What exactly is homeschooling?

Homeschooling is a form of education in which parents or guardians educate their children at home.

The major goal of homeschooling is to provide children with the freedom and flexibility to learn in the way that suits them best. It also allows parents and children to engage in their children’s learning in the most appropriate atmosphere for them.

Homeschooling is an excellent option for many parents, but it does come with its challenges. A home school education doesn’t always follow the same guidelines as public schools.

However, Homeschooling in India is slowly but gradually becoming popular as more and more parents are exploring homeschooling curriculum as it offers more flexibility,

Why homeschool?

Many reasons exist for choosing to homeschool, but one of the most common is that a parent wants to teach their child at home because they believe it will be more effective than sending them to a public or private school.

Homeschooling also allows parents to have a greater influence on their children’s education. They can choose the teachers they want for their children, and spend more time working with them. Parents who homeschool are often able to spend more time working on other aspects of their lives.

Homeschooling is an excellent way for children to receive a liberal arts education that emphasises independent thinking, communication skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. Homeschooling, in addition to teaching academic subjects, provides a nurturing environment in which children can explore and learn more about themselves.

What is the main goal of homeschooling?

The primary goal of homeschooling is for parents to provide their children with the best education possible by ensuring that they understand concepts not only through reading books or attending classes, but also through seeing and observing things in real life. These help children develop important life skills by exposing them to a variety of real-life situations and teaching them how to respond to them.

Most parents who homeschool their children encourage their children to try new things and do not punish them if they fail. Parents make certain that their children are always curious about everything, learning, trying, exploring, failing, and never giving up.

Most children who attend regular classes miss out on this because the emphasis is on rote learning and scoring more points rather than understanding the concepts.

Homeschooling is a great way to get your children into the habit of reading and learning, while at the same time giving them the freedom to do what they want without feeling restricted by other people’s opinions. For example, homeschooled children can play sports or join clubs that would otherwise not be possible because of time constraints in a regular school setting.

In home school education, a child can learn at his own pace, while still being challenged by good teachers and getting the best possible education. Home schooling also allows parents more control over their children’s learning processes.

Homeschooling is also great for parents who want to focus on their own education or career, or who want to spend more time with their children.

Homeschooling can be an effective way for parents to teach their children traditional subjects in nontraditional ways. In this approach, parents teach academic material at home and supplement it with life skills and social studies lessons.

Homeschooling Advantages

• Freedom and flexibility.
• Parents have more control over the learning process.
• They can choose their child’s homeschooling curriculum.
• They can set the schedule.
• They can choose when and where to teach their children, and set the pace of learning.

• Parents are free from having to answer to other people, like school officials or other parents.
• Parents can spend more time with their children and give them the attention they need.
• Homeschooled children are free to make up their own minds about what they want to learn without having someone else’s opinion influence their decision-making process.
• Homeschooling also gives you the opportunity to get creative with your curriculum, allowing you to explore new ideas and explore new fields of study, or even start learning from higher grades if the child feels so inclined.
• It also gives them the opportunity to be exposed to different cultures and life experiences, which can help them make better decisions as they grow older.

The Disadvantages of Homeschooling

Although there are many advantages to homeschooling, it is not for everyone, and some people might find it difficult to cope with the demands homeschooling can have.

• Not all parents can afford the time and money required to homeschool their children.

• Some parents might feel that they do not have the ability or knowledge necessary to teach their children.
• Homeschooling does not guarantee that children will be proficient in the subject they are learning. If parents do not make sure their children are learning well, then there could be problems with homeschooled children later on in life.
• Some parents might find it tough because they do not want their child to be labelled as “different” or different from other children.
• Parents might feel that if they choose to home school, then it is a sign of rebellion against the school system.
• Homeschooling might be difficult for children who have difficulty following rules or whose parents are not always around to monitor their behaviour.
• There is a chance that homeschooled children will have trouble making friends, which could cause them to feel lonely and isolated.
• If parents choose to homeschool, then they are more likely to be concerned about the quality of education that their child will receive.
• Scheduling classes, absence of socialization, more responsibility for parents’ own education, as well as stress.

How does homeschooling work?

Before you decide to embark on the journey of homeschooling your child, you should do some research and find Homeschooling groups locally or online. Most of these groups have members who are very helpful and will happily answer any queries you may have.

Be aware that Homeschooling requires a lot of involvement from the parents – in terms of time and attention. There are tonnes of support groups, websites and other online resources available to help and guide you.

Once you decide to Homeschool your child, you need to give him sufficient time to find things that interest him. Once your child and you have found something which he is interested in, you need to provide your child with resources to learn and understand more about that topic. The resources could be in the form of actually getting the object (if feasible), buying relevant books, sourcing online resources, finding a tutor/expert on that topic who can guide your child, seeking help from the community.

While homeschooling children should not be subjected to a fixed timetable like regular school children, it is beneficial to have a schedule for certain activities so that there is a sense of discipline and timeline for completing tasks.

Each homeschooler is unique, and the most effective method for each family depends on individual learning styles, goals, and interests.

Homeschooling can be done in conjunction with conventional schooling, although most people choose to homeschool full-time while others do so part-time or on an occasional basis.

There are many different methods of homeschooling, which you could choose from. Some are more ideal for certain age groups, while others are more suited for individual needs. The most common methods are as follows:

Online homeschooling

This method is becoming more and more popular in recent years. It involves the use of online tools to help the child learn in a structured environment. The advantages of this method are that the child is not restricted to a classroom and can work at their own pace.

Study plans that are laminated

This method entails sketching out the child’s learning objectives and then incorporating them into a laminated plan. It is possible to do it by hand or with software such as Microsoft Word. The benefits are that it is simple to use, saves time and money, and ensures consistency in learning across all subjects.

Assessment

The main objective of this method is to determine the child’s strengths and weaknesses so that they can be improved upon. It is an effective way to prepare a child for their future educational career .

The advantages of this method are that it provides the child with an idea of their strengths and weaknesses, which can help them in their future education.

Homeschooling with a Curriculum

This method involves the child learning about a particular subject by following a curriculum. The advantage of this is that it provides consistency in learning for all subjects, and it provides a structured approach to Homeschooling.

One-on-one teaching

This method involves the child learning about a particular subject by following an individual teacher’s curriculum plan. The advantage of this is that it provides consistency in learning for all subjects, but it can be more expensive, and it could be challenging to find good teachers for all the subjects.

The following are some of the most popular methods used by parents to homeschool their children:

Waldorf, Montessori, Charlotte Mason, outdoors, interest based learning, problem solving based learning.

Is Homeschooling legal in India?

We could not find any official government quotes on Homeschooling in the public domain. However, there are many known cases where Homeschooling children have been able to appear as private candidates for the 10th and 12th classes through NIOS and IGCSE boards.

So, as such, there are no restrictions on Homeschooling in India, except that your child might not be able to take 10th and 12th grade exams through most of the state boards and would have to rely primarily on NIOS and IGCSE.

Which boards are preferred by Homeschooling parents?

The majority of home schooling families who seek to appear for the equivalent of 10th or 12th grade exams for certification or to be eligible for college admissions or higher education choose NIOS or Cambridge IGCSE because they are equivalent to board exams like ICSE, CBSE, and state board exams like SSC, HSC, etc.

Even the CBSE now allows homeschoolers to sit for class 10 and 12 exams as private candidates.

Resources for Homeschooling Children:

The best homeschooling resources are the ones that come from the parents themselves. There are so many ways to have fun with your children while at home. Some of these are doing art projects, homework, exploring the outdoors, making crafts and playing games.

Another idea is to get involved in your local Homeschooling community.