Maria Almeida a mother of 5 children, 3 boys, and 2 girls homeschooled all of
them and is very proud of her decision. Maria’s eldest son who is 23 now, opted
for homeschooling at the age of 15 and 8 years ago it wasn’t an easy decision
to make. But as parents, they supported their child and allowed him to discover
his potential. “We initially faced a bit of negativity and raised eyebrows from
the family members and neighbors, but ultimately we thought we need to ignore
all this and do what we and our children feel right. All my children decided on
their own on when they wanted to go to a regular school and when to opt out
from it.
My youngest daughter went only for
Kindergarten and 1st standard onwards she wanted to be homeschooled. Apart from
giving exams for their 10th standard through the open school in order to have a
certificate for future documentation like passport etc. we never pressurized
our children to even take exams. We wanted them to follow their dreams, pursue
their creativity and be what they wanted to be”, says Maria
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Parents like Maria bust the myth that only
children with special needs or the ones who are weak in studies opt for these
alternative methods of education. In fact, it is also about the children who
are smart enough to manage their own studies and maintain discipline and yet
have the freedom to choose what they want to do at their own pace and sometimes
their own place
Homeschooling is best for families who want their child to have
a say in their learning. Rather than rushing through concepts year after year
and having no impact on a child’s progress, Homeschooling provides an
opportunity for a well-rounded education wherein learning every concept is
fundamental.
A lot of students hate math at school never unleashing their
true potential in the subject because in a class of around 30 students and a
fixed curriculum just leaves no room for imagination, thinking, skill building.
This changes when traditional schooling is not in the picture and learning
becomes all about engaging and arousing a child’s interest to learn
effectively.
Homeschooling is quite common in the western world for ages and
in the last decade or so, it has picked up in Goa too. Earlier I used to only
have students who were into sports, modeling or learning difficulties and
couldn’t fit into a regular school. But now, even regular smart students and
families are opting for custom made learning. I feel learning and education is
transforming rapidly and what’s more interesting is that we as a society are
embracing the change”, shares Amandeep Kaur Sardesai from Aman Academy who helps the homeschooled children with their
studies.
At the core of this practice which some refer to by the name,
‘Unschooling’, is a principle that says, “Care more about happiness and less
about certificates, and ability to make money.”
Yohani Menezes pulled out her daughter from the regular
school when she was in 4th standard, not because she was weak in studies, but
because she was ready to learn more than the school was offering. “Both my
children got bored in school because they wanted to do more, explore more and
that is why I opted for homeschooling and they are happier and doing pretty
well. Also, I feel it is fairly common in Goa now as I see many parents and
children opting for homeschooling and letting their children develop more skill
sets other than just academic”, says Yohani
Manisha Chaddha shares the thought and says to put it in
one word her experience of homeschooling her very bright daughter has been
“fantastic”.
It is noteworthy that Sahal Kaushik, the youngest person to ever
clear the highly competitive Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance
Examination in 2010, who had ranked 33 in the country and stood first in Delhi
at the tender age of 14, was home-schooled.
Home
schooling is just a great alternative method of education and learning. In
fact, this should help parents understand and believe in the potential of your
children and not bind them and evaluate them on the basis of grades and marks.
