When the atmosphere encourages learning, learning is inevitable.

In the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic, home-schooling became a recent trend that happened to also increase a student’s productivity as to what atmosphere is more comfortable than being at home. The quote by Elizabeth Foss thus stands true.

 

Home-schooling, the definition

Home-schooling i.e., teaching or educating your children at home with or without external help is getting very common these days. Although in India there is no regulating authority for home-schooling, still it is practised with the same scope as any of other recognized boards.

 

Home-schooling-beneficial or detrimental?

The concept of home-schooling is relatively new as compared to the conventional method which involves going to school. Home-schooling has both pros as well as cons and, in this blog, we will discuss both in detail.

 

Benefits of Home-schooling

I home educate not to prepare my children for tests but to prepare them for Life”– Tamara L Chilver. This quote is relevant from a parent’s perspective as home-schooling does have multiple advantages. Some of these include:

 

1. Various studies show that children who have gone through home-schooling score higher in various tests like SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and other proficiency tests like IELTS, TOEFL tests.

 

2. Home-schooling provides children with a flexible schedule of studies, something that can be adjusted with personal convenience.

 

3. It is convenient for children with special needs as the child can learn in a flexible and comfortable environment which is very beneficial in shifting their focus from anxiety of social interaction to the process of learning.

 

4. A child can adjust the time for his/her other hobbies like music, dance, sports etc.

 

5. Experimental and sometimes practical learning can be cultivated in the child.

 

6. Many schools just follow their prescribed textbook rather than experimenting with new things but this is not the case when it comes to home-schooling. As rightly said by Margaret Mead, “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think”.

 

7. Home-schooling is cost-effective as compared to the traditional method of schooling. Children along with formal education can simultaneously gain access to various other educational resources which are almost free. Such courses, e-videos, blogs not only help in creating an interactive environment but also help in increasing the quality of education.

 

8. Apart from studies many other important topics like religion, family history, financial education etc. can be learnt which are not the part of the school curriculum.

 

9. Parents can supervise and monitor the child’s learning very closely. Also, parents can know the strengths and weaknesses of their child along with other activities (opportunities, threats) related to SWOT analysis.

 

10. Other important aspects of homeschooling include:

 

• The child can choose what he/she likes
• Parents can plan various trips throughout the year so that their child can learn about various other places, cultures etc.
• Most important among all is a one to one student-teacher ratio which ensures the entire concentration on a single person only.

 

Certain downsides connected with home-schooling include:

 

1. The parent-child relationship can get severely affected because kids are home with their parents most of the time.
2. Parents due to several reasons for example work may not find adequate time for teaching their children and this will increase the learning gap between the two.
3. Sometimes parents are not sure of the teaching/reference material they are using that follows the recent trends in the field or not. The curriculum designed in schools is done by professionals which ensures the needs of the child, the latest information in the field etc.
4. Sometimes home-schooling does not receive the legal tender and people think that such children who are home-schooled lack societal manners, social skills etc. Moreover, it gets difficult for these children to go for higher studies or applying for colleges for further formal education
5. Children taught at home may not benefit from healthy competition in academics.
6. Homeschooled children miss sports, an integral part of the developmental stage of every child. Sports events of various types are very important for overall development (especially physical).
7. Children can build a narrow mindset and they tend to carry forward the words of their parents and private tutors.
8. Managing high-pressure situations are often missed out on by children who are home tutored.
9. Social differences can develop between such children and their fellow mates at time of further stages of career.
10. Other risks involved are:

 

• These children find it difficult to follow already laid rules
• They face an issue of sharing things
• Such children are not able to make their own decisions

 

Key Takeaways

 

We have discussed both advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling. To conclude, one needs to understand that home-schooling is considerable but up to a certain extent. Also, parents need to ensure that they are following the right approach for teaching their children along with other important aspects like socialization, physical development etc.

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Also published on Medium.