After teaching 5 children, 4 of whom can read independently now and mostly above their level, I have come to the conclusion that children learn whether you teach them or not. One way we have helped them to learn is make available to them various resources for them to explore and find an interest in.
I have also learnt that some children are easier to teach than others and some children learn faster than others. There isn’t really much I can do to hasten it. Just like one can’t force a child to a child talk and walk before he is ready. But what homeschooling does is that it gives the children lots of time at home – to be bored! Well, in our family at least 🙂 So what this means is that they figure many things out on their own ands also, read more books on their own.
Why?
Coz they are bored! 🙂 You have heard that necessity is the mother of invention, right? Well, so is boredom! That is why it is critical to provide quality books of various topics, both fiction and non-fiction, around the house. It is also important that these books are easily taken out and read. Yes, it means that our books are in less than pristine condition but books are meant to be read, right? I just need to be more diligent in teaching them to care for their books better.
Homeschooling also allows the child to progress at the rate that challenges them. For example, if they are quick in maths, I can choose to skip a grade and offer more challenging types of problem sums. Similarly, if they are having problems with reading and comprehension, then I slow down. So they may not be placed in the same grade for all subjects the way they are forced to in a public school.
And sometimes, this freedom from following a set syllabus rigidly gives the child more self-confidence as he is always learning at his own pace, not a pace set up by some “experts”.
But I do bear in mind that in Singapore, I need to prepare them for PSLE* and so I do. And for that, they need to be ready by 12, not 8 or 9. They may not be able to get P3 work at P3 but they may suddenly take off and have a growth spurt (in their brains!) the next year. And if they don’t, we’ll just keep on keeping on.
So no, our children are definitely not geniuses. And even if they were, I would not like to to label them so. For what purpose does it serve except to feed their ego. 🙂
Check out the rest of the other myths HERE.
*PSLE – Primary School Leaving Examinations is taken by all children nationwide between the ages of 12 to 15.