Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. ~ Albert Einstein
When I set out to write this article, the idea was to explore the concept of homeschooling. I asked myself questions like: What is homeschooling? Why do parents choose to home school? How does it work? And so much more. And boy! What a ride it has been! I heard new ideas, different thoughts, I saw things with a different perspective and I encountered new hopes and dreams; isn’t that beautiful?
Are you anxious about the conventional education system? How canyou help your child(ren) fit into the system? Or, if you want to take a different path from that of traditional schooling, what happens then? Or do the structured learning methodologies pique you? The quest for answers to these questions has paved way to alternative education systems.
What is homeschooling?
Homeschooling is a social movement in today’s world. Homeschooling is a spectrum of alternative educational systems that include sunschooling. Unschooling refers to a system where children are withdrawn from any kind of syllabus or set pattern of learning. However, homeschooling could be a mix of both unschooling and a pattern of following a curriculum within the comforts of the home.
In the words of Ratnesh, who runs Aarohi Life Education, “Homeschooling is a sort of continuum – where one might choose to unschool or homeschool at any point in time. There isn’t really a set pattern or a right way to do it.”
Homeschooling parents design learning based on the child’s needs and not the societal expectations.
Why homeschool?
Parents choose to home school due to various reasons such as lack of faith in the traditional schooling method and lack of creative outlets for their children.
Lincy Inder, a young mother of two-and-a-half-year-old girl, shares that she and her husband have decided to homeschool their daughter to provide better opportunities to grow and explore.
Kanchan, a mother of an 11-year-old boy, decided to homeschool her son who was a student in a private school in North Bangalore. He was extremely unhappy about going to school and that made her think. Kanchan mentioned that it was an extremely difficult, yet important step to take back then. Today, she feels much more at peace.
Chetana Keni, a child psychologist, teacher, trainer and special educator, who runs the Aurinko Academy says, “In the past 10-15 years there has been a shift in responsibilities. Earlier, there was a clear demarcation of what we learnt at school and at home. Today, there seems to be no clarity on the responsibilities of schools and parents. Suddenly, there is so much more expectation from schools as they strive to make their decisions work. It’s not just the educational system that is not meeting the child’s needs, it’s also the societal environment, nuclear family set up and inappropriate social exposure. Somewhere there is a huge gap between what we desire, what the school wants and what the child needs.”
Chetana explains that some of the reasons why people opt for alternative schooling methods are their lack of faith in the traditional schooling system, while some do not believe in structured learning and there are a few others who see the world from a different perspective and want to be change agents.
How do children learn?
Homeschooling parents have a different priority list. They believe their children need to be nurtured free from pressure and structure. The homeschooling community is a family by itself. Homeschooled children do not have a set timetable that they have to follow everyday. Flexibility and freedom are the key elements of homeschooling.
Ashok Subramanian, a Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner, says “Schooling is enforcement. It’s more natural for children to be around their parents. My daughter likes to be around me and I like to have her around. I think it is important for us to understand where we come from. I’d rather she gains enough knowledge to be able to appreciate family life and be independent.”
Chetana shares that some parents try their hand at homeschooling their children and learn a lot themselves and enjoy the journey, while some may not be equipped to do it and they approach organisations like Aurinko Academy. Chetana started Aurinko Academy, an alternative school, after homeschooling her son for five years and felt she wanted to do something more.
Concerns
One of the concerns around home-schooling has been and is the children’s social networking skills.Ratnesh shares his thoughts around this stating that this is a slightly misplaced anxiety. He says that children anyway do not have time to socialise in regular schools and that they develop friendships beyond the school compounds. He also feels not every child requires a lot of friends; so a lot of it depends on the child itself.
On reaching Class 10, a homeschooled child can attempt board exams privately by registering with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). This certification is acceptable across the world. Some children also choose to get back to school in high school and take their 10th standard exams.
Spaces like Aarohi Life Education is a support-system for homeschooling parents. In Ratnesh’s words, it’s a space for community living and he believes that living in a community is by itself a great experience. With the belief in the strength and righteousness of freedom of choice, Aarohi provides an environment for natural and organic relationships.
Bengaluru recently hosted the fourth annual Swashikshan conference, a five-day residential event that concluded on February 29. Swashikshan, an Indian association of homeschoolers, is a non-profit initiative of homeschooled children, their parents and guardians.
Ashok says that it was a coming together of like-minded people who are in search of alternative educational methods. This event saw various sessions of topics like parenting, urban gardening, waste management and various workshops for children.
As I pause in this journey, I have learnt a lot myself. I am a mother and I would like to be a change agent. I want to try and affect our future through my daughters. It is not really about mainstream or alternative education, it is about perspectives – I have realised. Responsible and happy future citizens are not just schools’ responsibilities, but every person’s. Also, someone once said, “Nobody grew taller by being measured”; doesn’t this say something? Maybe, it’s a good idea to ponder over this little sentence.
(This article was published in the recent issue of Karnataka Today Magazine)
