The future of in-person instruction for K-12 students remains uncertain, so some families are taking matters into their own hands.
“COVID isn’t going to go away and I couldn’t see how schools were going to be able to reopen safely,” San Diego mother Shelby Morgan said. Instead of waiting to see what happens, Morgan and Catherine Bowes decided to take uncertainty out of the equation.
Morgan is just weeks away from dipping their toes in home schooling for the first time.
“With what COVID looked like, with what the health department recommendations were, with what our district was planning to do, there was just so much inconsistency as well as uncertainty,” she said.
Distance learning didn't work for her 4 and 6-year-olds, but now Morgan can tailor their curriculum to their specific needs and interests.
"I chose to home school so that I could be in charge of their education and also keep them safe,” Morgan said. “That was a big factor for us to decide that back in June.”
Bowes isn’t new to home schooling -- she taught her fourth-grade son from home for three years before he returned to traditional learning last year. Now, for many of the same reasons as Morgan, Bowes is switching back.
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“With the uncertainty of how much distance learning they were going to be doing and how much time they would really be home, we just thought we would use our skills,” she said.
Their little learners’ success and safety is now in their hands, and both mothers are sure they made the right choice.
“We're in the middle of the pandemic, so you have to find what works for you and your family,” Morgan said.
If you are considering home schooling as an option for your student, there are some steps you need to take.
You can enroll your student in a program through a district, charter or private school and have access to learning material, or you can file an affidavit with the state to function privately.
