Friday Feature: Engaged Detroit

Colleen HroncichThere are many ways —and many reasons—to homeschool.Detroit mom Bernita Bradley was taken aback when her daughter told her she wanted to drop out of high school and get her GED. Bernita ’s daughter always had a passion for education, but the lack of interaction with teachers in her 11th grade year had changed things. When Bernita objected, her daughter suggested homeschooling.Bernita was already involved in education advocacy work, and she ’d been arranging online conversations for parents who were struggling with the remote schooling during COVID-19. “We had all these parents who were saying, ‘Why aren’t our teachers logging on? This is not working for my child. I asked for support from the school, and I don’t have the te chnology. What do I do?’” Bernitarecalls. “We started having online platforms. I invited some of my homeschool friends to come on to answer questions: What do I do? What are the laws around it? How do I get my child to do it? What are some different styles of homeschooling? In the process, I’m learning.”When Bernita agreed to homeschool her daughter, she turned to the homeschooling friends who had been helping parents in her online sessions and asked them to coach her. But she wasn ’t going to leave the other families behind, so she asked what they need. “You need coaches? Let’s get coaches for you. What does individualized coaching look like for you in your household?” says Bernita. “And that’s w...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs