It’s Not Homeschool, It’s School at Home: Parents’ Experiences as Teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT This article explores the oral histories of five parents from the United States and Europe who found themselves teaching their children at home, last spring, when school buildings closed in response to the COVID −19 pandemic. Their stories resulted from interviews conducted via Zoom. This article examines data exclusively shared through an interview process. In addition to the oral histories, thematic analysis was conducted in order to facilitate the communication of themes to education policy holders and administration. Of particular importance were the influences of virtual learning and technology, both hardware and software. Themes based on issues of communication, support, learning environments and curriculum give insight into how schools and communities might respond differently to future events where school buildings are closed, but school remains in session.