Tears & Laughter: Don’t let school get in the way of your child’s education

When school starts this year, I will have been a homeschool mom for 21 years. And in those just over 20 years of educating my children at home I have learned one thing, there will always be a need for “real” schools…because not everybody should homeschool.

Once upon a time, entire communities thought people like me were crazy as hell to attempt to homeschool. They would ask deep, prying questions about how the kids would be socialized or how they could ever grow up to play professional ball?  Didn’t we worry about them not having the opportunity to be homecoming queen? And, how is an average person qualified to teach?

There has also always been curiosity about what time school starts at home, what time is bedtime, and are children allowed to do school in their pajamas?

I say curious. Some people were critical.

The majority of people up until now were under the assumption that you had to live like Mennonite’s in order to homeschool. I can assure everyone that assumption is false. It has nothing to do with religion, or at least it didn’t in my case. I live in Wilcox County. That was my case. That is still my case. It was simple, I didn’t feel the school my kids would have been obligated to go to was good enough. It was – and is – operated by wonderful people who try their best and give their all, but I had to pass.

And I had approached it with an open mind. I checked it out. I drove to the school, whirled around in the parking lot, and immediately I knew I was about to enter into a homeschooling lifestyle. I couldn’t believe people paid money to let their kids go there. And I don’t mean that critically, that was just my reaction. I had to make sure I was even at the right place, because I had heard so much about this school. I had not been in Camden long at the time, plus I had attended public school, I probably didn’t know how to appreciate what I was seeing.

There are some kids that are just naturally smart. Genetics can do that. If a child has a smart dad and an intelligent mom, chances are learning won’t be a challenge. There are homes that will serve as exceptional learning environments filled with the best of books, educational resources, and specialized curriculums chosen specifically to suit the needs and interests of each child.

That’s kind of one of the homeschooling secrets. A huge part of it is setting up a proper place to learn. Fill their world with educational opportunities. That is why it is so often referred to as a lifestyle. You have to create a way of living that encompasses providing an education. This will include the way you live and your way of interacting with your children. It is highly important that life be functional. Your home has to become an atmosphere conducive to learning. It needs to be fairly organized, and it has to be peaceful.

One of the most crucial factors of successful homeschooling is for a family to want to do it – for them to make the choice – as opposed to feeling ambushed by Covid-19.

Not every home can provide a proper learning environment. Not every parent is capable of teaching. Not every parent wants to. Not every child learns like a sponge. For some students the only place they have any chance of getting a proper education is in a structured classroom. For others their teachers are the only examples of normality they have in their lives. The safest place for some students is at school, because the risks they face at home may be far more dangerous than the risk of getting Coronavirus.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of The West Alabama Watchman.

Amanda Walker is a contributor with AL.com, The Selma Times Journal, Thomasville Times, West Alabama Watchman, and Alabama Gazette. Contact her at Walkerworld77@msn.com or at https://www.facebook.com/AmandaWalker.Columnist.