Home-schooling mom says public spaces critical to her kids' education

As students across Newfoundland and Labrador settle in for a school year amid reports of COVID-19 outbreaks and closures, one St. John's mother is worried continuous disruptions will leave her children without an essential part of their curriculum.

Meghan Careen has been home-schooling her kids, Violet, 9, and Liam, 7, since 2017. She says the closures of museums, libraries and other public spaces essential to her kids' learning was "extremely challenging" for her family.

"The pandemic really did impact our family, and other home-schoolers as well," Careen said. 

"One of the most integral parts of home-schooling, which people don't often realize, is that it's a community experience."

Careen, who follows the province's curriculum and is her children's sole educator, said her family is part of a larger network of home-schooling families in the St. John's area.

Her curriculum includes group lessons with a tight-knit cohort of 10 other kids, and regular outings to libraries, parks and museums. These experiences, Careen said, are a critical component of her kids' learning.

"I always hear people say about school that it is a place where kids are prepared for the real world," she said. "And I always say to myself, what better place to prepare for the real world than in the real world?"