Archive for the ‘Homeschool Profile’ Category
12 March 2010
According to his ability
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Homeschool Profile.
What do you do when you’re told that your son doesn’t belong to a regular school? That’s what one public school told parents LT Loo and Shirley about their special needs son Jianwen. Fortunately, the Loos (who also have two grown-up daughters) heard about homeschooling, and in 2001 took the road less travelled that eventually led Jianwen to a private college. I posed 10 questions to Shirley and subsequently edited her responses alongside Jianwen’s input as they shared about schooling without being in school.
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HF: Tell us about Jianwen.
Shirley: Jianwen our youngest boy is a ADHD/special needs child. We have 2 grown-up daughters but Jianwen was the only one who was homeschooled.
HF: So it was Jianwen’s special needs that led the family to consider homeschooling?
Shirley: Jianwen first went to a Chinese school for two-and-a-half years. During the second half of the third year we transferred him to a Kebangsaan school where he spent less than 2 weeks in class out of the 5 months he was enrolled there. All through those years we were told that Jianwen was not suitable for a regular school, so we began to look elsewhere. We then signed him up with a private school for the last 2 years of his primary education. I must say that the teachers, staff and management at the school were very supportive, but sadly, the children and their parents were not. A couple of children bullied Jianwen, which gave him nightmares and made him aggressive as well. As luck would have it, we met David and Sook Ching in 2001 and were introduced to homeschooling. So Jianwen began homeschooling during his secondary years, 6 years in all.
HF: Jianwen, you spent time in a government school and then a private school. Can you tell us how you felt about those years in a school compared to your homeschooling experience?
Jianwen: School was kind of hectic and stressful. I had to wake up early to go to school and I felt I was the odd one out especially during group activities. But I preferred the private school because it not only focused on academics but also on the students’ latent or hidden talents. I developed my talent in poetry writing during my time in the private school. The multiple intelligences approach that was used in that school helped improve my critical thinking skills and pique my intellectual inquisitiveness. The hands-on approach to learning was also good for me.
On the other hand, homeschooling allowed me to be flexible and pursue what interests me. I could travel during normal school days. We’ve been around the country, as well as Bali, Bangkok, Hanoi, Beijing, US, learning about different ways of life which I enjoy. Also I did not feel I was a stranger when I was among homeschoolers. I could also attend functions that I would not normally have been able to otherwise. I have also learned many skills like typing, cooking, and baking.
Shirley: Before we began homeschooling, there was a lot of stress managing time. There was also difficulty in managing behavior when others were around Jianwen. But we had a more relaxed time homeschooling since we were able to pursue what was more relevant to life instead of the paper chase.
HF: It must have been a relief for you and Jianwen. Were you worried about educating a child with special needs by yourself? What did your husband say about taking a big step like that?
Shirley: My husband was very supportive, morally and financially. He loves to drive and travel, and it has enabled us to travel and learn. But teaching and guiding him at home wasn’t new to me because I had been helping him with his studies all those years when he was in school. Being a child with special needs, I had to teach differently and specifically according to his ability. We used many different approaches. I would say it was a lot of trial and error as I had no one to model after. However, I did have initial concern for his social life.
Jianwen: But I was involved in lots of activities. I participated in the swimming events in the Paralympic Games. I learned Aikido, joined The Mutiara Voice Club in Penang, which is a self-advocacy club for people with disabilities, volunteered at the Toy Library to help pack and unpack toys, and played with other children in the community centre. When Bethany Home in Teluk Intan organised a 3-day 2-night camp at Gua Tempurung, I went along.
HF: Seems to me he’s got a normal social life then! What values did you encourage in Jianwen and how has he been helped by them?
Shirley: We have always taught our children to give their best in whatever they do. It is not the marks that count but the effort they put in. They should always try to beat their best. For Jianwen, being exposed to the world around him and coupled with his love for reading, it helped him to tackle the questions in his SPM exams with minimum preparation.
HF: Was that his first public exam?
Shirley: No, he attained 3Bs & 2Cs in the UPSR, but we didn’t tell our friends and family back then. But now he’s gone on to college!
HF: It’s remarkable how far you have come since you homeschooled.
Jianwen: Some people say that homeschooling does not conform to the norms of education but my experience proves that I can achieve the required results to enable me to enroll in a college. And, I have won medals in the Paralympic Games, sat on the organising committee of the 3rd National Self-Advocacy Conference. I have also been invited to read my poems at opening ceremonies and conferences.
