What is it like to be taught by your parents at your homes 24x7x365? Discarding the traditional schooling system and opting for Homeschooling, many parents around the world are choosing this method to teach their kids at their homes, following the lockdown period Homeschooling.
But what is this system, and why is it getting popular in the Western countries? Should Indian parents go for this system? We have covered all your queries in this article so read till the end to find out the answers.
What is Homeschooling?
Homeschooling is an educational and teaching system carried out at the students’ home by their parents and other family members. This system is largely based on the educational philosophy that families from the Western countries which states that it is the ultimate right of the parents and not the government to choose how to educate their children.
This homeschooling movement started growing significantly in the 1980s and the years that followed to oppose the public school curriculum because of dissatisfaction or dissimilarities in educational philosophies. This movement is getting very popular in the Western households post-lockdown. According to a study, approximately 1.5 million to 2 million children are homeschooled and this educational system is getting legalised in many other countries too.
Pros of Homeschooling:
Homeschooling has many advantages for both the parents and their children as follows:
- Parents can monitor their children 24x7x365, thus noticing their activists and behaviour and teaching them whenever needed.
- Parents can discard the traditional curriculum of schools that develop fear of tests and results among children. They can create a healthy pattern for their children to learn and apply in life.
- Students learn many unwanted things at school, for example violence, abusing nature and other negative behaviours. Being in supervision of parents, they can learn good behaviour and the right principles and values.
- While homeschooling, parents can also take their children to field trips and perform science experiments or discussions on various social topics at their discretion.
- Homeschooling can help a child work on talents and skills more than overall school education.
- Parents can create strong bonds between themselves and with their children and spend more quality time with the family.
Cons of Homeschooling:
With several pros, homeschooling has some disadvantages too. Homeschooling is a huge responsibility, so parents have to be effective teachers and match the school curriculum.
- Parents have to spend so much to buy expensive books, toys and other accessories for their children. Educational tours and field trips also need large amounts of money.
- It can get hard sometimes for the parents to manage their children continuously for days and this can be intrusive into their personal lives and spaces.
- For homeschooling, parents need to be calm and patient which can make them restless.
- To provide a much-needed school environment to build soft skills like teamwork, adaptability, leadership, parents have to search for playmates for their children.
Should Indian parents homeschool their children?
Given the lockdown and other pandemic circumstances, many Indian households have devised a new system of homeschooling for their children. But this can get difficult for the parents to strike a balance between long work hours and managing the children all the time.
For some educational institutions and jobs in India, degrees and report cards are more valued than skills and experiences so an Indian student needs to be enrolled in the traditional school system of the country. To access governmental benefits and get loans on lower interest rate, educational degrees again play a very pivotal role in India.
Homeschooling can be done lifelong or until the child is financially independent and able to make right decisions on her/his own. Parents need to keep in mind this responsibility and choose their words and way of teaching carefully to impart the right and required knowledge to their children. Indian parents can homeschool their children by researching for colleges or jobs or platforms beforehand which accept homeschooled children.
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