Local home-school families say a common misunderstanding about that educational model has emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic: Home schooling and receiving remote lessons at home from a child's school are two entirely different systems.
In home schooling, parents or legal guardians are in charge of the education of their children, whereas in at-home learning from an established school, the teachers and administrators are the ones in charge.
"In remote schooling, you're still tied to the district, the district's curriculum. The teacher is overseeing their work. . . . It's still school, but at home," said Mare Dianora, a Sag Harbor parent of two who has home-schooled for six years. "I do hand my kids over to many other activities and workshops, classes, and mentors, but I'm not getting instruction from anybody to do that. This is not an assignment from a teacher; this is their interests and what's available in our community and beyond. I think it definitely provides a different level of flexibility."
According to New York State guidelines, parents who home-school their children are required to submit a formal "letter of intent" to their public school district superintendent. They must develop or choose an "individual home instruction plan" and are required to provide the school with quarterly reports on their children's academic progress. At the end of each school year, students must pass a test, though the format of that test can be flexible.
Educators and parents say this is where it gets confusing: During remote at-home learning through regular schools, there may still need to be parental involvement or some sort of adult supervision and care, particularly for young children who need help setting up their computers, making lunch, and staying safe.
Those wishing to learn more about home schooling can find information from New York State online at bit.ly/3baVbhC. Those wishing to learn more about remote public school plans can visit their respective districts' websites.
"If you are considering home schooling, don't feel the need to create school at home," Ms. Dianora said. "My kids aren't sitting at the kitchen table for eight hours a day doing textbooks. . . . It's really a lot of fun, and I think giving your kids the freedom to explore their own curiosity and having ownership over their own learning will be very rewarding for the kids and the families."
Ms. Dianora will lead an online question-and-answer session about home schooling Thursday night at 7 p.m. through the John Jermain Memorial Library. The website for registration is johnjermain.org.