Forget about the naysayers! Forget about comfort zones!
This is about YOU doing what is right by your children. By Parents for their Children.
Statistics from a recent survey seen by 500 families shows that home schooling is prevalent in households with 2 children with at least one child if not both being home schooled regardless of the presence of medical conditions. About 81.5% expressing that they would still choose home schooling again if presented with the choice once more.
In a broad view, Home School (HS) is nothing more than just another avenue of allowing children an opportunity to gain knowledge and be educated through unconventional ways.
So how does Home School work? What does it entails?
Reached out to 2 different families who are home schooling their children. Mdm Sandra Chan, a mother of two and Mdm Annette Chua, a mother of one both shared some of the similar pros and cons of taking this approach with their children’s education.
Being responsible for their children’s learning journey, HS parents take on the leadership role, much like the ‘Academic Director’ in an education institution. They will review, combine and complement different curriculum to cater to the child’s interest and pace. Specially crafted monthly schedules which incorporate various forms of learning from individual exploration to group learning with other like-minded parents and their little ones.
Every child learns differently at different pace and main stream schools cannot cater to the individual child’s needs.
As the 'Captain of the Ship’, an outgoing and friendly personality combined with leadership and a positive outlook are qualities required much like parents who home school manage the challenges that come their way. Some of the HS families do share common challenges as they openly expressed through the survey, one such indicated “Family and relatives are against the idea, there are friends who disagree and feel that school is better.” Another “Staying motivated and not getting overwhelmed.” The top 3 challenges that resonates most with HS parents is social integration, time management and social stigmatisation being the top.
While families recognises the benefits of home school for their children and the value of interpersonal relationship bonding amongst family, we do see families adopting the home schooling approach not by choice rather due to medical conditions of oneself or their family member. After all, time is the only thing that money cannot buy, let alone any variation of achieving education.
Quoting and unquoting our Patron and Speaker of Parliament, Mr Tan Chuan Jin from a separate message:
“Public perception should be shaped by facts.”
However, this statement is very apt and applicable in all aspect of our lives. Have we been more objective or subjective today on home schooling?
Sandra openly shared a proverb close to her heart which she constantly reflect while on her HS journey, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it”.
Understanding how important it is for HS families to constantly support each other emotionally and spiritually in this uphill and discriminated journey in Singapore, both Sandra and Annette encourages HS parents to persevere on regardless of the social stigmatisation they faced on daily basis.
Reflecting and couldn’t agree more with Sandra’s view, she asserted ‘If we are called to homeschool our children, go for it! Homeschooling is not just about doing academics at home. It is about parenting and life. The most important thing is not about how to homeschool but why we want to homeschool.’
While this article does not provide full information of resources on home school but it serves to shed some light in this area where it is overshadowed by the norm in Singapore.
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Parents whose curiosity are piqued about home school and like to know more, HS families have kindly shared some of the available sites for more information:
The Whys And Hows Of Homeschooling In Singapore
Exploring Homeschooling SG (Facebook Group)
Educational Resources / Materials: