Character building is tops in this homeschool

Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Homeschool Profile on 23 Sep 2009.

Homeschool Profile: The Ng Family
HOMEFRONTIER talks to Gaik Suan about her homeschooling family and discovers how a disciplined structure builds character in the home.

Tell us a little about your family.

We are a family of 5. Dad is Weng Hou and Mom is Gaik Suan. Natalie is 18 this year, Nicholas 15 and Stephanie 13. Dad is in marketing with a UK- based company and Mom has been a homemaker since the kids arrived although she did give some tuition on the side before starting homeschooling. We worship in Full Gospel Tabernacle, Subang.

How long you have been homeschooling and what led you to take your kids out of conventional schooling?

We have been homeschooling for 7 years now. 2 things made us decide: Firstly, we felt convicted that it was what God wanted us to do. Secondly, when our children were in conventional schools I had to teach them what the school should have taught them and I felt I was duplicating school. Might as well keep them at home and do the job ourselves.

Tell us some of the things you do during homeschool – the curriculum you use, the way you spend your time, the responsibilities given to each person, etc. What’s your average day like?

We use the ATI (Advanced Training Institute) syllabus which our children will complete at the end of next year. This syllabus places a high emphasis on the meditation and memorization of God’s word, character building and life classroom, which is learning from real life situations that come our way that month.

We have a core schedule which we adhere to but are flexible when other things come up. Because reading the Bible first thing in the morning as a family is important to us, all of us more often than not, rise at about 6.30 am and have that time together first before daddy leaves for work at 7 am. Then it’s bath, breakfast, chores, and prayer, although not always in that order.

Household chores rank high on our list as that is character building, so Nat waters the plants and mops all of downstairs, Nick wipes surfaces and vacuums all of downstairs and Steph sweeps and mops all of upstairs – everyday! On the weekends they clean all 3 bathrooms in the house.

We start our ATI booklets at about 9.30am and work on them till about 11.30am. Then it’s off for lunch until about 1.30pm when they continue with their language studies – Eng, BM, Mandarin – Math practice and reading.

That’s a very structured homeschool you have. How has it affected your children?

We need to have some structure because the syllabus is parent-intensive and so we cannot just go with the flow. But we are still flexible enough for guests, unscheduled activities or when there are errands to run. The children certainly enjoy the freedom of being able to go to the park on a windy day for lessons, catch the Jusco members’ day sale, have the whole pool to ourselves in the mornings, or go for a holiday when everyone else is having school exams! Also we appreciate that peer pressure is not so heavy on them, and so they miss out on a lot of negative influence.

If it’s parent-intensive as you say, doesn’t that make homeschooling more demanding or stressful? How is it easier compared to when your children were in national schools?

It is easier in the sense that right now we parents are in control. When our children were going to conventional schools, we had little or no control over their schedules, what they did in school, or how we wanted to do things as a family. Back then that was hugely stressful!

On the other hand, homeschooling removes all that external demands and now we have control over how we want our kids to be educated. That is liberating. The demands of training our children are still there of course, but homeschool provides a more conducive setting for it. Since my eldest was in school for 5 years before we pulled her out in Std 6, I have had the opportunity to compare and I definitely find it less stressful to homeschool.

Everyone could do with less stress! Are there special challenges you have to face as homeschoolers?

The stress, if any, I think is in the fact that the road we are travelling on is not so clearly laid out and so this unknown may seem a bit stressful at times. Challenges? No, we can’t say we face any special challenges other than the ones every homeschooling family faces, like overcoming our own weaknesses, leading by example, etc.

What else do you do together as a family?

Church is big in our family as we are all involved in the life of the church. We are involved with families and as we link with the adults, our children link with the children. We also, of course, have our annual family holiday where we take off by ourselves to review and make goals for the year ahead.

You mentioned character training. How is that a part of your children’s education?

Our Christian faith is of course something we want them to inherit and claim as their own and in that respect using a Christian syllabus allows us to teach them – among other things – character values that are important to us. In the process many things about life and faith come up for discussion during our lessons. We talk about forgiveness and obedience, submission to authority, and daring to stand alone; about giving up our rights but focusing on our responsibilities; about not judging others until we have done ‘due process’.

You have been talking about the things you’re teaching and what this has done for the children. What about yourself as their primary tutor? What has homeschooling done for you in particular? What’s memorable?

Homeschooling is memorable for me because each month as I teach about values and character and God’s Word, I seem to be teaching myself and changing the way I think and behave. I am not the person I was when I started homeschooling. I am forced to see my weaknesses, acknowledge my wrong thinking, realize my mistakes and apologize for my behavior. I think I am the wiser for all of that. Homeschool has changed me for the better and I am grateful.

If there was one thing you could do all over again in your home school, if it were possible, what would it be?

If I could do it all over again, I would take my oldest child out of school earlier – there would be less to undo! Besides there are so many areas to cover, so many things I want to go over with her, and I would have more time to teach and train.

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For more information about ATI, sign up for the upcoming ATI Home Education Seminar. Go to NOTICES (November) for details.

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