Homeschooling During COVID-19: Is This the Right Option for Our Scholars?
As we approach winter 2020, the global pandemic continues to shape our daily lives. Restaurants and bars have opened and closed repeatedly, grocery stores have faced shortages of essentials, and we spent summer distanced from friends and communities. As the school year begins, many parents are struggling with whether to send their children back to school or homeschool them. Although homeschooling isn’t new, for many families it feels unfamiliar. The fear of COVID-19 drives many to choose homeschooling, despite studies showing potential risks to cognitive, social, and emotional development.
Homeschooling prevents children from accessing school facilities like science labs, gymnasiums, and art studios. While these may seem minor, they support essential learning activities such as chemistry, gymnastics, and pottery. According to Dr. Steven Dowshen in KidsHealth, homeschooling can also negatively impact a child’s socialization. Children may feel isolated from their peers, spending most of their time with adults. Though they may develop advanced vocabularies, their ability to make friends and socialize may lag behind children who attend traditional schools. Homeschooling can strengthen parent-child bonds, but it may limit social development as children grow into adulthood.
Homeschooling
Homeschooling also brings financial and time burdens to families. As workplaces reopen, parents may need to return to work, leaving no daytime care or academic support for homeschooled children. Many parents who invested in homeschooling materials now struggle to balance work and schooling or find tutors for subjects they aren’t skilled in. As Becton Loveless explains in The Education Corner, homeschooling can create financial strain if parents need to hire tutors for subjects they can’t effectively teach.
Despite the challenges, local schools are working to keep students safe. At STEM Child Care, we’ve introduced new health guidelines. These include regular cleaning with hospital-grade supplies, HEPA air purification, and electrostatic spraying of our facility. We also have curbside drop-offs, increased handwashing, and enhanced social distancing to protect everyone. Sending children back to school may seem daunting, but it’s vital to equip them for academic success during this pandemic and beyond.
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References:
https://www.educationcorner.com/benefits-disadvantages-of-homeschooling.html