Moncton parents consider joint homeschooling program to protect kids' mental health
A group of parents in the Moncton area is considering joining forces to homeschool their children this fall rather than send them to the province's COVID-19-influenced program this fall.
Rebecca Halliday, who ran ran the former River Bend Community School in Moncton, and said with a combination of parents with teaching experience and parents with real-life experience, it could be a great opportunity.
She said the parents she's been working with are still nervous about what school is going to look like in the fall.
"I think the motivation for all of us is the mental health piece for our kids," she told Information Morning. "If they aren't accessing specialties the way they normally do, and if they're kind of separated from their peers, and just the concern.
"It could be a year of their lives that they remember fondly versus really taking another year away from their academics."
The parents are trying to decide how the homeschooling system would work and are considering having the parents take turns teaching a small group of children while others are working.
She thinks this could give the children the chance to gain experiences they wouldn't typically have.
"We have a mom that's a musician, a dad that's a carpenter, and a seamstress," Halliday said.
"I think we kind of are like, 'Well this could be great if we really get organized about it.'"
What the province is offering
The province has already outlined its plans for the next school year.
Children from kindergarten to Grade 5 will be in reduced group sizes. They won't have to physically distance from the other children in their group but can't interact with children in other groups.
Grades 6 to 8 will have regular class sizes and high school students will attend school on a rotating basis, perhaps only on alternate days.
Halliday said she'll make her decision about sending her children back to school in school buildings when more details are released about the school day.
"For me it's making sure that my child has access to other kids her age more so than the academics, because for me personally, I can handle the academics."
She said she recognizes being in the position to consider this isn't a privilege everyone has. She wants people to know there are resources available for anyone who is able to make that choice.
She recommends contacting the school to ask what resources are available and that online websites such as Khan Academy have tools.
