Today I saw a news article saying to "stop calling it home schooling." Referring to the emergency distance learning that schools are doing right now. This resonated with me because this is the number one thing I have to explain to people about our homeschooling, even when it's not COVID-19 quarantine. Here are 5 common things I have to explain about home schooling.
1. Home schooling is not the same as online public school. Where I live there are several online public schools to choose from, but they are still public school where a teacher is provided, curriculum is provided, and the curriculum and testing and attendance has to meet traditional public school standards. In a home school I am the teacher, I choose all the curriculum, and here in Oregon, I do not have to report attendance or keep track of any hours.
2. Home schooling is not the same as a charter school that doesn't meet every day. We also have one of those available to us where I live. The kids go to school maybe once a week? I'm not sure. And the rest of the time they study at home. But same as bullet #1 above, the school still provides curriculum, a teacher, and is required to meet all the same public school standards.
3. I don't know how it is in other states, but in Oregon, I am required to be my child's teacher. If I am reporting to the school district that I am home schooling, then I am not allowed to outsource my child's education. I don't know why that is the rule in Oregon. But it also means that I can't legally home school someone else's kid unless the other parent and I agree to some sort of co-op. Maybe that's the reason, they don't want rogue teachers running entire schools at home? I have no idea. And yes I do notify the school district that I'm home schooling. There are home schoolers who don't even bother with that, and technically that means that those kids are truant.
4. I do not get paid to home school. I don't get a tax break. I don't get to report home school hours as volunteer hours (for those organizations that keep track of such things, home schooling is explicitly excluded). I do sometimes get a small discount at a teacher supply store. I do have to pay for curriculum if I do not choose free curriculum. The school district does not supply any materials to me. The school district does have to allow my kid to play sports if I find a way in, meaning, they certainly don't go out of their way to make it easy for me.
5. I get a lot more questions but I want to stop at 5, so I guess the next most common question I get is, "do you plan to home school forever?" and my answer is yes. That is my plan. Plans change, and I don't have a crystal ball. But we are having a lot of fun and our plan is to home school always.
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