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Pain Points! Parents’ FAQs about Homeschooling and School Placements
Worried about joining or starting a microschool or homeschooling? It’s certainly a big step, and with so many factors to consider, it can be scary! We’ll address some of the biggest concerns that we hear from parents like you. Do we have what it takes? Will my child have any friends? For most, this is […]
Pain Points! Parents’ FAQs about Homeschooling and School Placements Read More »
Worried about joining or starting a microschool or homeschooling? It’s certainly a big step, and with so many factors to consider, it can be scary!
We’ll address some of the biggest concerns that we hear from parents like you.
Do we have what it takes? Will my child have any friends?
For most, this is a big decision which requires a major commitment. A parent’s commitment and love for their children is the driving factor to continue providing opportunities for them to learn at their own pace. One of the biggest insights we hear from people who do it successfully is that the love and trust in itself provides the most important ingredient to the child’s learning. Children are wired to learn, constantly, and will do so in any environment. So the “following through” is more of a commitment to providing a safe and loving space than it is to hiring the very best tutors and standing over your children to ensure they stay focused.
There are pros and cons to have more relationships outside the home. Many homeschooling parents report that children who are able to adjust well within the family then go on to have stronger social ties with their peers. They respond well to peer-pressure and other influences in the world.
This is an opportunity for the parent and child to build intimacy and trust as they learn from and with one another, and while they enjoy each other’s company. The bond formed through these years may be more likely to last throughout the lives of the parent and the children as they become adults. When your children encounter petty or serious problems in their teens, who’s counsel will they seek, yours or their peers?
Kids need peer relationships, but many traditional schools manage to both overwhelm and fall short in this area. There are 1000 other kids at school they could and will be influenced by, for better and worse, but they are also bound to their grade levels. How many of us who grew up in traditional schools knew everything about our classmates after 12 years, and next to nothing about the kids born in any other year? Having a handful of diverse friends, whose families you know and trust, is an ideal and attainable situation for homeschoolers and microschoolers.
How do I get my child to study even when I’m busy?
Parents, especially those without a partner, always have their hands full but can also be creative and efficient. For example, including the children in chores makes learning more fun, and is a real way to shorten the to-do list.
Micro schools and homeschools typically do not require students to be in class full-time or sit through a module fully prepared by the teacher. The child is much less likely to feel constricted, like they are being put in a box. This gives room for the parents to focus on the need of their children at their own pace.
Incorporating game time, chore time, me time, study time throughout the day may take more time to establish and negotiate, but as it becomes more seamless and familiar those boundaries will be more respected and just part of normal life. Involve them in the process that is enjoyable for both of you.
Regarding the curriculum, not every child thrives with the heavy reading and writing found in traditional schools. There are children who learn better from kinesthetic activities and others who prefer to sit and draw. The parent is in a much better position to learn and respond to their children’s needs, required for happy engagement.
How do I keep it cool?
Being in the same space with your child during the developmental stage is the best — when you’re not stepping on each other’s toes or interfering with each other’s work. As wonderful as it can be to explore your children’s interests, pet peeves, desires, and skills, we all need a break sometimes. It’s essential to showing up at your best, and as a positive influence.
The best solution here may be the one right in front of you! It’s easy to see the digital gadgets as a curse, and we all agree children should not be raised by the television or tablet. But they can be used to enhance learning and make it more fun. Research shows that game play helps to exercise (and motivate) our mental muscles. Children are more motivated to learn from a game. The book How Gamification Shapes Learning points out that it also serves to remedy the boredom that so often leads to difficult learning experiences. Yes, the disturbing aspects of the internet and devices seem to be encroaching on our peaceful spaces more and more, but the software and apps for education are also getting better, and more fun, every year.
Making it all work…
Achievement, learning and growing, for you and your child, does not necessarily mean ticking something off a list. Instead, it’s about making the most of what you have—time, gadgets, skills and your relationship. The aim is to strengthen the connection and build the relationship as the ultimate safeguard against any threat or springboard to your child’s greatest ambitions.
If you want to explore more about homeschooling and micro schools, let us know. We’d love to hear from you. Contact us through https://thenewschools.com/contact-us/.
The New Schools: Our Purpose and Objectives
Why does The New Schools exist? Our main mission revolves around improving the health and well-being of children, through educating and inspiring adults to strengthen their communities, create environments that foster play and to communicate effectively and peacefully. We are delving into the education field because of multiple reasons. One is that the team has the passion
Why does The New Schools exist?
