What is homeschooling?

I feel the need to answer this question.  Homeschooling is not only doing what you would do in a classroom at home.  Many people say they are "homeschooling" right now because schools have had to move to an online format.  While there are some homeschoolers who use online schooling to "homeschool", in my limited experience, most families who homeschool exclusively using online schooling don't last at home very long.  Online schooling can be frustrating and can circumvent real learning.  The beauty of homeschooling is that it doesn't have to follow any kind of pattern.  There are as many ways to homeschool as there are homeschool families.  Some families totally unschool - just learning through life and rich experiences.  Some families spend all morning sitting at the dining room table doing workbooks and using textbooks.  Most fit somewhere in between.  The thing is, as homeschoolers, we can remember that the goal is LEARNING, not grades or credits.  If learning looks like your son hanging out under the hood of his car for hours, great!  If learning looks like baking, great!  If learning looks like doing a vocabulary lesson online, great!  Whatever works for your family is what you should do.  And remember, homeschoolers aren't recluses who never leave home.  Learning happens in all kinds of settings, including lots of group outings, classes, jobs, and other environments.  So . . .

What is homeschooling?  Parents being in charge of their kids' learning - whatever that means for their family.