Most modern homeschoolers know that the “at home” part of that title is a misnomer. U.S. parents are facing a simultaneous increase in remote and hybrid work opportunities and the significant increase in the percentage of homeschooling families. There is markedly more time for parents and caregivers to take opportunities to take field trips, travel, and incorporate much more into the school day than workbooks and problem sets.
We are registered as homeschoolers with our district. As part of that, we provide both a homeschool plan and a comprehensive portfolio of dated work back to our home district each year. In the past year (2023-2024 school year) of homeschooling we took 33 history field trips, 11 science field trips and 12 art-related field trips. It’s been remarkable to see how many educational opportunities we have in New England!
This year I took a job outside the home but this expanded our homeschooling outside the home. My children attend Kalexedy Learning Center three days a week and the other two days learn (and adventure) with their father (also a professional educator). As a Learning Center in Massachusetts, Kalexedy is able to be a place where parents and students can be the primary decision makers about their educational path, while still having the opportunity to learn and socialize with peers. The flexibility of the model allows for part-time enrollment (like my kids) or full-time enrollment (like a typical school).
I am excited for the flexibility that a situation like this would provide for families that work remotely, hybrid, or full-time outside the home and still want to homeschool. Yesterday, after we were all finished with our academic work and enrichments, our teens and tweens practiced a dance together and it made me feel so good that we were able to support socializing and provide an environment where they will make lifelong friends. I was worried that we would miss out on those experiences when we began homeschooling, and I’m grateful we found an academic home here.
This past week we have had several visitors to our space that were new to the concept of a microschool that supports the diverse learning needs of students. Each person has left with the sentiment that they wish they had this for themselves or their child. It’s clear to anyone who walks through our door that this isn’t a typical school, in fact it’s been intentionally designed to not look like one. It’s the absolute highest praise to hear this sentiment of “I wish I had this!” from a parent or community member. If your family has found that your middle grade or high school age student isn’t flourishing in their current learning environment, stop by – we have many events open to the public wherein you could take a walk around, meet our staff and maybe even play a new game! We suggest you bring your child(ren), but don't be surprised if you see them quickly pulled into the activity of the moment. The joy is infectious and the opportunities abound outside the home.
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