Our main mission revolves around improving the health and well-being of children, through educating and inspiring adults to strengthen their communities, create environments that foster play and to communicate effectively and peacefully. We are delving into the education field because of multiple reasons. One is that the team has the passion for teaching and learning and so this project will serve as our personal and professional development pathway. We are also highly curious to learn about all the different components and strategies that constitute the success of the new schools.
Most importantly, we are doing this because of the kids. They are spending half or more of their waking lives in schools and we want to show the world how these new learning environments serve and protect their rights and individual needs.
Our Objectives
Here is a list of objectives that we have planned out and if you would like to see the specific and time-bound version, please refer to The New School Roadmap V2.0.
- To showcase various learning environments of kids that are not in the regular school setting: homeschool, mircroschool, alternative school, pop-up schools, forest schools, etc.
- To learn from founders, researchers and administrators of these institutions about how kids learn best, how to provide a conducive learning environment, how to develop the curriculum, how to engage learners, etc.
- To find happy kids who are proud to show their learning community.
- To educate parents about alternative school choices.
- To invite/motivate educators to form microschools
- To help parents make the choice to homeschool/join a coop/microschool, etc
- To add value to the education field by raising awareness or creating a community. Joining a existing team is also still an option if we find one. We will find existing teams in communities when we start researching how to create one.
- To be able to help in school improvement solutions in the future.
Stay tuned for more news on The New Schools!
The Old Schools vs. The New Schools: Student-Centered Learning
“Old ways wont open new doors.” ~ Unknown A traditional American school has 15-25 students in a class. Children have basic needs provided – food, technology and trained adults to lead their daily academic routines with results-driven academic programs. They have access to libraries, sports and entertainment facilities too. All these affordances sound great to
The Old Schools vs. The New Schools: Student-Centered Learning Read More »
“Old ways wont open new doors.” ~ Unknown
A traditional American school has 15-25 students in a class. Children have basic needs provided – food, technology and trained adults to lead their daily academic routines with results-driven academic programs. They have access to libraries, sports and entertainment facilities too. All these affordances sound great to most parents. But what else could a typical child, age 6 onwards, be missing?
What are the new schools? Are they always “Micro” schools?
The New Schools we will feature are typically much smaller than traditional schools. We use the word micro schools to signify their size, as they may have very different philosophies. These schools’ main goal is to provide a better learning environment that celebrates and fosters the brightness of each child. Here is a table guide for us in identifying them:
| What they are: | What they are NOT: |
| Typically created by passionate parents who insist on better options than what is available to their families publicly. Fewer than 200 or even 10 students Many of them have thrown out traditional concepts such as grading or segregating students by age. They have enough structure and stability to allow parents to keep their day jobs, by providing a physical space for kids most days of the week. | A traditional public or private school A single family homeschooler An online class A social club A childcare or daycare center A facebook group that meets once or twice a week |
How are old schools and new schools different?
The main difference between the old schools and the new schools is the use of student-centered learning approaches where children take an active role in knowledge-building. Learning activities are personalized to make the experience meaningful, relevant, engaging and responsive to students’ unique needs and preferences. Students in new schools normally struggle to thrive in traditional school settings where the learning activities are often directed by teachers as the authoritative figure in the classroom.
Borrowing from Krista Kaput’s study on Evidences for Student Centered Learning, we distinguish them further:
| Old Schools | New Schools | |
| Knowledge | Usually transmitted from instruction. Information usually comes from the teacher. | Created by students and the source of information can come from different content sources including the students themselves. |
| Participation | Students are passive receivers of information. | Students have ownership of their learning track. They are actively engaged in projects, discourse and collaborative tasks. |
| Role of Teacher | Leader/Authority | Facilitator/Partner in Learning |
| Assessments | Competitive | Competency-based – Students move ahead when they have reached mastery. |
| Learning Environment | Students are usually confined to their desks and classrooms. | Anytime, Anywhere Learning Flexible Learning Environments. |
| Basic Needs | Limited Food Subsidies. Kids have minimal play and movement time. Academic requirements leave children with stress. | Addresses Whole Child Needs. Understands the need for movement, play and socio-emotional support. |
Traditional public or private schools may have been recently embracing student-centered learning approaches but microschools (being small and independent institutions) have the agility and freedom to prioritize the rights and needs of each child.
Are you an advocate for play and meeting children’s holistic educational needs? Where will your child’s needs best be served?
What other ideas can you add to the above comparison of old and new schools that we may have not mentioned?
Source: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED581111.pdf https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/node/1206