I was deeply disappointed to read the article published Aug. 2 on families considering home schooling this fall in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
As a mother and educator who works full time, I was shocked to see the article largely celebrating home schooling as the primary option for Maine parents who are concerned about the health and safety of their families this fall, including those who are at higher risk for complications from COVID-19.
The article does not quote from any parents who work full time and/or parents for whom home schooling children is simply not an option. Nor does it acknowledge that child care in the home largely falls on the shoulders of women.
There are significant class, gender and racial inequities related to the so-called “choice” of home schooling in a pandemic that are entirely ignored. Rather than supporting parents who wish to take what one mother quoted in the article called the “burden” of education off our tax-supported public schools, the Portland Press Herald should be featuring a variety of perspectives and creative solutions, like urging schools to create a safe space for at-risk kids to learn remotely at school when parents do not have the privilege of teaching them at home.
You can do better, and the parents of Maine deserve better.
Tanya Sheehan
Cumberland
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