Homeschooling ....It's a Personal Choice
Homeschooling is something that is increasingly becoming part of the mainstream in our world today. I had my first exposure of homeschooling in the early '90s. An American family who moved to the Philippines hired me to tutor their 2 kids in Elementary Math and Algebra. I was a freelance tutor at that time so it was not really new to me since tutoring is somewhat the same as homeschooling. What their parents did that time was to get in contact with schools that offer curriculum in homeschooling. The kids were given lessons and worksheets that should be done at home for a quarter. At the end of the quarter, the kids would take a test in the school to see if they can move on to the next module. That was then and that was in the Philippines. Not a lot of Filipino kids did it that time. Kids in the Philippines normally go to regular schools. Homeschooling is not really a hit simply because it costs money.
Here in the US, homeschooling is more common. More and more parents are opting to do this with their children. Reasons vary as to why this is so. It can be because of safety reasons, health reasons or just because. Personally, I am opting to homeschool my daughter because I can do it. I just believe that I know my daughter more than anybody else so I'm more aware of her learning capabilities. What takes me aback sometimes are the 'unsolicited opinions' that other people feel they have to tell me. I sometimes get tired of explaining our decision to them so I just choose not pay attention to it much. What opinions you may ask? That my daughter is going to be an anti-social because she has no interactions with kids her age. Well, I really want her to have friends her age but I don't beieve that the lack of this 'social interaction' will result to her being the anti-social kid that these people think she is or will become. I went to school myself, both in public and private schools. But that didn't make me more confident or less shy. So going to school does not really make one social or anti-social. There are people who are just born social and people who are not. I'm more like the latter.
Homeschooling just like any other things has it's pros and cons. Right now, the pros far more outweigh the cons for us. Our 5-year old is well-advanced compare to kids her age. She started reading even before she was 3. She finished her first real book 'Dick and Jane' when she was 3. She has easily read more than 100 books herself and she started 'reading me' bedtime stories before she even turned 4. Currently, she reads and comprehends what she reads like a grade schooler. She's doing her multiplication and she can skip count from 1 to 11...fast, really fast. She's doing Grades 3 to 5 workbooks. She's had colds probably once in her entire life. She's almost always not sick. But the most important thing is she's growing to be a well-behaved little girl that we want her to be. Oh and she's not anti-social as well. She's a very friendly person who would talk to anybody given the chance.
So what's my point? Nothing actually, I just need an interim in-between my posts..hehe. Seriously, I just want to let it out and probably be an encouragement to those who are having second thoughts whether to do it or not. This is my personal take on it so you don't have to side with me..but you better....
Here in the US, homeschooling is more common. More and more parents are opting to do this with their children. Reasons vary as to why this is so. It can be because of safety reasons, health reasons or just because. Personally, I am opting to homeschool my daughter because I can do it. I just believe that I know my daughter more than anybody else so I'm more aware of her learning capabilities. What takes me aback sometimes are the 'unsolicited opinions' that other people feel they have to tell me. I sometimes get tired of explaining our decision to them so I just choose not pay attention to it much. What opinions you may ask? That my daughter is going to be an anti-social because she has no interactions with kids her age. Well, I really want her to have friends her age but I don't beieve that the lack of this 'social interaction' will result to her being the anti-social kid that these people think she is or will become. I went to school myself, both in public and private schools. But that didn't make me more confident or less shy. So going to school does not really make one social or anti-social. There are people who are just born social and people who are not. I'm more like the latter.
Homeschooling just like any other things has it's pros and cons. Right now, the pros far more outweigh the cons for us. Our 5-year old is well-advanced compare to kids her age. She started reading even before she was 3. She finished her first real book 'Dick and Jane' when she was 3. She has easily read more than 100 books herself and she started 'reading me' bedtime stories before she even turned 4. Currently, she reads and comprehends what she reads like a grade schooler. She's doing her multiplication and she can skip count from 1 to 11...fast, really fast. She's doing Grades 3 to 5 workbooks. She's had colds probably once in her entire life. She's almost always not sick. But the most important thing is she's growing to be a well-behaved little girl that we want her to be. Oh and she's not anti-social as well. She's a very friendly person who would talk to anybody given the chance.
So what's my point? Nothing actually, I just need an interim in-between my posts..hehe. Seriously, I just want to let it out and probably be an encouragement to those who are having second thoughts whether to do it or not. This is my personal take on it so you don't have to side with me..but you better....
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