Thinking About Outsourced Homeschool Classes? Read This!

When we began homeschooling (2009!), outsourced classes existed, but not like they do today.

Most families taught nearly everything themselves. If a co-op was large, it was probably focused on electives. If it was just a few families, the co-op was often chosen around the moms’ fields of expertise — the mom who used to write for newspapers would teach writing, the mom who majored in history would teach history, the mom who didn’t have a queasy stomach would lead dissections.

I regularly hear new homeschool families ask if it’s even possible to homeschool *without* participating in a co-op. What a different world!

Like homeschooling itself, the options for outsourcing classes have exploded in the last decade.  Technology has made it possible to learn from experts on the other side of the world, in their place of business, and from the comfort of your home or while you’re on the go.

But as homeschool parents, we’re pretty used to being in direct control of our kiddos’ educations. The decision to outsource or not, when and how, will be different for each family and for each kiddo in a family.

What are outsourced classes, exactly?

For this post, I’m using “outsourced classes” to mean any class taught by someone other than the homeschool parent. For example….

• Homeschool co-ops (academic or elective-based)
• In-person classes, such as at a local museum
• Live, online classes, such as Blue Tent Academy, MyHomeschoolMathClass, the Well-Trained Mind Academy, or Outschool
• Online, self-paced classes such as EdX, Coursera, Mr. D’s Math, or Brave Writer.
• Online through your state’s education department, often called virtual schooling

I didn’t want to outsource any core classes until…

• my kiddo could do the class without me present
• minimal assistance would be needed by me to stay on top of the assignments
• my kiddo would know how/when to ask for help in and outside of class
• my kiddo would be able to understand & complete assignments without me needing to reteach them

If part of the reasoning was to free up my time, why would I want to add to my workload?!  I understood there would be a learning curve; after that, I needed the confidence that the class wouldn’t be a lot of extra work for me.

Your reasons for outsourcing classes may be different. Maybe…

• you don’t feel confident teaching a particular subject.
• your kiddo needs accountability from someone other than Mom.
• an in-person science class has labs you don’t want to teach at home.
• Your teen is ready to take dual-enrollment courses.
• you need to free up some of your time to meet your other demands.

Whatever your reasoning, take the time to think about your why and what your expectations & needs are for that why.

Our First Experiences

The first class we outsourced was math. In sixth grade, my daughter took an online geography class as an enrichment class and to test out how she learned in that environment.  But algebra was our first real foray into it.  I always enjoyed teaching math.  And it’s the subject I’m most guarded about regarding methods and level of rigor. 

When I read about My Homeschool Math Class on the Well-Trained Mind discussion forums, I was confident that I’d be satisfied with the quality…and I’ve been MORE than satisfied!  I’ll forever sing the praises of Mrs. Perkins.  (If I had her when I was in school, maybe my love of math wouldn’t have been killed.)

Outsourced Classes & Schedules

The main reason I decided to outsource math was how much time it consumed in our days. Pre-algebra took us an hour a day.  At the time, my boys were only in 2nd grade & kindergarten, so it wasn’t a problem. But I realized it would quickly become a problem, particularly since elementary math is a mom-led subject in our home.

If you’re a family that likes to travel, online classes can be perfect.  While mom & dad are driving, kiddo can be learning in the backseat.  When we’ve traveled to see family, my daughter would take classes from another state.

Do you have a life filled with appointments and outings?  Kiddo can learn while their sibling is in an appointment or on the way to the next field trip.

So what are the pros?

No grading?  Sign me up!  When my kiddos were young, I didn’t give grades because we worked to mastery. Once the demands of high school hit, having someone else to grade some of her work was a plus.

Some subjects, like foreign languages, are simply better taught by an expert. The accent & natural rhythms can’t be learned from a textbook. A math teacher with 20 years of experience knows how to explain concepts well because she’s done it many times before. AP courses are just as much about the skills of taking that test as they are the subject matter.

Someone else evaluates your kiddo and declares how well they are doing (or not).  It not only reassures the parent, but outside evaluations can be important to colleges, as well.

A niche class can be a great addition to the rest of the subject. One kiddo learned to sketch famous world landmarks as part of an architecture course. Another kiddo learned about historical uprisings from someone involved in the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Another one attended a series of talks about the World War 2 homefront by English women who were young adults during the war. Those classes helped make the larger subject more memorable.

And cons?

Outsourced classes can get expensive quickly, especially when you have multiple children. A class that seems affordable for one student may become a significant investment when multiplied across an entire family.

Part of why we homeschool is that I hate busy work and other pointless assignments.  A small part of the reason, but a reason nonetheless.  When our regular curriculum has an assignment that doesn’t seem to provide much educational value, I modify it or skip it.  But when an outsourced class does?  Ugh!  We’ve had several such assignments over the years of outsourcing classes. Each time, I’m reminded how much I dislike them.

Scheduling our own life around someone else’s schedule can be frustrating.  (And I will NOT be one of those homeschool families that half-commits, arrives on their own time, etc…) While we agreed to the schedules before the year began, they have occasionally presented scheduling conflicts.  The locations we’ve used all have good policies for absences, so it’s just been a matter of getting school work ready ahead of time.

I also dislike the disconnection from my kiddos and their class.   Having less involvement in some of the subjects is part of why we outsourced.  But, oh….!  I spent the first decade being intimately involved in every assignment.  It’s such a big change to not have that level of involvement.  I have had to make a point of asking about her assignments.

Not every instructor or class will be a good fit. The math class that was perfect for my daughter was a total bust for my youngest son. With the investment of time and money, you then need to decide whether to muddle through or change direction.

Questions to Ask Before Making a Decision

In addition to the basics, like required curriculum & materials and the schedule, there are additional questions worth asking.

1. What is the attendance policy?
2. How much work is expected between class periods?
3. How available is the instructor outside of class? Are there set office hours? If availability is only by e-mail, how soon will the instructor reply?
4. What is the withdrawal policy?
5. How quickly are graded assignments returned?
6. What accommodations can be made for your student (if necessary)? How much familiarity does the instructor have with _________?
7. Are classes recorded if a student misses one or wants to review it?

One more note, specifically for homeschool co-ops. If this is a core class, especially at a high school level, make sure you ask about the teacher’s expertise. Many homeschool moms step up to teach this level, but don’t have expertise in it. That may be fine for the class and your goals…or it may not. So, make sure you know first.

tl;dr

Twenty years ago, homeschool families often had to make do with whatever resources they could find locally. Today, the options are limitless! You can build a homeschool that fits your family instead of trying to fit your family into someone else’s model.

• Know why you are outsourcing a class, so you can choose one that best complements your why.
• You don’t have to outsource the entire subject. A niche add-on, live discussion time with a native speaker, etc., can round out a course. (Cheaper, too!)
• Make sure they have the skills to manage the learning environment & assignments.