There is no separate syllabus for homeschooling children. Most parents TOI spoke to followed prescribed textbooks. However internet marketing, some didn't follow textbooks and others designed their own curriculum by referring to syllabi of different boards.

None of them thrust books on their children. "When my child was in first grade, I used to take him to shops and make him understand addition and subtraction internet phone. Later, I used textbooks as worksheets. That's how I taught him maths," said a parent, Chetana Keni. Children are encouraged to figure out things by themselves and find pleasure in learning new things.

While most parents help children in the lower classes, they take the help of tutors when they can no longer deal with a subject. "We have a forum. Each parent is good in some subject credit card processing. For example, I love maths. So, when a child needs assistance in it, I help him out," said Amit Mathur, a software developer.

On reaching Class 10, the child can take the board exam privately by registering with the National Institute of Open Schooling or International General Certificate of Secondary Education. The degree is acceptable across the world isp.

Prachi Wrote - Have heard about HS earlier but didnt know that it was even a possibility here in India. Would like to you guys about it when we meet next.
Hope things work out great for you and Asa. My best wishes.

Vidya WROTE - hmmm.. a part of me always liked the concept a lot, the lack of thinking within brackets when home schooled. but another side to me speaks of the general learnings per se (obviously this wasn't possible in myown house) social interactions, the team work, the dealing with teachers rigid mindsets in its own way ironically has also contributed to my way of handling life.

Two, am not too sure about the future - would she be accepted in college? professional courses (assume she wants to be a doc - ? job? - if she were home schooled? people insist on formal schooling regardless of how valuable or not it is. how ready are we as a society for this?

all said and done, bottom line is the comfort level by all involved which is evident here. i guess you have done your preparations. Can you tell me whats the law on this? ( i was under the impression that its compulsory as per the census survey is done etc etc).

Nupur Singh WROTE - i am really happy for asa and it takes guts to take such a step.
How will she take exams? will those exams be given through some school? - Nupur

Meenakshii WROTE - I am a bit in two minds...

Can every child be homeschooled?
Why do we go to school?

Is it that we need a different type of school or that we need homeschooling?

Right now I have lots of questions...
- I read this book - Learning the Heart Way, Author Samyukta... She talks of different schooling and the way she learnt through interaction with experts in the chosen fields ( although in her case she did go to regular school and did this for the bachelor degree) and passed out through the open university

But with your kind of commitment to things, I'm sure it'll work well. - Mina

Arati WROTE - WOW! I must say you guys are very courageous! Since the HS has just started maybe it is too early to say much about it. The real challenge will be when the child has been in HS method for a while... Hope it works ! Wish you the very best. Regards, Arati

KIRTI WROTE - Hi Aditi, Thats really something which I am thinking of from past few months, n not had enough courage all these days to discuss even with my husband....because I myself is not every clear n sure about it.....

This is what I was thinking for Anvesha, my inhibitions.....and I am looking forward to get over these......

Homeschooling with a group of parents, to me sounds a good idea....as I feel , anvesha most of the times is desperate for company....my thoughts are confusing though.......
or
may be social needs can be fulfilled otherwise too......in other activities also...............may be it differes from child to child, how much social needs they have, so need to really look into it, may be I should take more time, to observe her instead of jumping on conclusions.....

I am also not so sure....abt my own competence in the field.....so thats the major fact of worry to me, as I do not have much experience in the same field...........

thanks for giving the idea of experimenting it, may be these christmas holidays will be good idea for me also to experiment.....as I am not so happy with the kindergartens here......which are too much focussed on manners n behavior....rules n formalities.......though they are not very demanding in terms of activites which I like......

Also I have a doubt....I like the idea of free play, these days, anvesha is having too much of in her kindergarten....
Is there any harm in having this free play little guided................I went to 3-4 kindergartens, what I observed was they give lot of free play which was quiet exciting to me......n its guided, meaning they take out things, keep them back, n guided if playing in a group on how to play.....................when i was expecting ki it would be guided in terms of objectives....does it cease to be a freeplay, if they are given objectives for that free play n then they decide the goal.......or it should be done only when activites are carried out.....kirti

Komala Wrote - I thought it was a great move and a very thought through one also at the same time .
yeah, I totally get frustrated too when I see the education system and the returns from the school. I always try to make my child "THINK".
mostly by questioning in our day to day living, leaving the subject matter alone. One apprehension which I have about home schooling by parent would be How will I(parent) take care of my own fallbacks? it is very hard to teach(guide) somebody your own for you get too attached . regards, Komala

Hey Komala
No one is Perfect - so no need to take care of your own fallback.
However you too LEARN with your child. The relationship becomes much
"transparent" - you both know each others fallback and still accept
each other and still MOVE together.

