What are Pandemic Pods, and What’s the Difference Between Pandemic Podschooling and Homeschooling?

I’m a homeschool advocate and volunteer, and I’ve helped thousands of families transition to homeschooling. And for the past several months, I’ve received numerous inquiries about how to set up a “home school pod” from parents seeking an alternative for the 2020–2021 school year. The thing is, I can’t really help these people, because what they’re asking isn’t what my experience reflects, thus I am unable to gift them with the wisdom they seek.

Pandemic Podschooling is different from Homeschooling, and to better understand how they’re different, we must first have a mutual understanding of what they are.

There is no one definition of what Podschooling is. It can be multiple things for different families…some folks want to pod up for full-time childcare, some want to pod up for one or two days a week solely for socialization and connection, some are using it to supplement the distance-learning at their schools, while others are looking for a full-time solution covering both education and childcare, etc. Similarly, there is no one definition of what Homeschooling looks like — it varies quite a lot with methods such as Unschooling, Project-Based, Classical, Waldorf, Montessori, Eclectic/Academic, etc.

Technically, I think some Pandemic Pods could fall under the realm of private schools or daycares if they’re not operating as a co-op.

If someone is running a full- or part-time education program where kids are in their care, and there are paid educators and/or caregivers, it is basically a private school or a daycare. When taking responsibility for educating and caring for children, Pandemic Pods may be required to comply with the laws and regulations governing daycares and/or private schools in their state (laws and regulations will vary depending on where you live).

Here are my state’s legal definitions of what constitutes a daycare and/or private school (also here). As you can see, there could be some room for creative interpretations, but I think it’s important to consider the intent of the laws. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, chances are it’s a duck…

Even if you can organize your Pandemic Pod in a way that does not tick all the school and/or daycare boxes, there are important factors to consider whenever you decide to enter the realm of caring for and/or educating a group of children other than your own. Here is a good list of the legal and logistical details you may wish to take into consideration before starting a Pandemic Pod.

So how exactly are Pandemic Pods different from Homeschooling? Now that we know roughly What Pandemic Podschooling is*, I’d also like to explore what Pandemic Podschooling is not, and Pandemic Podschooling is not Homeschooling.

*For this exploration, we identify Pandemic Podschooling in the strictest sense mentioned above attempting to replicate school in a home environment…desks, classroom decor, teacher hired, small group cohort of students, etc.

Here is a (very) brief description of the Who, When, Where, and How, and my favorite part, the WHY, for each…

Who?

Pandemic Podschooling:

• Primary teacher is hired by the families. These teachers deliver a curriculum that is decided upon by all families and the hired teachers. Their teaching goals are geared towards helping kids return to school with a smooth transition when things return to normal (or something closer to normal).

Homeschooling:

• Primary teacher is the parent. Parents do not have to be an expert in all subject areas to be qualified to teach their kids at home. Homeschool parents recognize that there are many ways to learn about any subject matter without having a formal teaching background. They use online resources such as Outschool, Khan Academy, Brain Pop, and a multitude of other sources on the internet. You can also find mentors within your community — people who are passionate about their work and interests are often happy to share their knowledge with a curious kid. For many families, one of the main goals of homeschooling is teaching our children how to learn and fostering a lifelong love of learning.

When?…

Pandemic Podschooling:

• Parents are looking for someone to educate and care for their kids during the school day. This is when the teaching takes place.

Homeschooling:

• Parents recognize that learning happens all the time. If they’re using an academic approach, they know that the amount of time spent teaching and learning at home is a fraction of the time it takes to teach and learn the same thing at school. When a parent is working outside the home during the hours a child would typically spend at school, they can easily adapt their homeschool schedule to evening hours and weekends allowing the family to focus on childcare needs only during the work-day hours.
• This brings up the question, how do working parents homeschool? Yes, working parents need someone to care for their young children during the day, and there have been many creative ways that these families have found to make it work. There are lots of resources for working homeschool families, including online groups, blogs, books, and more. Bottom line is it takes creativity, flexibility, and sacrifice to work and homeschool, but overwhelmingly, parents say it’s worth it.

Where?…

Pandemic Podschooling:

• Kids are dropped off to a single site daily or regularly (i.e., Mon/Weds/Fri each week) for their educational and/or childcare needs. This can be an outdoor public location, indoor rented site, personal home, tutor’s home, etc.
• Majority of childcare/educational needs are met at this place with these people

Homeschooling:

• The world is our classroom. Childcare and educational needs are met primarily at home and/or through a variety of other enrichment programs, co-ops, playdates, park days, field trips, community events, volunteer work, etc.
• Some opt for private or small group tutoring in their home or the tutor’s, meeting for a couple of hours once or twice a week. This is usually for supplementation or extra support in a specific subject area and/or for meeting up with some other students for a shared interest and is not the primary or sole means of educating children. Are there some homeschoolers who hire private tutors for everything? Absolutely. However, that is not a typical approach as it requires a substantial amount of money that the great majority of us do not have.

How?…

Pandemic Podschooling:

• One-size-fits-all curriculum aligned with what’s typically taught in school, delivered by a teacher to a group of students with the intention of making sure the students don’t ‘fall behind’ in their education.

Homeschooling:

• Educational options vary, with many parents taking an eclectic approach. They use a little bit of this philosophy, and a little bit of that method, and sprinkle it with a variety of different learning resources and curricula. Even though some homeschoolers use a complete all-in-one curriculum, it’s delivered by their parents, in their homes, allowing for adjustments as needed. Occasionally families with shared educational approaches will share educational resources and responsibilities, but it is generally done similarly to group tutoring or true co-ops. In the absence of a competitive school environment, homeschooling parents tend to be less (or not at all) concerned with ‘falling behind.’

Why? (Ooh, this is my favorite part!)

Pandemic Podschooling:

• Parents believe their children learn best when they are in an environment that resembles a typical school. They aim to recreate a school-at-home experience so that their children will not have any ‘gaps’ in their education. The curriculum is lockstep in line with state standards for grade-level expectations with the goal of returning to school because they feel school is the proper place for learning.

Homeschooling:

• Many homeschoolers have some degree of interest-driven, inquiry-based learning and are comfortable not following the state standards and grade-level expectations. Their children will move ahead quickly when they want or take longer with the material when necessary.
• There is an endless list of reasons for #whywehomeschool, including but not limited to: the flexibility and freedom we have; the close family bonds we enjoy; the relaxed home environment we love; and the life-long learning we all get to experience together.

It’s truly a gift to be able to learn with my children in ways that feel authentic and meaningful for all of us.

While we are unsure how these Pandemic Pods will address the issue of safety and consideration for the spread of coronavirus in the community, many feel Pandemic Podschooling is the right choice for their families. With some schools pushing for a full- and/or part-time return to on-site classroom learning, there are families who wish to decrease their exposure via smaller Learning Pods. And with some schools pushing for a return to online distance-learning, the students who were not thriving under those circumstances are seeking alternative educational options that more closely resemble their former IRL school experiences.

It seems like a no-win situation for the school system…no matter what they do, they’re going to lose a whole lot of students who may or may not return to school when this is all over.

PS, Can we call it a camp or enrichment program instead?

There are laws regulating camps and enrichment programs as well. Be sure to check your state’s legal requirements to see if your Pandemic Pod qualifies.

Julie Mink Schiffman, M.Ed., has been a volunteer and advocate in the alternative education community for the past 10 years and has helped thousands of families transition to homeschooling. Visit tentoad.com to learn more about her work.