. You can fly through the subjects they’re excelling in, then slow down and take your time on the concepts they’re struggling with.
It doesn’t have to be forever
It’s totally okay to take your time with this decision. It’s a big one. But pulling your kids out doesn’t mean you have to homeschool forever. It doesn’t have to be a huge life choice. You could take them out for a year, or for however long it takes for school to feel normal again.
You can pull them out at any time. The benefit of deciding before the new school year starts is that you’re not rushed. You have time to choose curriculum and get organized for how you want to run things at home.
Your next steps
If taking your kids’ schooling into your own hands sounds less stressful and more helpful for your family, watch how to pull your child out of public school next to see what to do.
If it feels impossible but you wish you could, reach out in the comments. I might not have every answer, but I love problem-solving and want to help however I can.
Key takeaways
- Homeschooling lets you choose your own schedule, days and breaks.
- Fewer, better assignments can mean more learning and less burnout.
- You can speed up or slow down based on how each child is doing.
- Homeschooling can be a one-year choice, not a forever one.
- Deciding before the school year starts gives you time to plan.
What viewers say
We had been debating on homeschool for a couple years; and after everything this year we decided to take the dive. The hybrid system with the school was very frustrating and I don't think my son learned much for the last 3 months; I ended up just self teaching along with doing the schools busy work.
We are excited for the new school year at home and your videos have been very helpful. Thank you!
@Sweet_tooth90 on YouTube
Things we mentioned
- How to pull your child out of public school
- Our daily schedule for school at home and chores
- 5 tips for a calm and organized school day
- How we fixed bad behavior during school time at home
- Ideas for keeping toddlers busy
Thinking about homeschooling? Come hang out with our crew on YouTube. Subscribe to The Johnson Crew on YouTube.
FAQ
Do I have to homeschool forever if I pull my kids out?
No. You could homeschool for a single year, or as long as it makes sense for your family. It doesn’t have to be a lifelong choice.
When is the best time to start homeschooling?
You can start any time. Deciding before a new school year begins gives you time to pick curriculum and get organized without feeling rushed.
Is homeschooling more flexible than school at home?
Yes. With homeschooling, you choose the time of day, days of the week and breaks, instead of working around scheduled video calls and deadlines.
More from our crew
- On the fence about homeschooling?! Biggest Concerns With Homeschool
- 5 Tips for New Homeschool Moms: Advice for New Homeschool Families
- Extracurriculars & Sports for Elementary-Aged Homeschoolers
Full transcript
Hi welcome to my channel if you're already a subscriber welcome back if you're new here please hit the subscribe button my name is Sarah and I have 4 kids from the ages of 1 to 7 and I'm currently homeschooling my second grader and kindergartner and my husband and I run a wedding photography business in Savannah Georgia today I have a question for you I want to know how has this hybrid schooling situation at home been going for you have you found a groove yet do you hate it how have your kids taken to it I want to know tell me in the comments below I've been chatting with a few of my mama friends whose kids were in school when the pandemic broke out
And are now having to do this digital learning from home situation and some are managing pretty well in finding a rhythm that's working well for them but most are understandably really stressed as I would be and their kids are not digging it and they're just really overwhelmed the schools are still trying to figure out how to reopen in the fall and what changes need to be made in order for that to happen in a safe way and I don't know if you've been following it
But honestly it looks like it's kind of impossible to do that not to say that they won't but there's also talk that there could be another wave of the virus in the fall right along with flu season so what if schools have to continue this hybrid situation I wanted to throw it out there that that doesn't necessarily have to be your only option now I don't know all of your situations with work are you a single parent how many kids and ages they are but if you're scared to send your kids back to school because of the virus or if you're wanting to be prepared in case they can't reopen schools in the fall
And these scenarios are having you considering taking your kids out of public school and homeschooling them this fall then keep watching here are some of the reasons I've heard from parents who are considering pulling their kids out of school the fall of number one they're frustrated with this hybrid system of digital learning some are having to have the scheduled zoom calls throughout the week which teachers are being awesome doing that but it does take away your flexibility one of the great things about being totally in charge of your kids schooling is the flexibility you can have with it you can decide what time of day which days of the week you're gonna do school when you're gonna take your breaks
And when you're gonna make up for that time it's totally your choice which can take away a lot of the stress of deadlines number two there are so many assignments and it's time-consuming to turn them all in now there's likely some fad that could be trimmed here without losing educational games lots of worksheets doesn't automatically equal lots of knowledge you could do less more quality work and have less burnout with your kiddos another Pro to homeschooling is that when it's just your kids you can set the pace for their schoolwork
So another bonus there is that you can fly through the subjects that they're excelling in and then you can slow down and focus and take your time on the concepts that they're struggling with now it's totally okay to take your time with this decision I realize it's a big one now I wanted to put it out there that just taking them out now doesn't mean that you have to commit to homeschooling forever this doesn't have to be a huge life choice but if you felt like it would be less stressful to take them out
Now and we're safe what have you to take them out for a year or however long it takes for schools to go back to normal then at least maybe some of that stress could be taken away by giving yourself a chance to choose the curriculum they're gonna use and get yourself organized with the way that you want to run things at home it's totally ok taking your time figuring out with homeschooling is the right path for you can pull them out at any time really the benefit of deciding before the next year start
So is that you have time to not feel rushed to choose a curriculum and to get yourself organized for how you want to run things at home even if you only take them out for a year or however long it takes for school to get back to normal but if you feel like taking you kids schooling into your hands will make things less stressful for your family and more beneficial then you will want to click on this video to watch next to see what your next steps would be if you feel like this would be impossible for you
But you wish you could do it feel free to chat with me in the comments below or connect with me on Instagram and you can message me there and perhaps we could do some brainstorming I might not have an answer but I do enjoy problem-solving and really want to be as much help as possible if you found this video helpful give it a thumbs up and don't forget to subscribe and hit the little bell so you don't miss another video thanks for joining me today I'll talk to you soon