Are Most Homeschoolers Using Online Academies Now?

[Ellie]

On 3/9/2024 at 5:03 PM, historically accurate said:

When I started my last job, the lady who trained me (I was replacing her) homeschooled her 5 middle and elem ed aged kids. The manager, in our introduction, shared that we both homeschooled, and so she asked me what I used. I have learned not to overwhelm people with a long explanation since I don't use the same for each kid and everything comes from various vendors. So, I basically said, "I use Build your Library as the base and I pick out lots of books I want them to know in all the other areas." Her response was, "We use [insert some online academy, I don't remember which one]. They do it at the babysitter's in the morning, so I don't have to do the homeschooling when I get home! You should look into it; you wouldn't have to read so many books." Super ironic as the job is in a library.

That's so tragic.

[MiddleCourt]

The people I know who homeschooled pre-covid typically seem more interested in piecing together curriculum that best works for each child- they’re much more traditional in their homeschooling approach. They *chose* homeschooling, for whatever reason, but the reasons tend to be based on interest in homeschooling and the belief they can give their child a superior education.
 

Post covid homeschoolers I know tend to be very different. I’m painting with a broad brush here, but most don’t seem interested in the actual homeschooling part. They just don’t want their kids in public schools. A PP said it perfectly- they’re public school refugees. But they haven’t adopted a homeschooling mindset. They drop their kids off at every program they can find and are out of the house most days of the week. These tend to be, but not limited to, parents of young kids who weren’t in school yet when COVID hit.

[Clemsondana]

We know several people who use 2-3 day/week hybrid schools.  Some of them call it 'sort-of homeschooling' or 'not really homeschooling', so they definitely see a difference between that and more traditional homeschooling.  There are some CC groups, and in the facebook for the area I see people recommend Acellus and similar programs.  But, among most people that we know families do things at home or mix-and-match various things.  Part of that is probably because our co-op, which is a once/week a la carte program, offers only enrichment classes for K-5.  Every now and then somebody new will ask about offering phonics or some other core class and the leadership responds that core elementary classes can't be taught once/week so families need to take ownership of those things.  In middle and high school we have a mix of core and enrichment, with some families choosing to take many core classes, others choosing mostly enrichment, and others choosing a mix. 

I've done different things with my 2 kids because they are so different.  My older ( a senior) has done many home-designed interest-based classes.  i outsourced foreign language and English because I knew we had co-op teachers who were passionate about their subjects, and kid loved their classes.  Kid took a smattering of other academic classes but also great enrichment classes. Sometimes enrichment classes get turned into a credit - ballroom dance counted as fine arts for one kid, and PE for the other.  Others, like chess, were just for fun.  This kid also self-studied for several APs and has taken several DE courses.  Every year we sat down together and talked about what to do for various subject areas and asked what would be interesting to do for electives, while I made sure that we checked boxes for our umbrella.  

My younger will be taking more core classes at co-op and has used Derek Owens for math.  This isn't because I doubt my ability to teach - it's because this kid has some struggles that make it better for our family if most deadlines and grades come from somebody other than me.  I wish it were different, but its not.

My younger has encountered a kid on the club volleyball team who says that they are homeschooled but use an online program that only takes an hour a day.  Even my kid who fights school has said 'That's not real homeschooling' and believes that's a ridiculously small amount of work.  My kids have worked hard enough and learned enough that they don't like people thinking that their day looks like that.  We have been so fortunate to get no pushback from anybody - kids on ball teams ask curiosity questions, but nobody seems to believe that they aren't learning - that they don't want other people getting the impression that homeschooling means 'no work'.  

[frogger]

Well, most of my buddies have been homeschooling a long time. There are reasons they might max out and use online when you have many kids in Junior high and high school. Potter's School, Wilson Hill, WTM, and schole are popular but it is usually for one or maybe 2 classes not everything. That being said, a lot of us old timers look for in person classes first as teens need social time too. I have an English major who teaches in my living room twice a week for example so there can be actual literature discussions. 

 

I know a couple who kind of were pushed into homeschooling not by choice. Public schools were not helping or handling their children well. They tend to use online things like Acellus or computerized things like Teaching Textbooks. 

[Dmmetler]

M and C are doing a 2 day a week tutorial/UMS, because all the adults who are actively involved are working and it's a lot easier for us to provide homework support/supervision than to create whole classes. And they both want time with other teens. We had a nice, regular social schedule, but having a year of all our groups not happening broke those connections, and while the families with younger kids are doing field trips and have a co-op again, that never came back for teens. 