And home schooling is not about teaching - IT is about learning to learn.
We are only guiding asawari - no teaching. The whole leaning is driven
by her - wherever she needs - we guide her.

And it is a different worlds - we are meeting people with similar
thoughts - and it feels good to interact with them.

Any more input
call or mail or come for a cup of coffee. cheers - aditi

Mahalakshmi WROTE - Your move towards HOME SCHOOLING has really kindled the appetite that was within me. I think that trying it with my daughter now(who is in IX Std.) would not be that easy. We(daughter & me) are into learning to learn methodology way of educating ourselves in chapters where my daughter seeks to have a better understanding and is quite interesting to both of us. Would like to know if only the respective parent has a role in sculpting the child differently or even the adult GENIEKIDS' progeny can have a hand in it and in what ways(role)? - Regards,
Mashi.

Viday Wrote - those thoughts went through my mind too, that can just anybody do it or does it require someone whose in the education field only to attempt this? i find you guys quite "well rounded" in different subjects in theory and in terms of life skills. I don't have a kid so i don't know what it might be like, but some random thoughts....take for example, i haven t learned to do even basic sums or fractions or percentages - ie basic math, in fact even my tables are pretty bad, let alone what is required to write an exam, which means i need to go through schooling myself on each subject before attempting something like this right? quite an overwhelming process methinks..and for others who have their own "fall backs" as komala puts it either subject wise or teaching skills or life skills and so on..

it is heartening to note that a lot of people are thinking about it positively, and airing their inhibitions. - V.

Kesang WRote - I have enjoyed reading the ideas shared about homeschooling. In our parenting workshops we are confronted everyday with stories of how children are labelled, put down, humiliated by teachers. It seems to me that with growing class size teachers see sarcasm and humiliation as a tool of control. ( and who can blame them- have they be taught any other way to handle children?)
But as a parent who is bringing up my child with so much respect , why would i send her to an environment where her self esteem is totally destroyed. This is a huge aspect of what our education system is doing to children ( even worse than killing the love for learning) - Kesang

Ranjini Wrote - great to read positive views about home schooling...

I too like some others have my own inhibitions in terms of ... do I have the right to limit my child due to my own personal limitations... also doubts on how the child will cope with stress later on in life ... say when the child has to face mainstream examinations etc. on the job etc
Also what happens to modeling and peer learning and other advantages of interactions with children of the same age group??

Some other thoughts... how does homeschooling work later in life when the child wants to take up professional courses.. how do they and when do they join the mainstream education system

all in all areally bold move by aditi and ratnesh .. all the very best to all of you. ranjani sampathkumar

Hi Ranjini
Just few thoughts (beliefs)
Is current education giving all to the child - which many expressed as apprehension?
Or we are just believing that the current education is giving all this?

If so then why do we have adults who are not able to cope up with teams, peers, work pressure, spouse relationship, and so?
Any child who want admission in IIT/ IIM or any other field - goes thru "coaching class" ? Are the schools preparing them to naturally get admission in IIT/ IIM or any other profession? What the kids are taught in class if they understand - brilliant - if they do not then what?? Labeling, more practice, tuition and so on.

Mainstream education has been there for ages and hence we are living in our comfort zone. Do not want to question ?

Till we did not took this step - we too were apprehensive - but since we closed this chapter - MANY more avenues are opened up - there is a different world of people who are working to bring change in the way we are looking at things.
Home schooling is not all about the "way of learning" - it is all about learning the "way of life". Aditi-Ratnesh

Sukanya wrote - Hats off to you!I would never had had the courage to do this, though the thought is very tempting.My daughter Anahita goes to Sophia's & its the same story there.We explored CFL for her , took her there to get a feel of the place & have even applied for the next year.But Anahita is not willing to change schools.Neither me nor Ajai believe in forcing the child to do something that she is so vociferously against. We tried telling her that she could try for a year & then if she did not like it, she cld always go back to Sophia. But she is just not willing.

I completely understand that children at this age find the company of friends very secure & stimulating & as she is doing "well" in school, as per the system, she is unwilling to look at options. Infact CFL also asked me to explore home schooling, but I really don't feel upto it. Any ideas???

COngrats again! Warm Regds, Sukanya