KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The pandemic is not just changing how students return to school. For many families, it's changing whether they go back at all.
More parents are deciding to homeschool their children across the U.S. Specific reasons varied for families, from parents having kids with special educational needs, or saying their local school isn’t safe enough to return.
The Knox County parents will need to appeal to move their kids to virtual learning this year, causing them to switch entirely to homeschooling. Some think the choice isn't healthy for social development, but a group of homeschooling moms wants to change that stereotype.
“Nobody is behind. We’re all in the same boat right now. We’re all in the together," Mary Barth said.
Barth has been homeschooling her twins for years and lately, she’s been guiding others who want to make the switch.
“I know from friends who have kids that are going back and forth. They really feel like their kids are struggling,” she said.
The state said test scores are continuing to drop dramatically because of the pandemic but Barth said for her children, it’s the opposite. She said they have blossomed while learning from home.
Parents acknowledged that homeschooling can carry a stigma, as kids have fewer opportunities to socialize with other students. Barth and her homeschooling friend Chrissie Batts said that’s a misconception.
“Socialization happens in so many other forms it doesn’t just happen in a classroom with peers their same age, because who does that their entire life?” Barth said.
“We go to the park and we’ll do school by the creek and take a break and go hike for a little bit before we get back to it,” Batts said.
Ben Harrington is the CEO of the Mental Health Association of Tennessee and says there are ways to grow your child’s social skills without a classroom too, emphasizing that isolation and loneliness can cause problems with children's mental health.
He said parents should take their kids on field trips and other excursions because that can have a positive impact on youth development.
These two and other moms in the homeschool community stick together. They take the kids out together to do lessons at educational spots in town like the museum or the zoo.
Both moms agree there’s something new about each day. Thursday afternoon, it was horticulture and agriculture. Young Charlie Batts especially loves outdoor activities, he said while feeding some chickens in the backyard.
“I just love how you can change it up a little bit, do fun things,” Charlie said.
These homeschooling mothers want parents who are thinking about homeschooling their child not to believe everything they hear. Batts has a close family member who did virtual learning last school year and said it was a major hassle to keep their child focused on a computer screen for 8 hours a day.
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“I think the biggest thing that I would say to people who have virtual schooled for the last year is that homeschooling is nothing like that. They’re completely different,” Batts said.
There are also several support groups to help parents make the transition.
“When we started down this homeschooling journey, I was nervous, and I felt am I going to do my kids a disservice. Am I going to be good enough and you are good enough? You love your kids more than anyone else. Not to mention you have a much better teacher to student ratio,” she said.
Several places in East Tennessee offer events to homeschoolers, even Dollywood has a “homeschool day” each year. There are also wildlife courses at Zoo Knoxville. If you want to enroll, do it fast because spots are filling quickly. To learn more about these courses, click here.