How homeschoolers are preparing to start the school year in Virginia

DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — As back-to-school season ramps up, what does preparation looks like for families in Virginia whose classrooms are their homes?

According to the Home Educators Association of Virginia , there were over 65,000 homeschooled students in Virginia during the 2020-2021 school year. Last year, Dinwiddie County mom Alexa Ferramosca made the decision to have her children join them.

“I want to make sure that they are ready for the world, because, like it or not, the world out there is cruel,” said Ferramosca about why she homeschools her kids. “And nobody prepares you for it except your parents. And if you’re parents fail, then so do you.”

Ferramosca said the decision was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, bullying in public schools and a difficult learning experience for her youngest daughter, who has cerebral palsy — and her daughters love it.

“When everyone is going back to school shopping for cute clothes, we’re looking for pajamas,” said 8-year-old daughter Adellyna Ferramosca.

With daughters in three different grades, how does the family prepare to go back to school? Ferramosca said it’s slightly different than public schools.

“In order to fully prep, we decompress that week before,” Ferramosca said. “But we also never actually stopped school… I want to make sure that my kids don’t lose everything that they have learned.”

This means two or three days of light learning a week for her daughters during the summer. Ferramosca also said they use the break to figure out what worked and what didn’t during the previous school year.

“The best way is just to sit down and talk to them,” Ferramosca said. “They enjoy freedoms when it comes to figuring out the curriculums. The important thing is paying attention to how your child reacts.”

Ferramosca said it’s a 24/7 job for parents who choose to homeschool their kids, but Virginia has plenty of resources.

“There are such a thing as swap where parents bring curriculums from last year and they trade,” Ferramosca said. “It’s just literally it’s a free swap.”

More information on Virginia homeschooling and requirements can be found here .

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