Homeschooling Vs Remote Learning

Before you decide whether you are going to homeschool your kids or enroll them in a remote learning program, you need to factor in several things. As a mother who has been doing the remote learning for about a month now, and I can tell you, it’s not as easy as it sounds. I thought I was going to be able to do the things I heard my Mother-In-Law and Grandma-In-Law say they did when homeschooling back in the day, but I haven’t been able to do any of those things. Both homeschooling and remote learning have challenges and strengths. You need to understand them well to be able to make an informed decision.

Homeschooling vs Remote Learning

Homeschooling Pros

One of the main pros of homeschooling is that it offers you absolute flexibility. You have the power to choose what your kids will learn, when to take breaks, curriculums to use, learning patterns and so much more.

You can track your child’s learning progress because you get instant feedback from them. And you can tell where they are struggling. And find ways to fix this issue with ease since you are physically together the whole time.

You have access to resources and supplies that you can use to make your homeschool successful. Many of these resources are free or can be acquired at a low price.

Homeschooling also creates a good bond between you and the kid. You will have challenging moments occasionally. But the flexibility offered by homeschooling implies that you can easily take breaks or work with your schedule. It’s easy to have fun when homeschooling and engaging your kids in fun craft projects.

Homeschooling Cons

Homeschooling can be engaging and if you do not have a good support system, you are likely to experience homeschooling burnout.

You are not an expert in all the subjects your child is supposed to learn. This means that your level of teaching might be limited. Unlike in a classroom environment where qualified teachers tackle different subjects, in homeschooling, you will be teaching all subjects. This might feel intimidating to you and make you feel inadequate sometimes when you don’t understand a certain concept.

If you have other obligations, homeschooling can be tough. There is a delicate balance between teaching, working, and taking care of other chores that need your attention at home.

Remote learning pros

The main advantage of remote learning is that your kids will be connected to their teachers and probably other students as well. This means that they have the chance to interact online with everyone, talk to each other, and share the challenges they are facing with their school work. They also get help and inspiration. Talking to other people is good for their social life as well.

Remote learning allows schools and teachers to continue teaching kids even in times of crisis (such as this lockdown). This enables the kids to stay focused and ready to go back to the classroom environment when everything goes back to normalcy.

Remote learning is affordable. Most schools charge less for remote learning compared to traditional classroom learning. Your kids will also have access to a lot of resources to make their learning efficient.

Remote learning cons

Remote learning can never replace traditional face-to-face classroom learning and interaction. In classroom learning, the feedback is immediate and the teacher can tell if the kids understand what they are being taught immediately.

Unlike in a classroom environment where the teacher can handle each kid individually depending on their strengths, many lessons on remote learning platforms are not differentiated. If your kid is struggling with certain aspects of their learning, it can be difficult for them to cope with remote learning because they do not get individual attention.

It can be hard for parents to monitor remote learning especially if they have other chores to attend to. Kids might take advantage of this to do other things online. It may also be hard to prevent online bullying. Kids are encouraged to find screen-free ways to have fun and remote learning does not facilitate that.

Homeschooling vs Remote Learning vs In-Person Schooling

This week, our district has given us the option to send our kids back to school full time in person for 5 days or continue the remote learning until the end of the semester in December. Part of me wants to continue the Remote Learning, while another part of me wants them to go back to school to get my freedom back. I will keep you posted as to what we end up deciding to do. But for now, I’m still remote teaching for at least 2 weeks as the in-person schooling is a phased process.