Let’s look beyond the mask.
Homeschool parents and students must be looking at the problems traditional schools are facing with no small degree of wonderment. As homeschool families require minimal change in their routine, classroom teachers are scrambling to find the balance between in-person and online learning.
Of course some change is inevitable, even for homeschoolers. Soccer matches are on hold, parks and hiking trails closed, even the workout gym isn’t available.
While those closings are disappointing and disturbing, homeschoolers know how to create, to innovate and how to survive mentally and emotionally.
Even if the weekly group meeting is electronic, homeschoolers confidently connect online with other students and parents who understand the dynamic nature of learning and life.
Homeschoolers get it!
They know life changes daily, yet they continue to grow as individuals and community. Every day is an adjustment to change, some changes subtle, others profound. Families who homeschool are not totally controlled by autocratic decision makers or government decrees.
The homeschool system of learning is founded on solid learning principles, one of which is that you confidently adjust as needed to a changing environment. There is no waiting for extended committee meetings or infinitely delayed administrative dictum. Your mind matters most and enables you to make the proper decisions in this rapidly changing cultural environment.
In fact, the present pandemic can become an effective teaching tool, integrating something real in our lives with traditional “school stuff.” This integration, while not in the books, can create lifelong learning while increasing our analytic ability, knowledge base and creativity skills.
It’s not in the books, but who cares!
Actually, it’s in life… and we should all care!
Take a close look at the following list of how the Covid-19 Pandemic is related to traditional school courses.
1. History: What are some historical worldwide pandemics?
2. Math: Plotting various graphs of infections, hospitalizations, deaths, etc.
3. English: Write short stories or poems about masked people and not seeing smiles.
4. Science: How does a virus differ from bacteria?
5. Politics: Does the pandemic being continued favor one political party over another?
6. Literature: Is this a sequel to 1984 or Brave New World?
7. Debate: Government Control versus Individual Independence.
8. Physical Education: Build a workout place using household items.
9. Economics: Why are some business essential, others not?
10. Art: Depict peaceful protests and violent riots in watercolor.
11. Music: Compose mood music or words showing internal emotions of the elderly currently living in nursing homes.
12. Psychology: Dig deep. What’s going on in your mind?
13. Technology: What would this be like if we didn’t have our smart devices?
Those suggestions listed above are only kick-starters for our minds. Each of those sections can have multiple related assignments. Start with a blank paper and do a mind-map of where you can go with each of these.
Always look at the bigger picture.
Face the truth. We are in a pandemic and it is not fun. It isn’t fun, but we can learn from it. We must not become victims of media manipulations. It is critical we keep our minds alert and active. By looking seriously at the relationship between the pandemic and real learning we may find relationships of a greater nature than first appears.
Our nation was founded on solid principles based on genuine truths. Our independent minds must continue to be focused on those truths. We need to continue that tradition. We cannot allow anarchy and riots to change the nature of our country.
Fight the fight.
Keep the faith.