By Cynera Rodricks –
Schools have always been akin to a second home, with teachers like second parents. Reminisce about your childhood, and you will agree that some of the fondest memories we have of our childhood were made in school. But what if our home became our school, and parents donned the role of teachers as well?
As much as the concept of homeschooling sounds absurd and unconventional to most, it is considered to be a better option by some. In fact, before the introduction of compulsory school attendance laws, most children were educated at home by their own families.
In today’s competitive world, most of us believe that education is essential, and since parents want the best for their children, they resort to schools they think will provide top-notch education, leading to an all-round growth of their children. However, homeschooling is just another form of schooling, where parents take up the role of teachers, and learning is not just limited to books, assignments and projects, but the process of imparting knowledge is done through stories, music, audiovisuals, field trips, observing and learning; and all this at the child’s own pace and comfort, within its own home. Sounds appealing already, doesn’t it?
While the concept of homeschooling has yet to catch on in India, a small group of parents have already started blazing the way since the late ’90s. The advantages are many. Children can learn at their own interest and pace. There is no comparison or competition with other children. There is no conflict between learning and playing. There is internal motivation, and socially, children of different age groups interact together.
Bringing Faith and Reason Together
Some Catholic families in Mumbai have gone even further and embraced ‘Catholic Homeschooling’. Mrs Reena Veigas (who comes from a very missionary Catholic upbringing) and her husband (who converted to Christianity) have been homeschooling their child since the age of six; faith formation being a very integral part of the curriculum. Catholic Homeschooling brings faith and reason together, nurturing young minds with the best of secular education combined with an outpouring of Catholic values.
Reena and her husband always wanted to homeschool their child; however, due to unforeseen circumstances, their son, Giovanni, was admitted to a regular school up to Sr KG; once things fell in place, they opted him out of school and began homeschooling him. Reena had always heard about homeschooling and was intrigued by it, and spoke to several couples who were homeschooling their children. In fact, one of Reena’s relatives had been homeschooled, and she saw the difference between a child who studied in school and the one who studied at home. She says, “Seeing my cousin, I noticed she was never really stressed about studies; she was at peace and relaxed all the time.”
Initially, when they decided to homeschool their son, they received the expected frown from others. Many thought they didn’t think this through, because while their children were in school, Giovanni would be wandering in the church compound. However, Reena was very confident about her choice in homeschooling her son, as she feels that there is no stress of waking up early in the morning , getting ready for school, exams, etc. In fact, she finds it extremely relaxing, and it’s a learning experience for both the child and the parent.
Structured Catholic Curriculum
Unlike others, who follow the general Boards like SSC, CBSE etc., Reena follows a structured, Charlotte Mason style curriculum for Catholics, called Mater Amabilis, which means ‘Mother most Amiable’ (Find out more on the website http://materamabilis.org/ma/). This particular curriculum follows the liturgical cycle, and begins in the first week of Advent. This means that along with subjects like Mathematics, History, Geography, etc., a religious aspect is added to it.
For example, when she was teaching her son about the gladiators and the Colosseum, she also spoke to him about the early Christian martyrs who were killed in the Colosseum, and how their blood became the seed of the Church. This is just one example of secular and religious education combined in a holistic way. Along with this, she has also been teaching her son hymns and prayers in Latin. She sends her son to Sunday School, as she wants him to learn the community aspect of faith.
Some of us would raise an objection that receiving a formal education is just one aspect of the regular schooling system. Schools also help us learn to socialise, negotiate, adjust, understand other points of view, and become part of the larger society. How does homeschooling take care of this aspect? Reena personally feels socialising was never an issue, as children in her building complex would come down to play every evening, and her son too would join with them.
Secondly, once homeschooled, the children join a regular college for their graduate studies, thus giving them ample time to integrate themselves into the regular system before they enter into the responsibilities of adulthood. She feels that homeschooling gives the child that space to breathe and enhances their creativity. She teaches her child in a story format, which makes learning more engaging. Giovanni is eight years old now, and he’s already got himself engrossed in audio books, and takes keen interest in military and war. Reena emphasises that homeschooling enables the child to learn at his own pace, and exams are not the criteria to test his intellect.
Integrating into Regular College Life
Renita Vaz (name changed on request), on the other hand, has a daughter and two adopted sons. She homeschooled her daughter right from the beginning, and now her daughter is a college graduate. She too has incorporated faith formation in her daughter’s curriculum, and at the same time, she opted for the CBSE syllabus. According to her, homeschooling enables the parent to spend a lot of quality time with the child. She could also keep a check on the negative influences that peers could have on her daughter, and though there is a lot of investment of time, it is worth it, as it is a process of learning and unlearning at the same time.
Unlearning, because as parents who have gone through the regular schooling system, following a particular Board and a particular pattern of learning, the same cannot be applied when you homeschool your child. Reena and Renita both have incorporated Nature studies into their child’s curriculum. They made it a point to take trips, and make their children observe and learn. Reena has noticed that her son who is just eight years old has already gained knowledge equivalent to that of a 13-year-old.
The NIOS Route
How does one graduate or join college after being homeschooled? Children who are homeschooled have an option to apply for the NIOS examination i.e. National Institute of Open Schooling. The child has to be 14 years and above to give this examination. Renita’s daughter gave her Class X and Class XII Board exams from the National Institute of Open Schooling, and then joined a college to pursue her Bachelor’s Degree. There is no hard and fast rule as to when one should give these exams; it solely depends on the child, when he/she is willing and prepared to appear for these exams.
Homeschooling, according to some experts, is one of the best options for education, as it builds an even stronger rapport between parent and child. The Church has always strongly defended the right of parents to be the primary educators of their children. There is no pressure of studies, projects, assignments on the child, as well as on the parent. Today, we see most of these projects from schools are completed by the parents or subcontracted to tutors, which doesn’t really help the child grow, as well as parents taxing themselves and shelling out huge amounts for school fees and on private tutors.
Catholic Homeschooling, according to Reena, has helped her fulfil the call and vocation to pass on the faith. Apart from this, there is no schedule as such that needs to be followed; it is very relaxing for both the parent and the child. Homeschooled children tend to learn faster and better, since homeschooling removes the obstacles and difficulties of a regular education system, which some have described as a ‘Factory Model’ of education.
On the other hand, when it comes to challenges of homeschooling, for instance, since parents are teachers to their children, they themselves have to pre-learn a lot of things, before teaching their children. There also needs to be a balance between what you want to teach your child and what your child wants to learn on that particular day.
In conclusion, while homeschooling sounds like an appealing option, it isn’t for all parents, since at least one parent has to be present at home, and there is a lot of investment of time involved. Working parents will find this a difficult path, and find regular schools a more feasible option. However, as the current pandemic has shuttered schools, and parents have turned teachers, helping their wards with lessons and homework, we may just see homeschooling catching on in the post-pandemic period.
Cynera Rodricks is currently interning as a Content Writer with The Examiner. She is an alumna of St Xavier’s College, Mumbai and an aspiring journalist.