Are We Ready for Homeschool?
“There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.” Well, these are the words of Mahatma Gandhi and they have become important because these are the times of uncertainty and there is no clear idea about the effect that Covid-19 is going to have on our schools and learning environment. Homes are the only permanent safe places for many children, and parents the most available teachers. The idea of homeschooling has begun to raise its head and many educated and able parents have been seen and heard talking about it in social circles, because this seems like a secure way of educating children without any unwanted interruption. Depending on personal choices even after the worse of the pandemic is over many parents may like to continue with homeschooling.
The homeschooling approach to education has met with stiff resistance in many countries of the world, at the same time it is also a popular notion in many other. Homeschooling became popular in countries mainly because more and more parents wanted their children to receive education which is different from that being offered in the public-school system, but during the time of COVID 19 pandemic ,parents have no other alternative but to homeschool their children, and many across the world are doing so.
As a parent in India if one finds a position where he/she is mulling over the option of homeschooling children in the times to come, there are many factors one should consider ensuring it will be meaningful and advantageous for their children.
Homeschooling provides to the parent’s ability to teach what is needed. Probably the biggest benefit of homeschooling is the ability to choose your child's curriculum. You choose what your child studies, when they study and for how long they study. No one knows your child better than a parent and no one cares about your child's progression more than a parent. Parents can encourage children to spend more time focusing their studies on areas of interest, such as art or science. Children will have complete autonomy to complete their curriculum at their own pace and homeschools will provide to them less rigid structure than the public/private school setting and homeschooled children tend to learn just as fast as children in the public/private school systems – and sometimes the real deserving ones even faster.
Parents who choose to home school their children are no longer forced by the daily, weekly and monthly schedule imposed by the public/private school system, they may choose to set up a homeschooling routine that reflects that of the local school system, so that that their children are done when other school going children are done, but their children lives will be free and no longer revolve around the school's calendar and school hours, this will give a lot of flexibility and continuity to the learning process. Families find they have much more freedom to go on vacation and live their lives according to their own schedules.
Increased emotional and physical safety and avoidance of some potentially harmful influences is another reason one may opt for homeschool system. Studies show that homeschooled children have high self-esteem that remains intact throughout their middle and high school years. Homeschooled children also don't have to worry about the whole issue of “fitting in” that afflicts many children in the public/ private school system.
The productivity of children increases as in a homeschool setting, they can often accomplish in a few hours what it would take all day to accomplish is a public school. They will not have a load of homework as homework is completed while class is in session.
Homeschooling allows parents to incorporate their preferred value system into the educational curriculum for their children as they deem fit.
Homeschool children are more emotionally stable, exhibit less destructive behavior and are quite socially adept contrary to many widely believed views. As adults homeschooled children are as successful in both their interpersonal and occupational relationships as public school educated children, as is experienced in countries that follow homeschool system. They are also better equipped to deal with challenges they may face, such as the death of a loved one, illness, or in the case of a transfer to another city because when children are homeschooled, moving to a new city or state is far less traumatic than it is for children in the public school system.
While homeschooling children get more rest, which is important for their physical and emotional health. Some children aren’t morning people and early morning sleep can help them. Going to school early morning exhausted and coming back home in the evening equally exhausted due to poor sleep habits, has made many children mentally and physically unhealthy.
Even though there are numerous pros to homeschooling, there are also several cons.
Homeschooling takes a lot of time and effort. Day in and day out, lesson have to be prepared and children have to be taught. It's time consuming and can sap one of energy. Homeschooling isn't as simple as most people imagine. It can be expensive because almost all homeschooling homes are one-income families. Living on one income is just a fact of homeschooling. If one income is not an issue, then probably homeschooling is for you. Though we love our children but let’s get real, being with our children 24/7 can get bit overwhelming. But for most parents who decide to homeschool, the time they spend with their children is just another opportunity to grow closer together.
Parents homeschooling their children have to arrange for extra-curricular activities. This can be a time-consuming process – a task that many aspiring homeschool parents need to consider.
Teaching is an art, which requires the ability to understand children’s needs. Parents may find it difficult to adjust to the curriculum. Unlike professional teachers, parents may not be trained to teach, thus making homeschooling difficult for them. Some children require special learning aids and tutors, and cannot be home-schooled. Lack of proper guidance might impact their education. Similarly, certain subjects require different methods of teaching or certain specialized teaching aids. To this many parents have argued that in this era of internet and online learning aids made by the experts available, quality is not much compromised.
Children who are home-schooled may feel lonely, friendless and isolated, especially so if they don’t have siblings. Friendships in school help them learn the importance of sharing and being there for one another. Often, homeschoolers become increasingly dependent on their parents. Being schooled at home, they are isolated from the exposure traditional education gives.
One of the most critical impacts of homeschooling on children is limited social interaction. In a traditional school, students are exposed to children coming from diverse backgrounds. Homeschooling lacks this aspect, and hence may prove to be detrimental to the development of children’s interpersonal skills, which ranks the highest when corporates choose their workforce. Schools give children, the opportunity to participate in debates, sports and other competitions. They expose children to the real world. In homeschooling, school remains confined to the home, thus limiting the social, emotional and psychological development of children.
Schools prepare children to face the fierce competition that one is exposed to, in real life. However, homeschooling does not give them a chance to compete with other kids. They are also unaware of where they stand among their peers. The competitive spirit that is developed in traditional schooling is more or less absent in a homeschooling environment. This may affect the future lives and careers of children.
Though homeschooling has its benefits, it does not match up to the positive influence of schools on the overall development of children. Advocates of homeschooling may not agree with the reasons stated here and they have a right to their opinions.
Well, in this article the pros and cons of homeschooling are discussed and there is no doubt even though there are many homeschoolers today in the world, homeschooling is facing increased scrutiny. And homeschooling is seen as a threat to mainstream educational systems and a fringe institution that exists too far outside of societal norms to be acceptable.
Someone somewhere has said that “Homeschooling and public schooling are as opposite as two sides of a coin. In a homeschooling environment, the teacher need not be certified, but the child MUST learn. In a public/ private-school environment, the teacher MUST be certified, but the child need NOT necessarily learn.” So, there you have it! The pros and the cons of homeschooling. Is it really worth it? Well, everything in life that's really worthwhile usually requires effort, sacrifice and lot of circumspection. Isn’t it?