Finding New Success: From Remote Learning to Homeschooling

Before COVID-19 became a reality in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, 8-year-old Noah attended a brick-and-mortar school, was a straight-A student, and was enrolled in the gifted program. His mom, Beth, never had any intention of homeschooling.

Then, the pandemic struck, forcing the school to turn to a hybrid model of remote learning and in-person instruction. Beth kept Noah home to reduce his risk of getting sick, and since she already works from home, it all made perfect sense at the time.

Yet soon, mom realized that remote learning simply wasn’t going to work for Noah. “I was noticing teachers not calling on virtual kids, and my son wanted to participate. Other teachers didn’t engage with students at all. They assigned work and then class was over,” she said. “It was very concerning that he wasn’t learning. It was stressful.”

COVID-19 has thrown just about everyone for a loop. Children have had to quickly adjust to remote learning, which has worked for some, but for others, not so much. What parents are saying about remote learning is that  it can be overwhelming for both the child and parent. This has led many families to address a question they never thought they’d face: should I homeschool my child?

With the advice and support of her sister who homeschools, Beth made the leap into homeschooling in September. Her biggest concern was how it would fit within her busy work schedule, as she sometimes works between 8 to 12 hours a day. She has a background in education, so she felt comfortable teaching, but she didn’t know how much time she’d have to dedicate to make it work effectively. Her sister suggested Time4Learning because of the flexibility and grade-specific resources it offers.

Noah took to Time4Learning right away. Beth creates learning schedules, which he completes independently. Once they started homeschooling, Beth realized that there were a few gaps in Noah’s learning, which she was able to hone in on. Time4Learning empowers Noah with the ability to re-visit concepts he didn’t do quite well on. “He definitely loves the math lessons, and the language arts program has been a blessing. It covers areas the school didn’t cover,” she says.

According to Beth, Time4Learning makes it easy for her to view her son’s lessons from her Parent Dashboard, and respond to his specific questions. She especially loves the automated grading and recordkeeping. “The gradebook is fabulous,” she says. “Being able to download a report is so helpful.”

Keeping her son, and herself engaged has been a top priority. She joined the Time4Learning Families Facebook Group, a social media community with over 37,000 parents, which she says has been a huge source of information and ideas, especially when Noah struggles with a particular subject.

“Look into things that engage your child,” she says. “I learn so many tips and tricks in the Families Facebook Group to make homeschooling with Time4Learning easier, and more effective. Having the ability to connect with other homeschool moms and share our successes and challenges has helped me homeschool with confidence.”

Noah continues to be active in 4-H, since many of the organization’s activities went virtual. “He likes being able to do things online,” she says. The flexibility of online homeschooling has also provided Noah with the opportunity to work on his public speaking skills and delve deeper into photography. He also takes part in Zoom sessions offered by a local park. He’s done projects like build a solar-powered vehicle and a gingerbread house made of toaster pastries. Noah keeps in touch with relatives in other states by using Facebook Messenger and playing Minecraft with them online.

Her tip for families who are new to homeschooling and struggling: “Look into things that engage your child,” she says. Beth researched online, and got other people’s feedback. This helped her discover new resources and learning opportunities for Noah.

On the weekends, Noah goes on bike rides with dad, and they do things in places that aren’t that crowded. “Outside time is very important,” Beth says. Sometimes Noah takes his laptop and heads outside to do Time4Learning inside his tent. “It makes it a fun way to learn,” she says.

For now, everyone at home is happy. Noah is thriving, keeping busy, gaining new skills, and interacting with other kids, all from the comfort, and safety of home. So, what’s their post-pandemic plan? “Noah wants to continue homeschooling,” Beth says. “And I am totally fine with that!”

Want to connect with other homeschoolers? Join our Time4Learning Families Facebook Group!