How Udemy Can Help You Homeschool
Education shapes future generations. Generations that will eventually be responsible for shaping our world. Because of this, most can agree that education is one of the most important things in life.
But, agreeing on what kind of education is the best for our future generations is another story.
Private school versus public school versus homeschool.
These are the decisions that you, as a parent, have to make. And it can be pretty daunting to decide what is the best path for your child.
But in March of 2020, the world and the parents of future generations were thrown for a loop.
Suddenly, private and public school education was threatened by a virus- Covid-19.
Schools were shut down and switched to virtual instruction. You had to take over the majority of your child’s education. Suddenly, even though most schools were running online, it was like homeschooling chose you.
But there is no need to be overwhelmed. There are great teachers out there creating courses to help parents through homeschooling. In this article, I want to talk about Udemy.com as a resource for homeschooling parents.
What is Homeschooling?
Homeschooling is an alternative option to traditional school systems. Usually, parents that choose to homeschool their children have two options- teach their children themselves or hire tutors/teachers to come to their home to educate their children.
If you are considering homeschooling, it’s important to know that every state has their own guidelines and standards that need to be met in order for a student to be allowed to homeschool[1]. If parents do not follow these guidelines, their child’s education will not be counted and graduation will not be obtained.
If not done properly, legal action could even be taken. It is the law that a child gets an education. They must be enrolled in some form of education[2].
How Covid Has Increased Homeschooling
Homeschooling has been an option for parents long before Covid-19. But with the fear around the virus and school’s not having the adequate equipment to keep students safe, more parents are choosing the homeschool route.
Even if it’s just until a vaccine is found, which could be more than a year, homeschooling parents have a lot on their plate.
Homeschool Overwhelm
When you choose the path of homeschooling, you are taking on the responsibility of teaching your child ALL of the subjects for ALL of the grade levels they have left in their educational journey.
THAT’S AN ENORMOUS RESPONSIBILITY!
On top of that, I’ve seen many ambitious parents in the Facebook groups I am a part of looking to teach other subjects as well. Parents are interested in teaching their children topics that would be deemed as extracurricular in the normal school setting. So what initially seems like four subjects(core-math, history, science, english) is now five or even ten!
As a former English teacher, I had just one subject to teach for an entire year. Navigating just that curriculum was a feat in and of itself. To take on all of the subjects can be EXTREMELY overwhelming. Think about the ones you might not have been so great at when you were in school. Suddenly, you’re expected to teach your child that subject?
Should You Hire Tutors?
Some parents choose to hire tutors for certain subjects. But hiring someone, even if it’s only for an hour a day, can add up to a hefty price.
If you wanted to pay that kind of money for schooling, you could have just enrolled in a private school.
Is there another option? A way to make sure your child gets the best education possible, without back breaking prices and without the headache of trying to teach it themselves?
Thanks to the age of the internet, it is certainly possible to find information on any topic you can think of. And thanks to the internet, experts in those topics can provide educational resources that parents can utilize for homeschooling.
Where can you find these experts?
One of my favorite websites is Udemy.com.
What is Udemy?
Udemy is a great site where experts in a wide range of topics create courses for you to learn from them. And when I say a wide range, I mean a WIDE range!
You can take courses from drawing to stock trading.
A few topics great for homeschooling that I have seen are:
- English Grammar
- Memory & Study Skills
- Math
- Learning Skills
- Self Esteem & Confidence
- Creative Writing
- Goal Setting
- SO MUCH MORE!
Some of the courses are completely free! And the ones that aren’t come at reasonable prices.
The best part is, you pay the one time price and get access to the course for a lifetime!
Compared to the costs of keeping on a tutor/teacher, you would be saving a ton of money.
Are these teacher’s underselling themselves for the amount of time they put into making the course? Absolutely!
Do you reap the benefits? You bet!
Udemy has Discounts!
It’s very rare that a course asks for the full price. There seems to always be some type of discount or special going on, which allows you to snag a great course for a cheap price.
I’ve seen prices so low that I feel bad for the creator that dedicated so much time and effort to create their course because I know it’s worth paying so much more for their valuable intel.
I would know, since I create English Language Arts courses in Udemy. My first course, English Language Arts Complete: Grammar 6–8th, took over a month to make. That was despite the fact that I already had materials and lessons that I taught in the classroom.
I wanted to make sure that every student that enrolled in this course, left with the grammar knowledge that is expected by the end of 8th grade.
This is how all of the course creators feel on Udemy. They care about your learning.
As educators, those that create courses on Udemy know that it is our responsibility to produce the best material possible, which means dedicating as much time as needed to get it right.
Saves You Headaches and Time
An online course saves you the time and headaches that come with:
- The research of the required skills for the topic and grade level you want to teach
- Learning the material yourself
- Creating the lessons
- Creating the material for the lessons
- Implementing the lesson
- Troubleshooting the lesson when the student has difficulty
- Grading
That’s a lot of time and energy that, let’s face it, you don’t have. You’re already running the house, paying the bills,and completing your responsibilities as a parent. Taking on the role of your child’s educator on top of all that, is exhausting.
An online course gives your child great material to work with and gives you the time to take a breather.
A Great Buffer for You and Your Child
Let’s say it out loud. Children can be a pain in the butt! And becoming their teacher after only being known as their parent can be a difficult transition. The role of parent and the role of teacher are completely different, especially to a child.
There are two different types of respect that come with each role.
There is the respect that comes with being a parent- your child knows you are in charge. They look to you for life advice.
And there is the respect that comes with being an educator- your child knows that they are at school to learn and that there are consequences when rules aren’t followed.
On the surface, it might seem like these are the same types of respect but it can be difficult for a child to accept their parent suddenly becoming their teacher. In some cases, the fact that they aren’t being taught by a stranger, signals to them that they might be able to get away with some things because you’re their parent and you love them no matter what.
So, an online course can help be a buffer. They can learn from someone else. They can feel like they are getting a break from you(sorry parents!- sometimes a child needs a break from you just like you need one from them). They will be more focused and get the most out of the course.
