Quick opinions needed ...

[luckymom]

If you had to describe the difference between doing school at home (what has happened to many public/private school families because of the pandemic) and homeschooling, what would you say?  

[Wheres Toto]

Who has control.   Do the parents pick out the curriculum, set up the schedule, decide the pace, and make the plans?  Homeschooling.   Does the school pick the curriculum, say when it needs to be done?  School at Home.

[Slache]

"Homeschooling is a lifestyle; school at home is a chore." -DH

[luckymom]

A lot of parents who never intended to homeschool and found themselves at home trying to manage their kids' zoom time with teachers think that that is what homeschooling is and they have not liked it.  They are asking me "if that's not homeschooling, then what is?"  I know what I think, but I want to give a solid answer that is helpful, honest and inspiring. 

[knittingout]

7 minutes ago, Where's Toto? said:

Who has control.   Do the parents pick out the curriculum, set up the schedule, decide the pace, and make the plans?  Homeschooling.   Does the school pick the curriculum, say when it needs to be done?  School at Home.

This is what I would say. 

 

 As a home schooling parent I have the authority to say ' you know what we are going to skip this, or even trash this whole book' 

With schooling at home be that public or privet the parent is just the enforcer and has no authority to change anything. 

[73349]

I'm the superintendent, principal, and teacher of my homeschool. I have to comply with the law, including maintaining attendance and standardized testing records. I set the yearly calendar, daily schedule, curriculum, scope and sequence, grading policy, field trip policy, internet use policy, make-up work policy, everything. I set the goals and write the report card; I determine eligibility for participating in extracurriculars and for promotion to the next grade.

If you're the one who decides what grade each child is in, what subjects are offered, whether today is a school day and what needs to be done and how, you're homeschooling.

[Loowit]

I define it by what is the legal designation.  In my state that is narrowly defined as the parent doing the instruction, along with a list of requirements that need to be met to be a legal home educator.  If they are under the jurisdiction of a public or private school, then it is school at home.

[8filltheheart]

Our homeschool is nothing like a public school classroom.  We don't use textbooks for most subjects (math and high school science our 2 exceptions).  It is a lifestyle of reading and exploring topics of interest.  Here is blog post I wrote about designing a course on China....it might help give you an idea: https://treasuredconversations.wpcomstaging.com/2018/04/27/creating-a-reading-list-china/

[Lori D.]

I see the big difference as coming down to: Who is the administrator of the child's education? AND, what does the educational process look like?

School at home administration = the school's administration is ultimately responsible, AND the school receives funds for each child to pay for expenses of education (public/charter schools receive state funds per child; private schools charge tuition per child). Parents often oversee homework, but are NOT responsible for teaching the material -- instructors are paid through the school's funding to do the teaching, whether that is in person; online through Zoom classes; or as the teacher support for a K-12 virtual charter. The school's administration is paid to:
     - maintain student records and creates transcripts
     - award diplomas
     - plan the course of study and the schedule
     - select/pay for curricula
     - plan/pay for the bulk of expenses for possible extracurriculars (sports, after school clubs, music/art options, etc.).
    - teachers are paid to instruct/grade assignments; maintain paperwork; fulfill other duties the school requires of them

School at home educational process
- course of study is cookie-cutter one-size for all
- designed to aid classroom management
- little-to-no ability to adjust for individual needs
- usually uses traditional teaching methods and materials -- frequently textbooks, workbooks, and a few group projects
- teachers are paid to not only instruct, but also to grade student work
- time must be spent by the teacher on non-teaching or non-prep tasks (e.g.: study hall monitor)
- atmosphere by necessity needs to be formal, top-down, with little student discussion/interactions except during specific times/activities

Homeschool administration = the parent is not only the tutor/teacher, but also the administrator and overseer of the child's education. Typically, homeschoolers do NOT receive funding for their child's education unless in specific states or operating under specific cover programs. Parents are responsible for teaching the material as well as tutoring/mentoring when material is not immediately understood, or is done as "after school hours" work. Parents are not paid to do the teaching. Parents are their children's unpaid educational administrators:
     - maintains student records and creates transcripts
     - awards diplomas
     - plans the course of study and the schedule
     - researches/selects/pays for curricula
     - plans/pays for all expenses for possible extracurriculars
    - parent is NOT paid, but pours in hours to research/select materials; develop scope of study; tutor/teach/grade; facilitate for special needs

Homeschool educational process
- individualized learning to support passions/interests
- ability to adjust pace to fit the individual student's needs
- ability to adjust course of study as desired/needed
- uses widely varying methods to enable learning
- uses a wide variety of resources, activities, and opportunities -- books, videos, feature films, theater presentations, websites, community activities and opportunities, inviting in a knowledgable guest speaker, hands-on projects...
- atmosphere tends to be informal, relaxed, with frequent and developed parent-child interactions and relationships 

Edited August 12, 2020 by Lori D.

[luckymom]

Thank you for taking the time to answer!  

 

[Ellie]

4 hours ago, luckymom said:

If you had to describe the difference between doing school at home (what has happened to many public/private school families because of the pandemic) and homeschooling, what would you say?  

I try not to get to philosophical, because that's a no-win.

If the children are still enrolled in the local public school, it's school at home. Many people are crisis schooling; they're waiting for instructions from their dc's schools, they're getting the computers all set up, they're just facilitating what the school is mandating.

If the parents have complied with whatever the homeschool laws might be in their states, it's private homeschooling. If they're paying for their own instructional materials, even if that includes ABeka online instruction, AND the children are learning in their own homes, it's private homeschooling.

If the parents are buying their own materials but sending their dc to learn with other, unrelated children and being overseen by a facilitator of some kind, I don't even know what that is, but it isn't homeschooling. Maybe a private school (although it's much harder to do that in some states than in others).

[Shoeless]

With School-at-home, the focus is on meeting the requirements of an outside body: the school.

With Homeschooling, the focus is on meeting the needs of the child.