By John Edelson, Founder and President of Time4Learning
It has been remarkable to witness the growth of homeschooling during the past two years. This growth can be largely attributed to the global pandemic, as millions of families were faced with the challenges of remote learning in Zoom-type classroom settings. As children struggled, many families migrated to homeschooling as a way to take control of where, when, and how their children learned.
Two years later, the movement is growing strong as the percentage of families homeschooling in the U.S. has tripled. Today, nearly 4 million children (K-12) are homeschooled in the U.S., according to recent data.
As we approach the New Year, I would like to offer my thoughts on the future of homeschooling with a few predictions for 2022, and beyond.
Families Who Began Homeschooling During the Pandemic will Continue
Many families experienced the numerous benefits of homeschooling for the first time in 2020-21, and to their surprise and relief, their kids flourished.
Most parents tried homeschooling in 2021 as a last resort when their children were struggling with remote learning and changing, unsettling environments in schools. They expected to homeschool only during the transitional period until the difficulty was over. In fact, I coined the term “accidental homeschoolers” a dozen years ago to describe these families. The term applies equally well to today’s families who switched during the pandemic.
My prediction is that most of the families who took the leap into homeschooling during the pandemic will continue to homeschool through 2022, and beyond, due to the broad quality-of-life benefits that come with homeschooling.
Will they homeschool forever? Not necessarily, lots of families these days homeschool for four to five years before switching back to school-based education. Time4Learning pioneered the use of a curriculum that closely mirrors what goes on in schools so it becomes easier for families to homeschool for a certain amount of time, and then head back into the school systems.
Homeschooling Goals & Motivations Will Shift
Personal goals and motivations for choosing homeschool will change. I also see many families considering homeschooling due to the long-lasting impacts of COVID-19 on their local school districts, such as school closures, the stressful environment of constantly changing policies, and the declining quality of in-person instruction, which uses a “one-size-fits-all” approach to instruction.
Some school districts and states will mandate masks and vaccines, which will lead many parents to homeschool. In other states and districts, mask mandates will not go into effect, causing some families to homeschool.
Yet another group of families will leave their school districts because of a drastic reduction in the number of teachers, which will lower the quality of education. The staffing shortage in education is a huge challenge, forcing some schools to close certain days of the year, and diminishing the quality of education.
Homeschooling Benefits At Home and in the Conventional Classroom Will Become More Evident
As homeschooling continues to grow, the benefits of homeschooling techniques will become more widely known, discussed, and applied. One such benefit that comes to mind is the innovative self-pacing method of instruction used in high-quality homeschool curricula like Time4Learning. In any classroom, on any subject, about half the students find the pace of instruction to be frustratingly slow. Once students start using an online curriculum that allows them to proceed at their own pace, many will resist moving back to in-person instruction.
I also predict that those who do return to the classroom will bring homeschooling methodologies with them. Traditional classroom instruction will move towards an individually-paced, computer-based method, while the role of the teacher will evolve into that of a coach who helps find resources, identify and address personal challenges, and provide guidance for deeper study in areas of real interest.
Innovative Technology Will Drive Needed Changes in Education
Dramatically-improved digital educational systems will be game-changers. There are many reasons why I foresee this. One reason is that the pandemic made one-to-one computing and home high-speed access the norm and no longer the exception. This allows for schools to really rely on having a solid tech infrastructure which will vastly expand the market. Another set of reasons has to do with the massive increases in tech. There was a period when all the development in EdTech seemed to get spent on switching out of Flash, converting to the modern educational standards, and shifting to modern technology. In most cases, this is behind us and companies are investing enormously in better instruction coupled with much more effective steering of students to the materials best suited to them.
As a father of two, it has been thrilling to witness the rapid evolution of homeschooling during the past two decades. Homeschooling has moved into the mainstream. It will be equally thrilling to witness where it goes from here.
I started homeschooling in summer 2021 after virtual learning ended. I was working a very busy job at home when my kids were attend school virtually with our district.Although I I homeschooled my kids until they begin kindergarten, I was still afraid at the thought homeschooling my children as I am a very impatient person and felt I would fail my kids in some ways. Well during virtual learning I got to see a bit how my kids were being taught and jumping on and off on the computer to assist my 6 year old and assist my 5th grader who threw a tantrum each time it was time for math. It was crazy for me.I left my job after school year ended and took the summer to review with my kids and fill in wherever the gaps and learned additional skills. My son excelled and gets tested and is at a 4 grade level in math and 6th grade level in reading. I don’t think I will send my youngest to full time school as I feel he benefits better with targeted learning at home. My daughter’s language arts has always been 4 grades above level. She is in 6th grade and is at 10th grade level. However, math was a huge challenge. So in our homeschooling we do an accredited program and do reviews on the skilled learned until she masters them.In conclusion, my son was on grade level For language arts and needed additional work and he has excelled. My daughter was behind in math and is now on grade level.My daughter is scared to go back to school because of math. She mentioned, they always went to fast for her and she gets embarrassed to ask questions. I used to think she just gave up. I was wrong.
