HOUSTON, TX - Melody Perry has had a lot more opportunities to discuss homeschooling with other moms lately, with many families forced to homeschool in the spring and deciding to continue with it in the fall. This has left Perry with a dilemma: How does she make it clear in each conversation that she already homeschooled before the pandemic?

"It's really just how do I put it into the conversation," Perry said. "Do I make it real casual, like, 'Well, here's how we've been doing this for many years'? Or be more sympathetic, like, 'Homeschooling has to be a very big change for you... but not for us'? Or get straight to the point by starting each conversation with, 'As a longtime homeschooler...'?"

It's been a big change for Perry, as now she no longer has to defend her decision to homeschool, nor does she constantly get asked, "What about socialization?" Instead, the conversations usually go straight to what curriculum to use and what sort of schedule to have. "It's getting a bit boring to talk about, really," Perry stated. "The important thing is that I need to make it clear to each person I talk to that I took the education of my children seriously before a global pandemic forced me to."