 

FWIW, enrollment for single online classes for enrichment seems to be down across the board. 

[Langell0002]

It blows my mind, the posts in our area's homeschool group.  Most are "what online academy are you using?" Or, "does some well known curriculum offer video lessons for kindergarten,  because I can't teach my child," to my all time most frustrating phrase, "I just pulled my kid from 10th grade and we are getting it done in sixty minutes a day! Go homeschool!" 

[Clarita]

17 minutes ago, Langell0002 said:

"does some well known curriculum offer video lessons for kindergarten,  because I can't teach my child,"

I joined a math curriculum Facebook group because we are using the math curriculum. I dislike the fact that the math curriculum offers video lessons and online because a lot of the posts are can my 5 year old do the video/online option independently. Mixed with the occasional my student has been doing this independently for a while and I've realized they have a few gaps or they don't really know how to do the math. What do I do? 

I think Facebook groups sometimes just attracts certain people.

[HazelAnne]

Most homeschoolers I know do not use online schools. A few do one or two classes online, but most seem to do weekly or twice a week co-ops/tutorials. The ones at co-ops use a wide variety of curriculum at home. After 10+ years of homeschooling, I only know one homeschooling family who doesn’t do some type of in-person classes. (Though, I suppose that simply may be because that’s where I’ve often met homeschooling families).

[Langell0002]

I asked a mom in our local group who was very vocal about only doing an hour per day, via MiaAcademy.  She said her 6th and 7th graders do math every day. Then one subject per day.  So Language Arts is one day, Reading another, Social Studies  another, and Science.  And that's it.  And that they are testing to 9th to 11th grade levels.  I'm mind blown. In all honesty, if that works, it's awesome.   But is that possible?  I'm slogging through seven subjects a day and my kid doesn't mind, she's used to it.  But is it possible to do one hour a day and be college ready?   Just math takes us 45 minutes!

[ScoutTN]

@Langell0002 I have only had one homeschooled high schooler, and that one has processing speed issues, but she did 5-8 hours 5 days/week. Occasional weekend work from outsourced classes. Usually 6 credits per year.

[Langell0002]

So I'm not crazy?  It takes 5 to 8 hours in high school, right?  I was beginning to doubt myself because I'm fairly new, homeschooling 7 years now, and literally every person I meet is using an online academy that takes an hour a day.  I want to be welcoming to all, but when people brag about how they don't have to teach their kids because they do online for an hour a day, I'm just not seeing that as homeschooling, or giving a good education in general. 

[8filltheheart]

1 hour ago, Langell0002 said:

 But is it possible to do one hour a day and be college ready?  

No way. Not only will they not be college ready academically, they won't be college ready for the actual college class workload. 

I have graduated 6 kids already, and our 7th is a 12th grader. High school is 7-9 hrs here. My 8th grader puts in 6 hrs plus 2+ hrs of violin practice daily.

ETA: an hr is the equivalent of 1 single class in our home (or less than 1 class for some subjects. Math/science/ English (writing and literature) all tend to take 1 hr minimum each. Many days are closer to 90 mins.

Edited March 25 by 8filltheheart

[Dmmetler]

Honestly, I'm not sure that L hasn't had a lighter load all the way through college thus far than in high school....

[Clarita]

An hour can't be enough for high school. At least an hour is what it takes for me to just cover math, reading and writing with my kindergartener and first grader. Homework for college was also more than an hour a day.

[wendyroo]

Well, my 9th grader is at the public school this semester, and he isn't really learning for much more than 2 hours a day.

The school day runs for 6 hours and 40 minutes, but 40 minutes total is passing time between classes, and 30 minutes is lunch.

So that gets us down to 5.5 hours in class, but his (school issued) Chromebook log frequently shows that he is spending 3+ hours each day playing games after his work is done, so that gets him down to 2-2.5 hours at most of learning. Subtract interruptions, announcements, passing out supplies, etc, and he is probably under 2 hours a day...and he is getting 95-115% in each of his upperclass, college prep courses.

Last semester, when he was homeschooled, he was staying productively busy for 8+ hours a day, but much of it did not look much like "school". He spent on average 2 hours a day on math, writing, history reading and his DE science class. The rest of his days were filled with art classes, Lego robotics, reading literature of his choosing, hanging out at DE office hours asking all sorts of astronomy questions he was interested in, playing chess with his Spanish tutor, Dungeons and Dragons club, student teaching, watching Wondrium lectures, etc.