Homeschooling

 

Back to the time in 2020 when I got done with my ‘O’levels. It was now time to choose a suitable A ‘level college. By then, I had already been exposed to books, lectures, and ideas about homeschooling. I had also learned how children are exploited, rebuked, punished, tested controlled, and humiliated in schools. None of that had fallen upon me since I was a high achiever. But-Cherry on top-high achievers undergo an even more disturbed psychological state than low-achievers.

With scholarships pouring in from the top colleges of the city, it was time. I had to choose.

I knew my character and confidence were deeply affected by the schooling system. Being a high -achiever, failure meant the end of world, even a small one. A-graders are afraid of mistakes, and they learn only for exams. Plus, they hate it when the limelight changes the direction. I could not repeat the same mistake. Knowing something and yet not putting into practice would have been a deception. My choice was made.

Homeschooling.
We call it.

It was a difficult decision though, but, certainly, fruitful enough to urge me into writing this discourse.

What is homeschooling?

As the name suggests, it is studying at home. Without being a part of formal institution like schools and colleges, pupil study at home through books, and, if needed, external help-tuitions, coaching

Why is it a better option than schools?

Firstly, homeschooling, saves ample amount of time that can be spent elsewhere. Schools take away precious time of a learner. John Taylor Gatto -In his book ’Dumbing us down’ -measures a calculus of time the children he teaches deal with;

·       Out of 168 hours in each week, my children sleep 56. (Leaving them with112 hours)

·       According to recent reports, children watch 55 hours on television a week. (Leaving them with 57 hours)

·       My children attend school 30 hours a week, use about 8 hours getting ready, and spend an average of 7 hours a week on homework. During that time, they are under constant surveillance. They have no private time or private space and are disciplined if they try to assert individuality in the use of time or space. (Leaving them 12 hours a week)

·       Of course, my children eat too, and that takes some time, not much, because they have lost the tradition of family dining-but if we allot 3 hours a week to evening meals, we arrive at a net amount of private time for each child of 9 hours per week.

 

Now here, the most basic problem that arrives is: How do children get time to play a sport? How will a muslim kid fetch time that he was expected to spend on pondering and reflecting, when none of it is left? Schools make up most of the problem. And, for a moment, let us imagine that sending children to schools to learn (which in reality they do not) is a worthwhile expenditure of time and resources. We are in error. Schools have failed to do the job of teaching and much of what they impart is unnecessary and contextless Alfie Kohn in in his book Punished by rewards writes ‘right now, a good deal of what students are required to do in school is, to be blunt, not worth doing’. One day a child would learn about Newton’s law and, the next day, about the calibration of thermometer. One piece of information was yet to make sense while another was thrown over. Students confront a kerfuffle of information, none of which has been able to manifest upon them clearly. The only thing that schools have rendered are classrooms filled with information where no learning is taking place. Homeschooling saves all that crucial time and enables a generative learning experience.

Additionally, Homeschooling allows a more natural interaction to students. Children spend time on learning, with friends, immediate and extended family, and on focusing over the greater goals of life. Unlike schools where interaction is confined to a group of 30 students from the same age cohort. Adequate time can be used to interact with the nature. Abandoning schools allows creative ideas to be thought, contemplated upon, and then implemented, which would have been a challenge to the school authorities who force everybody into the same discipline.

And we all can certainly agree to the fact that none of us remembers much of what we learned for exams. The goal was not to learn. The goal was to score. And schools have done a great job at convincing some of its students, like me, to keep running in that race. Also, the system has been no less in manipulating its low-achievers into a false grade consciousness, that is that their Cs and Ds are a result of their own lack of potential and not due to the institution of education being fundamentally flawed. Homeschooling protects you from this impoverishing exam culture. By not testing you every other month, it assures abundance of rich thoughts and ideas and cherishes you with the intrinsic beauty of learning. You study to understand the deeper realities of life and not to get that A.

The biggest objection I have with the schools and colleges is that they fail to celebrate the differences of human minds. Neither are all children same, nor is it normal to expect that. In schools, everybody is expected to study in the same way, with same teachers, same books, same notes, and the same syllabi. It restricts children from exploring into different channels of knowledge and treats everyone on a one-size-fits-all approach. I felt so shocked after realizing that my history book for ‘O’levels did not convey an accurate account of Pakistan’s past. In fact, it missed out on so many important figures and underrepresented great personalities like Allama Iqbal who were shown to have done nothing more than a speech in Allahabad address. But at that time, we were not allowed to question. Probably, we were made to forget. After memorizing and conceptualising a completely contorted version of Pakistan’s history, I today doubt much of what we studied in schools. Homeschooling extends the margin to explore, integrate, detect, experiment, test and verify whatever you learn. Hence, it is more reliable in every aspect. 

Homeschoolers are more confident in their approach towards learning. Keeping the charge of their education in their own hands, they understand what study techniques suit them and plan their schedules accordingly. Also, they cover books and syllabi in much less time than a whole year, as would be the case in schools. This allows them to read more books in less time and enlarge their circle of knowledge.

Homeschooling is a more natural option to be chosen anyway. And I am glad, I did.

Common questions related to homeschooling

1.     How do children study without teachers?

Firstly, Allah has placed immense potential in every soul. Hence studying without a teacher and only through resources is unarguably possible. However, over here I do not intend to undermine the student-teacher relationship and for that student can be hired teachers for or sent to tuitions for a reasonable amount of time.

2.     How do they enroll for qualifications?

There is no hedge to access qualifications. Qualifications by all boards are easily available to all private candidates and in the case of O and A levels, much of it can be managed online.

3.     How do children know what to study?

All children should go for books that are recommended by scholarly and reliable people. Research on certain topics and reading about authors also facilitate the process. In case of a particular qualification, endorsed books and resources are clearly mentioned on all educational websites. All you have to do is search.

4.     Is homeschooling expensive?

For sure, it is not. It saves much of school fees and travelling/uniform/extracurricular activities expenditures.

5.     What do kids do of all that extra time.

Easy. Enroll for different skill programs. Learn languages. Increase reading time. Play sports. Improve family time. Engage in reflective conversations. Adopt new hobbies. Ponder. Reflect.

 The world has so much to offer your children than a school which doesn’t do much.

6.     Who would conduct routine tests?

Tests never show how much you children are capable of. Which automatically concludes that they are not needed to be tested. We do not find that happening anywhere in the history of education. So let them learn without pressurizing them with unneeded assessments. Do not let exams contaminate the beauty of learning.

7.     Does every kid need a tight schedule?

This can vary. Many kids might want one, while many wont. Let them decide whether which time is suitable for them to study.

8.     What if children do not sit to study at all?

Maintain a learning environment. Build small libraries and study spaces. Above all, as adults everybody needs to study. In case of acquisition of knowledge, nobody is exempted. Children are likely to read when they see their parents doing the same.

Some people may argue that schools do manage to impart some knowledge if not more.

But at what cost?
If at the cost of my confidence, character and creativity, I am sorry. It’s a bad trade!

May Allah bestow us with knowledge that nourishes us in this life and the hereafter.

Ameen.