Home-schooling which has started gaining acceptance world wide is not an entirely new educational method. The revered author Ivan Illich questioned the traditional methods of schooling in his seminal work “Deschooling Society” published back in 1971.
In his book, Illich criticized the mass schooling standardised globally and questioned the efficacy and even the ultimate objective of the educational system.
And just like him, many parents worldwide – in USA, Europe, Australia and even India are now having the same concern – does the mass schooling that is “deemed” mandatory for all children to become a part of the society as an adult and ultimately earn money, really work for my child?
The question is a very deep one and raises even more questions in its wake as answers:
Is the school in my locality good enough for my son or daughter? Will they be given personalized attention?
Do they teach the values that I want to inculcate in my child as he or she grows up?
What if someone’s child has special needs? Are there good schools that can care for my special child in the same city or state or even the country I live in?
Do we have to move the whole family and make difficult choices for both partners to provide the best education for my child?
What does the current education system, built around highest test scores and excessive competition and comparison, ultimately teach my child? Does it actually help my child learn and apply it in real life or does it just promote rote learning and waste precious childhood?
It is because of these important questions that many parents are now choosing to home-school their children. Many have gone through a gruelling and stressful high school life and do not want their children to undergo the same punishing system and then make forced career choices based on crammed up education.
Many parents who can afford a good education for their children are now no longer satisfied with plain vanilla method that is mass produced for all children. They find that most schools, even the specialised ones, fall short in providing a safe, loving and nurturing environment for the children to learn at their own pace.
Apart from the reasons that are discussed above, there is another very important reason that more and more parents are considering or opting for home-schooling their child: Children who are home-schooled are performing at par or even better than the children who study in schools. The best part is that the children are enjoying their childhood while learning at home with family.
Home-schooled children are also exploring new or lesser known career choices based on their skills and are opting out of the rat race that most educated adults are forced into, in the corporate world.
In short, home-schooling is becoming more popular with parents because of the freedom, real learning and personalised care towards building a beautiful future for each child.