We really appreciate you stopping by and sharing your experience, Sophie! Wishing you and your family an amazing school year!
Thank you so much for sharing! You mentioned various points in this article! I’m currently 6mths pregnant with two small children ages 3 and 4 years old. The daycare my children attend has been closed on numerous occasions due to Covid instances. I’ve missed work each time because of it. Its too much & something has to be done about it! At this point working from home & homeschooling my children is the safest reliable option !
Thanks for stopping by our blog, Keyon, we’re thrilled to be a resource for you! If you’d like more information about homeschooling, or help getting started, please don’t hesitate to reach out! https://www.time4learning.com/curriculum/contact_us.php
Hello,Brooke has an awesome suggestion: a virtual library/reading program with quizzes! I love that suggestion!! That would be a great tool especially to pair with the Language Arts curriculum!!! I have another suggestion; I would like to see a Health/Physical Education curriculum subject listed on the manifest/roster. So we can describe what we are imparting for Health, such as; foods/nutrition, healthy living, personal care, etc, and describe what activities the children completed for physical education, such as; yoga, swimming, hiking, biking, running, basketball, homeschool field trips, etc. That would mirror some of the curricula in brick and mortar, and round out the school/homeschool experience for the children. Ultimately, they really won’t feel like they are missing out on anything school-related. (That was brought to my attention by my oldest great-grandson).
Thanks for your suggestions, Artemice! We’ll make sure to forward this to our development team!
Thank you, Mr. John Edelson,for creating this awesome curriculum!!!
HI, Artemice! Thank you so much for sharing your experience, and your great testimonial, in the comments of this blog post! We’re thrilled to be a resource for you, and we’re so glad that you’re a part of the Time4Learning family!
We have one child masked up in high school and hating the policies and new way of life and decided our kindergartener would homeschool to have more freedom. She has finished kindergarten at her own pace, faster than m allowed for her when she was in preschool. She finished all of science within a month (remembering all she’s learned which is so amazing to witness) and has been able to take her time through math and language arts with only one chapter to go in each. Two months ahead of what she would have been able to do in a traditional school setting. We couldn’t be more happy with how easy T4L has made our homeschooling experience. Even down to providing the letter and curriculum outline we sent into our school district to get her homeschool exemption. Lastly, we love the option of jumping ahead into first grade so we know what we are in for; what a great feature!
We are so pleased to hear that Time4Learning has been a valuable tool in your homeschooling journey! Thank you for sharing!
I find that homeschooling kids it makes learning fun and helps them build self confidence and more it is helpful to kids with special needs.
Hello Mariam,I am 100% in agreement with everything that you have stated! I have special needs grandchildren that I homeschool!Another boost for our children, that brick and mortar students don’t get to experience much because of budget constraints; HOMESCHOOL FIELD TRIPS, and ACTIVITIES!!! There are a plethora of businesses in many cities that have actual playdate events and activities just for homeschoolers!!!! That gives them a chance to complete some of their schoolwork right at the facility (giving them more of an incentive to complete their work!), socialize, meet other homeschoolers, and have the time of their lives!!! In our area, we have Skyzone, Get Air, Andretti’s, Stone Summit Rock Climbing, Kid’s Paradise, Skating, Homeschool Park and Beach Picnic Meetups all over our state, etc., just to name a few!!!
We agree, Mariam! Thanks so much for stopping by our blog and sharing!
Completely agree. While public schools can’t make everyone, it seems many have stop trying to listen to parents at all. I was always at school volunteering and when the pandemic happen schools shut parents out. And while that may be ok for some my kids don’t go anyway where I’m not aloud to go and see. So we did virtual which was a joke. On and off the computer on zoom all day. So enough was enough and I decided to home school. And while it isn’t easy it’s what’s best for my kids and that makes it worth it. We moved 6 states away this year and so I chose this program to make it easy to keep learning on the go. And I don’t see us stopping home schooling. The flexibility, true one on one education, and the fact my asthmatic kids aren’t on steroids for 9 months out of the year from getting cold after cold. Will keep us home schooling. Love time for learning only thing I would add is a virtual library/ reading program with quizzes.
Hello Brooke,that is an amazing and awesome suggestion!!!”Love time for learning only thing I would add is a virtual library/ reading program with quizzes.” That would be a great tool especially to pair with their Language Arts curriculum!!!!
Thanks for stopping by our blog and sharing your experience, Brooke! We appreciate your feedback about the virtual library/reading program, and will make sure it gets sent to our development team!
