Home-schooling is an alternative for kids who need individual attention or require a holistic approach to education.
Sairah and George Mattackal’s eight children (between the age group of one and 15 years of age) have always been tutored at home.
A full-time mom and teacher to her kids, Sairah Mattackal is an engineer, who much later got a master’s degree in education from an American university. Mattackal says, “We made a conscious decision to coach our kids at home, and today, my husband and I, can confidently say that our children have gained much more than they would have if they were schooled formally. Home schooling our kids has been a tremendous learning experience for both the kids and us.”
Namita Ruthnaswamy, whose 14-year-old son Joshua is being home-schooled, since the past two years says, “My son was attending a regular school until two years ago, when he began to show a keen interest in pursuing rowing professionally.” At that point Ruthnaswamy and her husband decided to home-school him. “This would ensure he didn’t miss out on lessons and also that school didn’t interfere with his passion,” she adds.
A typical day at a home-school
Children follow a flexible routine, which involves as much study as play. In-depth research on a topic of interest, sports, cooking, household chores, carpentry, fixing broken machines are part of their daily curriculum. The holistic learning approach prepares a child in every possible way. “Children use books and resources from the Internet to further their knowledge,” says Mattackal, adding, “Since it is not an exam-oriented approach, children learn for the sake of enhancing their knowledge.”
Kids being coached at home keep a tab on what their counterparts (in schools) are doing. Parents and kids find out about projects and assignments and work on the same if they find it interesting.
Parents choose home-schooling as it offers flexibility and helps retain the child’s individual personality. It also offers scope for parents to be the primary influence in their child’s life.
What happens after school?
Most kids, who are home-schooled give their IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education, an internationally recognised qualification for school students, typically in the 14–16 age group) exam at a suitable time, and thereby have a class 10 certificate, and can pursue higher education. “Joshua has registered for the IGCSE exams, and the best part is he can give it when he’s ready,” says Ruthnaswamy. Mattackal says, “Learning at home allows kids to pursue their interests and equips them with knowledge, which enables them to perform and study at a university of their choice.”
Been there done that
Ten-year-old Aniket Keni was being home-schooled until last year, but joined Samhita Academy, a CBSE school, this academic year. “He wanted to try out the formal system,” says his mother Chetana Keni, adding, “He is still getting used to the idea of tests and exams.”
“Earlier, when we’d enrolled him into a primary school, Aniket found it hard to adjust. Hence, I started teaching him at home,” says Keni. And if her son decides to get back to being home-schooled, Keni says she’ll be glad to teach him again.
Keni has a word of advice for parents: “Home-schooling should be done for the right reasons. The decision to home-school your child should not be imposed on him/her.”
According to her, if a child is an extrovert and likes to interact with people on a daily basis, then home-schooling cuts him/her off from fellow-students and could also deter progress.
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