Can I homeschool both my sons at the same time?
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Q & A on 8 Jan 2009.
A recent email arrived asking about homeschooling 2 children at the same time. I thought it best to let my wife Sook Ching – who’s the primary tutor in our home – take up the question. I’ve revised the query a little to maintain the privacy of the enquirer.
Q: Do you think I can homeschool both my sons who are a year apart? The oldest is 6 and the younger is 5 this year. If yes, do I teach them at the same time or have individual lessons with each? I will be the sole educator as my husband manages his own business, so I won’t be asking him to contribute in the classroom, but perhaps in other areas. Having said that, my oldest son is in final year of preschool this year; do you think I can slowly and tentatively incorporate year one lessons this year? Or am I jumping the gun?
A: I’m Sook Ching, wife to David Tan, and mother to 2 boys, Ethan and Elliot, now 19 and 17 respectively. I do believe that every child is a gift of God and uniquely and lovingly designed by Him, and that’s why we believe that homeschool is a real blessing: because it allows parents to tailor and adapt an education programme to fit a particular child and make learning a joy and a lifestyle! Compare that with the assembly line cookie cutter factory called “School” where every child has to learn the same things at the same time and at the same pace and style. And if a poor child is too fast or too slow by that average standard, or is in anyway different, he or she becomes a misfit and miserable. But that’s not the only beef we have with conventional schooling and I won’t go into all that now!
Yes, you can homeschool both boys: most families do it with more than 1 child, some like my neighbour with 5 and 1 on the way! I started with the same curriculum for both boys till they were older, then the older one did one level higher because he was faster in his math and reading. You’ll have to get to know your children and try out materials with them. If they find something easy, then they can go on a higher level and so on. The beauty of homeschooling is its flexibility: it allows each child to work at his own pace even in different subjects. So Son 1 may be doing Math Level 1 and English Level 3, while Son 2 may be at Math Level 4 and English Level 2. The important thing is to cultivate a love for learning and not study just to pass exams and get some certificates. The goal must to be to develop a person who can think critically creatively and who is also humble to know that he or she does not have all the answers, and therefore continues to be a lifelong learner.
Most mothers are the sole educators especially when the children are younger, though at all times, the presence and support of the father is important. The father can always act as a resource person in his area of expertise (math, computer, accounts, music etc?) and as an authority figure (the Principal) and counselor. When the boys grow older, you’ll find that they’ll be talking more to their dad than to you! The important thing is the building of relationships in the family which will last through the years to come: the sharing and communication that helps understanding and imparting of wisdom for the art of living, besides cold facts and figures. You’ve heard it said somewhere: if a child lives with love, encouragement, acceptance, forgiveness, honesty, etc, he’ll learn all these and grow to become a confident loving and mature person who is able to relate to everyone else in the world.
Actually, we only bought a curriculum for our boys when they were 7 and 9 or later. Before that, we used a lot of mix and match, materials from the local bookshops and the library from which we’d bring back piles of books on science, history, geography, and lovely illustrated storybooks. We went out a lot to play, to the playground, the swimming pool, the shopping malls, friends’ homes. They had time to play together and with friends all types of board games, Lego and other building toys, and time to draw and write and talk and just lie down and dream. We provided the environment of learning: books and materials for writing, drawing, and music. We switched off the TV too – it was only allowed on Saturdays when they were young. Back then we had no computers, but all these have to be restricted, so that they have time to read, talk, write, think, dream, be creative and imaginative and relate to people. Studies have shown that boys especially mature slower than girls when younger and do not normally do well in schools: they are more active and playful and to suppress them is to take away their joy and life! But also, children learn more from playing and informal situations.
2 Comments so far...
Audrey Yeoh Says:
2 March 2009 at 7:00 am.
I read with much interest regarding homeschooling in Malaysia. We are seriously considering homeschooling our 3 children (12,9,5) and were very glad to have stumbled upon this site. Thanks for the relevant info. One of the our main concerns of homeschooling is the further education part. Are the GSCE or SAT widely accepted by private colleges and private universities in M’sia? Sending all 3 kids abroad would not be a financially viable option for us.
Then there’s the area of taking them out of the public school education. I understand from “10 Questions” that the MOE will likely agree to homeschooling if the national syllabus is used. If that is the case, we’ll be educating illegally since we do not plan to use the national syllabus other than the Bahasa Malaysia and local history. How do we overcome that?
DAVID BC TAN Says:
4 March 2009 at 4:53 am.
Thanks for visiting, Audrey.
Regarding the MoE, experience continues to show that what is said and what a parent must submit to before exemption is granted can be as frustrating as Job’s trials. Few families use or want to use the national curriculum although I do know of one or two who are doing so. The national syllabus is one primary reason why families are seeking alternatives. You will have to act according to your conscience and exercise your natural right as mother to your own children if you finally decide to educate your own children. In spite of what some politicians are saying, the state does not own our children.
International General Certificate of Secondary Education or IGSCE (or previously GSC) is widely accepted in private colleges in Malaysia and I presently advise parents to take this route if they wish to homeschool. While SAT is a valid and legitimate college entry exam, it has come to our notice that many private colleges want to see evidence of Grade 11 – even if you have a fantastic SAT score – which does make things a little complicated for homeschoolers (though not entirely impossible, but that’s a different story for another time). Taking the IGSCE is the better route. The IGCSE is open to 14 to 16-year–olds, and it prepares students for further academic work, up to A Level, and you can do this as a private student.
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