HOUSTON — School at home is common these days with districts doing virtual learning.
But what Brittney Grayson’s children do is something different.
“I decided that homeschool would be the best decision for us this year,” said Grayson of northeast Harris County.
10-year-old Camron and 6-year-old Camille have both attended regular schools. But COVID-19 concerns, the way districts adapted and her son’s dyslexia prompted the change.
“I just could not do that again this year, and for us, going back to school physically was not an option for my family,” Grayson said.
It’s not as if public schools are inconvenient for Grayson and her kids. There's an elementary school within about a mile from their home.
"It makes sense for us right now," Grayson said.
Grayson chose homeschool curriculum provider Time 4 Learning which does the heavy lifting of lesson planning, instruction and assessment for parents.
"Nothing prepared us for the massive growth in 2020," said founder and president John Edelson. "It’s been a huge increase.”
Edelson said homeschoolers like Camron and Camille accounted for just about 3 or 4 percent of overall students before the pandemic.
Now his company alone is looking at double the number of enrollees compared to the beginning of the year.
"Most parents, as long as they have some way to supervise their child during the day, find that they are able to homeschool with the modern tools,” Edelson said.
Clearly, it’s not for everyone. And Grayson admits her children miss some of the social aspects of normal school. But she expects the homeschool community will be a lot more active when life get back to normal.
"We are definitely sticking with it for now,” Grayson said.