Across the country, many families are facing an important decision- send their children back to traditional school or homeschool.
We recently caught up with one parent and Time4Learning member, Amanda Flores, who made the decision to homeschool after growing frustrated by shifting mask mandates in her state. While it was not an easy decision, learn how her family is already experiencing some of the many benefits of homeschooling.
Q: Please walk our readers through your motivation to homeschool Jaxson?
A: The whole mask mandate issue here in Texas has been such a crazy roller coaster ride. There was a temporary mask mandate, and then it was overturned. We were just so skeptical of sending him back to school, then just didn’t feel very safe. Jaxson’s immune system is weak, and so we’re not gonna send him back to school when a Delta variant is out there and there is no mask mandate. It really scared me. So it was just a lot of uncertainty.
Q: Have you ever thought about homeschooling before the pandemic?
A: We actually really hadn’t, simply because my husband and I were working full-time in an office. Because of the pandemic and working fully remote, this opened up the option of homeschooling.
Q: So how did you find Time4Learning?
A: We definitely couldn’t do a homeschool curriculum by ourselves. I started researching homeschooling options and Time4Learning kept coming up. So we took a look at it and it looked pretty good. We decided to take that step forward.
“We have gained so much family time with homeschooling. If he was going to school, we would have lost a lot of time commuting, sending them to school, and picking them up.”
Amanda Flores
Q: What were some of your initial concerns about homeschooling?
A: My husband and I went to public school growing up. So we really wanted Jaxson to be part of that because that’s what we know. That’s what we were familiar with. But I started talking to some other people who I know that homeschool, and they just talked about the flexibility and how great it is and on your own time.
Q: How have you embraced homeschooling? The homeschooling community?
A: I joined a few groups on Facebook, including Time4Learning’s Families Facebook Group, even before I purchased the subscription. I felt so reassured by everyone that was posting on there, supporting one another and talking about how great the program was for a very economical cost.
Q: Did you look at other options before you signed up with Time4Learning?
A: We did look at virtual schools, but they were expensive, somewhere from $5,000 to $6,000 a year or $580 a month. We also looked at private schools, but they also had shifting mask mandates, and were also expensive.
Q: How important is the support you receive from family?
A: It’s very important. My mom watches my three-year-old so that opens up possibilities. So we didn’t have to worry about entertaining him, working with Jaxson, and working full time from home.
Q: Did Jaxson experience remote learning due to the pandemic, and how is homeschooling different?
A: Yes he did, and I think that may have given my husband kind of a bad taste about homeschooling. Homeschooling is a totally different experience though! The public schools that don’t typically do remote learning were having to scramble to put this curriculum together and get this process in place for remote learning. It was pieced together as best as possible, and it wasn’t great.
Q: What are some of the benefits of homeschooling? How does your family enjoy it?
A: It’s more of a fun experience for him to learn because we start on his own time. We’re not having the race to the computer by 8:20 so that he can listen to announcements and stuff with the teacher, then trying to wait on other students to get situated so he could start his day. It’s “wake up when you wake up,” then they’ll eat breakfast, get dressed, maybe watch TV for a little while, then we can start school at nine o’clock. I think he’s really enjoyed that and Time4Learning really is fun for him because I think he feels like us parents. He sees us working on computers all day that he’s like, “oh, this is my computer and I got to do my work too,” and I think he kind of feels like he’s “adulting” a little bit using his touchscreen computer.
Q: How else has homeschooling helped your family?
A: We have gained so much family time with homeschooling. If he was going to school, we would have lost a lot of time commuting, sending them to school, and picking them up. It could be 5:45 or 6:00 in the evening before we got home, after school and work. We have just gained so much precious family time and I’m so grateful for that, because I get to see him learn and where he struggles, and I get to see him for longer.
Q: How do you like Time4Learning? What are some of the tools/features you enjoy?
A: I feel empowered. We have that flexibility with lesson planning, where you can put in your breaks and you can put in when your child is not gonna be doing school work. It helps you set the amount of assignments they can complete to be able to finish by a certain time. You don’t have to be on a regular school schedule. You could do some after work later in the evenings or some time on weekends if you need to.
Wonderful article
Thanks for stopping by our blog, Merlyn!
First off let me say how much your story touched me. I wish I knew where to begin, what subjects to start with, where to get the materials I need for 6th grade. I feel so lost.
Hi Myrna! Thanks so much for stopping by our blog! We have some links that can help you get started.
First, we recommend making sure you are familiar and comfortable with your state’s homeschooling laws and requirements. You can find your state here: https://www.time4learning.com/homeschooling/by-state.html
Here is some information about our 6th grade curriculum: https://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum/middle-school/sixth-grade/
On this page you can download our free Welcome to Homeschooling guide which contains steps to to begin, as well as tips and advice from experienced homeschoolers: https://www.time4learning.com/homeschool/how-to-homeschool.shtml
And finally, we’d like to invite you to join our Time4Learning Families group on Facebook where you can connect with other Time4Learning members and homeschoolers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Time4LearningFamilies
Please don’t hesitate to let us know if we can answer any additional questions!
This is the same reason I decided to homeschool my son. He is thriving! He gets easily distracted by the other children. This online learning is helping him out alot. Thank you!
We’re thrilled to hear that homeschooling is helping your son, Judith! Thanks so much for stopping by, and for sharing!
Please help us our son is 12 years old his IEP said he was on a kindergarten level during COVID 19 remote learning our son has learned soooooo much it’s amazing we thank GOD for this home school program. We went for our son to be discharged they are giving us the run around it’s our responsibility and our duty and our privilege to give our son the best education possible what should we do we brought th letter to the school wrote a letter of intent
Hi! We’re sorry to hear you’re having trouble with the school. We recommend making sure you understand the homeschool laws and requirements in your state. Occasionally, individual school systems aren’t necessarily familiar with the state’s homeschool laws and it can lead to some confusion. You could always provide the school with any information you feel necessary. You can find your state here: https://www.time4learning.com/homeschooling/by-state.html
Most schools will work with parents to make sure their homeschooled students receive services under an IEP, but that’s up to each school. If you aren’t having any luck with your school, maybe you could contact your state’s department of education to see if there is anything they can do?
Wishing you well on your homeschool journey! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to customer support team if we can answer any additional questions. https://www.time4learning.com/curriculum/contact_us.php
Way to go!
Thanks for stopping by our blog! 🙂
I began homeschooling for these exact same reasons living in New Jersey. No matter how many petition signatures we had to present to the Governor, he would not budge on his decision for full open school days. I Literally listened to parents cry about their fears of sending their kids back in during these uncertain times. Even I lost sleep all Summer just imagining my son back at school with the heightened risks for children. Within my refusal to put my child in danger for some creepy agenda of theirs, I pulled him out of his local school. I had already noticed a major pick up in this grades during the virtual learning, so I figured keeping my son home for this type of homeschooling would just be the continued support that I was able to provide for him these past almost 2 years, and like you said to actually see their their strengths and areas where there needs more practice. He enjoys the family time together, and time4learning has been the ultimate support for me as well when I felt extremely alone in this process 2 weeks ago. So grateful for this option. Thank you for sharing your story!
Hi Sydney. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your experience! We’re so glad you’re a part of the Time4Learning family. Wishing you an amazing school year! 🙂