#107 - The death of labels in education

What do you call it when your kid takes math online, science at the local high school, and runs a business from home? The old labels don't fit anymore

Author

Charlie Deist
January 07, 2025

If you enjoy this edition, forward this email to a friend! First time reading? Subscribe and learn more at OpenEd.co.

💡 THOUGHT

What Do You Call This?

What do you call a student who takes biology at the local high school, math through an online program, belongs to a twice-weekly homeschool co-op, interns at a veterinary clinic, and spends Fridays "unschooling"?

Are they a homeschooler? Part-time public schooler? Hybrid learner?

The old labels don't quite capture it anymore.

Has this question come up in your household? Reply to this email and tell us: Do you consider yourself a homeschooling family, or do you find that term inadequate to describe your family's educational journey?

📊 TREND

The Rise, Fall, and Transformation of Homeschooling

Back in 2019, this graph was fairly straightforward. Homeschooling had been on a 50-year upswing.

Then 2020 hit, and things got... complicated.

The pandemic sent the numbers soaring to 3.7 million students. But that wasn't the end of the story. As schools reopened, some families returned to traditional classrooms. Others didn't. And many, like the student in our opening story, created something entirely new.

That's why counting "homeschoolers" in 2024 is like measuring water with a ruler. The numbers – still officially counted around 3.7 million – tell only part of the story. The real trend isn't just about how many students learn at home. It's about the dissolving boundaries between home, school, and everything in between.

We're not just seeing the growth of homeschooling. We're watching the birth of something new: open education.

🛠️ TOOL

GoNoodle: Movement Breaks That Make Sense

Kids aren't built to sit still for hours. We know this. They know this. Their wiggles remind us constantly.

GoNoodle is a free platform that can turn those wiggles into features rather than bugs. It offers guided movement, dance breaks, and mindfulness exercises disguised as fun videos.

The concept is simple: Take a 3-minute dance break between math problems. Do some "Rainbow Breath" before writing practice. Get the bodies moving so the minds can focus.

Perfect for:

  • Breaking up longer study sessions

  • Transitioning between subjects

  • Getting the wiggles out on rainy days

  • Making "boring" topics fun through movement

  • Teaching mindfulness and emotional regulation

Pro tip: Create a free account and the platform remembers your family's favorite videos. Available on most devices, including phones, tablets, streaming boxes, and smart TVs.

(WORD) OF THE DAY

liminal (LIM-in-ul)

noun: at a threshold or boundary; in between states

A liminal space is a place or time of transition, neither here nor there. Think of a school hallway, an empty airport, or – in the context of today's newsletter – a teenager's science project that's also a thriving e-commerce business.

That’s all for today!

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)

P.S. If you’d prefer to just receive the weekly edition, you can change your subscription settings here.