News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The number of parents considering home schooling is on the rise since the pandemic, but how do you know if it’s right for you?
Jami Thornsberry and Adonna Pryor have collectively home schooled for 30 years. Pryor said she recommends parents make a living document of reasons why home schooling is good for you.
“It is important that you keep reminding yourself why you are doing this, why you left and why you want to continue to stay,” Pryor said. “There are going to be days you are frustrated and you are down and you really do not believe you can carry on. And, it helps to have that hope, have that knowledge of this is why I am doing what I am doing.”
Thornsberry said parents should not make homeschooling a reaction to COVID but consider the overall goal.
“When they are considering this because of a possible shutdown, they are not really looking at the big picture of this,” Thornsberry. “They are just trying to get by. That puts a lot of pressure on a parent.
Pryor said the biggest benefit of home schooling is getting to see your child develop daily. Being able to tailor your child’s education is also one of the biggest benefits of home schooling.
“I see an increase in my children in wisdom and in maturity and a gentleness,” Pryor said. “I see a character I would not see if they were in another setting.”
Thornsberry said a big misconception of teaching home school is if a parent is capable of instructing. Thornsberry said you do not have to know everything. You just need to know your child.
“As you walk with them, the relationship is really bonded through that learning together and exploring things together,” Thornsberry said. “As a mom, it is okay to say you do not know the answer to that, but we are going to find that out together.”
Both parents agreed that home schooling is for all socioeconomic backgrounds. Pryor said in her years of instruction, she has learned home schooling is not specific to any group of people.
During an average day of instruction, each parent spent no more than four hours of table top work. Thornsberry said the remainder of the teaching is through experiments and exploring outdoors.