I have a disability child how do I go about getting work on her level? She’s in the 1st grade but nowhere near where she needs to be. At her school they no Special Ed teacher for her this year so she’s not learning nothing. I really need to get her back on track. She also needs PT, OT, and Speach how does she get that if we homeschool her? She is getting it at school right now. Do this program have a free learning program for disability, or does the program go by income? We got her through the court system when she was four months old and she’s seven now. We’re only wanting to homeschool because she doesn’t have a teacher. Thanks hope to hear from you soon
Oh and Ms. Huff,The price of the curriculum is so totally worth it!!!!! You will not get this quality of education anywhere!!! I was thankful, shocked, and amazed all at once because I can make my grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s education and lives so much better!!!! Time4Learning Rocks!!!!
Hello Ms. Huff, First let me say that I understand your level of frustration. Now as an educator with a combination of brick and mortar, virtual public school, and homeschooling for 40+ years under my belt, I would like to tell you that you are in the right place with Time4Learning!!!!I homeschooled all of my children from the age of 6 months old until they wanted to go to public school.I now homeschool some of my grandchildren and both of my great-grandchildren.My oldest grandchild I homeschool is 24 years old and Autistic with Epilepsy, (she is learning so much through Time4Learning!!! She is so proud of herself, as are we!!! SHE HAS STARTED RECOGNIZING THE ALPHABETS, LEARNING TO READ, IS COUNTING, RECOGNIZING THE VALUE OF MONEY, AND IS STARTING TO WRITE!!!! She learned absolutely nothing the entire 16 years she went to brick and mortar….she couldn’t read, didn’t know any alphabets, she couldn’t write, NOTHING!!) I started her out with Time4Learning’s Pre-Kindergarten course last year. She is now in Kindergarten!!! I was/am administering her P.T. and her O.T.!!!!!My oldest great-grandchild was struggling and failing in brick and mortar in the 1st grade!! My daughter and I made a conscientious decision to pull him out and put him in a virtual public school for 2nd grade and going forward. We found that he has Multiple Sensory Disorders and medical issues that needed medical attention and medication, which kept him from processing information slow or fast, couldn’t process anything to complete a written assignment ever!!! So, with him being at home with me as the Learning Coach for the virtual public school, he started excelling to the point that he was higher than the top student District-wide in our state! He was even chosen by the school Administrator to represent the school and our region in 4th grade for the Duke University TIP Program, which goes through to the 6th grade. Then, the virtual public school broke away from the K-12 Initiative that governed the virtual school while he was in the 5th grade (2 years ago), and everything went downhill! I had searched and used quite a few curriculums and my great-grandchildren absolutely hated them!!! I stumbled upon Time4Learning!!!! He has excelled almost two grades every year with Time4Learning!!!! He is between 8th and 9th grade this year and he just turned 13 years old!!!I took his younger brother out of brick and mortar because he has the exact same Disorders and medical illnesses and put him in the virtual public school, and took him out at the same time as his older brother in 2nd grade, and started homeschooling them together with Time4Learning and he has excelled almost two grades every year. He is between the 5th and 6th grades and he is 9 years old!!!I am totally pleased with Time4Learning!!! My grandchildren and great-grandchildren can take their time, the curriculum is self-paced, not be beholden to a class schedule, nor a crowded classroom and they have one-on-one attention!!!! I have told so many others about the Awesomeness of Time4Learning!!!! It is the absolute best system I have ever used, and haven’t looked back since!!!!!
Hi Lois! Since we are a curriculum and not a school, our membership is paid monthly. You can always reach out to our customer support team to see if there is anything they can do to help! https://www.time4learning.com/curriculum/contact_us.php
Many states allow homeschoolers to receive services under an IEP, if they were receiving those services before being withdrawn from school. We recommend that you check with your local school to see if that’s something they allow/offer.
With your membership, your student can work at their own pace and at a grade level that aligns with their skill level. Parents have total control and can set each subject at a different grade level if needed, and can make grade level/course changes as often as necessary. This means you can customize the curriculum to your child!
Here is some more info about Time4Learning works: https://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum/how-it-works/
Please don’t hesitate to let us know if we can answer any additional questions or help you get started!
I totally agree! I’m going for homeschool my grand children next year.
Thank you for stopping by our blog, Mariam! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if we can answer any questions for you or help you get started when you’re ready! https://www.time4learning.com/curriculum/contact_us.php
Agreed with many of these predictions. Also as a mother who transitioned to homeschooling during the pandemic, I believe you are correct in predicting what you have, as many of those predictions fit what I believe myself. Thank you for creating Time4Learning. I know many new homeschoolers’ like myself who appreciate having this program and who have started their journey using this. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting, Lisa! We’re thrilled to serve families such as yours and appreciate your kind words. Happy Holidays to you as well! 🙂