Lockdown as Homeschoolers; We're Home Educators, Not Hermits!

My daughters are in their late teens now, so homeschooling isn't really like it used to be. My eldest is in university now, so I'm only supervising my youngest, Izzy, while she does her year 11/12 certificate via Open Access College. You'd think lockdown wouldn't have had much affect on us. After all, we're used to being at home if we homeschool.

Here in South Australia we've probably had one of the least restrictive lockdowns of anywhere that's chosen to lock down. Some schools finished early and extended their breaks, but they've not shut their doors and the state has encouraged attendance, while accepting that some might still choose to isolate. Ironically, because our restrictions are so loose with regards schooling, we are actually more isolated than the children who still get to interact with others at school.

Gymnastics has been declared a no go zone, as have many of the spots we might have traveled to for an excursion. While Izzy, my introvert, is actually quite in her element isolating herself, I've found it harder than I expected not having that chance to interact with real life people while she does her gymnastics and I think that after nearly two months of this, even Izzy is missing physical interactions. She's getting itchy feet and wanting to go places again.

The atmosphere in the home hasn't been the best. My husband was away working during the week until recently and my eldest, the extrovert, struggled the most with not being able to have her usual social life and with her physical interactions at university being cut off. One person's mood can affect the whole family, especially if you can't escape each other. My garden has been my escape and I try to encourage Izzy to step out into the sunshine occasionally, but it's usually a fleeting visit.

Another thing that has been put on hold is her driving lessons. I can only teach her so much, before the rest has to be done by the teacher and examiner. Had driving lessons not been restricted, she would probably have been finished and ready for the final test by now. So that's a part of her education which has been put on hold. On the bright side, she's been flying through her school work, because we don't have to leave for gymnastics in the afternoon.

For those who suggest that this lockdown doesn't affect homeschooling families like it does everyone else, then I can only say that they are still stuck in that misconception that homeschooled children don't leave the house or do any extra curricular activities. Homeschoolers simply learn outside of the school system, they are not hermits.