Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Meet the parents who carried on homeschooling after Covid

‘We want to have fun with them. It’s not just about sitting at a table and having books in front of you’

Zoe Tidman
Wednesday 04 January 2023 11:42 GMT
Comments
James Buss decided to start homeschooling his son, Connor, after the Covid pandemic
James Buss decided to start homeschooling his son, Connor, after the Covid pandemic (Supplied)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

When Connor Buss stopped going into school during the Covid pandemic, his father noticed a change.

James Buss’s 13-year-old son struggles with focus and would often get distracted in class. Learning at home, as most pupils did as the virus spread, offered a way around this.

“His marks improved. He didn’t have any distractions around him,” the 39-year-old, from Cambridgeshire, tells The Independent.

When schools reopened, Connor went back for a month. “We started to notice everything started to go back to the way it was,” Mr Buss says.

His grades went down again. He would get distracted by friends in class, and have to work during break time to catch up. He was getting “more and more frustrated”.

The 13-year-old has now spent two years being taught through Wolsey Hall Oxford, a homeschooling college with online courses. And his father says this is something that works for his son.

When he is struggling with some work, he can take a break by going on a bike ride or the trampoline - which works better for him than being stuck in a classroom. ”He comes back and then he sits down and he carries on.”

Mr Buss is one of many families that have turned to homeschooling since the Covid pandemic hit.

Numbers of home-educated students have jumped by 40 per cent since 2018, Freedom of Information requests – by Wolsey Hall Oxford – reveal.

Concerns have been raised that children slip through the net after the government scrapped plans to make it compulsory for parents to register their children as homeschooled.

Mr Buss says homeschooling works for his son but not his daughter, who remains in school. “It’s a nice example of trying to do what’s best for the child.”

Sherrylyn Balogun tells The Independent all five of her sons are now educated at home after their first experience of homeschooling in the Covid pandemic.

Sherrylyn Balogun, with her oldest son Malachi (left) and her youngest son, says she wants to have fun while educating her children at home
Sherrylyn Balogun, with her oldest son Malachi (left) and her youngest son, says she wants to have fun while educating her children at home (Supplied)

It is “not always easy”, she says, but the 36-year-old enjoys being able to tailor the education to her five sons’ interests and needs. For example, she can work at the right pace and look at creative ways of learning for her 12-year-old son with autism spectrum disorder.

The mother from Buckinghamshire says: “We want to have fun with them. It’s not just about sitting at a table and having books in front of you.”

Her 15-year-old son, Malachi, says he was not sure at first about homeschooling – but it works for him.

“There is a lot of freedom… you can work towards your own schedule,” he says.“You don’t have to do all the work in the morning, or work at a specific time. You can space it out.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in