HF: That’s wonderful, Jianwen. And Shirley, wasn’t it especially challenging just to prepare Jianwen for college? Was there a specific curriculum?
Shirley: The biggest challenge actually was to get him to realize that education was for his sake! We were mainly unschooling for more than a year, so did not follow any specific curriculum although we did use Singapore schoolbooks as a guide. Since Jianwen was of secondary age, we had to have a goal and we tried to do things and stuff that matched the O Levels. But we were in no hurry, and we didn’t push him. We used a portfolio style based on topics/themes incorporating language, maths, science, and history, wherever possible. More importantly, we worked on self-help skills like cooking and household chores.
HF: Homeschool has worked out well for you hasn’t it?
Shirley: Yes, especially for special needs children. They will definitely benefit from homeschooling since it can be tailored to their needs and ability.
HF: Jianwen, having been homeschooled, would you encourage others to do the same?
Jianwen: Yes, a child’s talent will not be revealed and developed otherwise as mainstream schools tend to focus on academic aspects and have a rigid expectation of children.
Photos: Top, the Loos in a visit to the US. Jianwen is second from right, between his Mom and Dad. Lower, Jianwen as seen on his Facebook page
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RELATED POSTS: Other homeschool families we have profiled:
Start with love
Character is tops in this homeschool
Living, loving, learning, unschooling
The Soons take it free and easy
Ice-skating homeschoolers
19 January 2010
Start with love
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Homeschool Profile.
10-year old Ali is one lucky kid! He’s being taught at home by parents Harith Idris and Intan Shamsuddin who are one of the most dedicated homeschooling couples we’ve met. They’ve hosted and participated in homeschooling dialogues, arranged for cartoonist Dato Lat to visit a homeschoolers’ outdoor camp, and are great resource persons for unschoolers. Thoughtful and always cheerful, work from home (part-time) mom Intan has no qualms sharing with us the joy of educating her only son at home.
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Every homeschooling family has a story. What’s yours?
Ali was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 2. But that didn’t stop this numbskull of a mother (the poor boy!) from shopping for a kindy when ‘the time’ came. We spent the whole day going from one kindy to another and in the end decided to settle for one, enrolled, and paid the fees. As a good mummy would, this one stayed to watch from outside the class. I was horrified at how the teacher quickly instilled fear in the kids to obey her every word and completely ignored a boy who started pinching Ali. Without further ado, I pulled him out of class and insisted on my refund. Came straight home and thought hard (about 10 minutes or so), and ceremoniously announced to my hubby Harith: “I can’t stomach him going to school. We’ll just homeschool Ali”.
Just like that! How did your husband take it? Weren’t there objections from him or other family members?
Of course hubby just smiled and said, “Why not? I’m all for it!” And so began our homeschooling journey.
Objections from family? None at all! Harith and I have always been the ‘black sheep’ of our respective family, so doing something out of the norm was, well, more or less expected of us….and we were not about to let them down. We ARE so blessed 
Did you know what you were getting into when you decided to homeschool?
In the beginning it felt very scary with so many uncertainties. We were in uncharted waters here. One way we got around this was to read as much as we could on homeschooling……. books, internet articles. When I found out there ARE other homeschooling families in Malaysia, it was rather reassuring. As time went by, I knew for certain there’s no turning back. Homeschooling felt right, there’s just no other way, at least for us!
Tell us what’s your homeschool like – the things you do, the way you spend your time. What’s your role, and how does Harith fit into the picture?
This mummy tackles more or less the ‘academic’ stuff and daddy’s the one who takes him out to the playground and field trips. We began by teaching Ali how to read, using the phonics method. Somehow we managed to complete the program in just over a week! After that it was trip after trip to the book stores. And that’s the way it has been – English, (Japanese manga thrown in, plus a healthy treat of comics here and there), Science, and whatever subject, come what may, we just throw ourselves into it. Wonderful!
Arts and crafts also play an important role in Ali’s learning. Water colour is his favourite medium….endless paintings! If it isn’t a specific subject he’s painting, he would be experimenting by mixing colours until this mummy runs out of words to describe his colour mixes.
There’s no curriculum then?
No, we definitely don’t use any curriculum. For instance, with Math, we started with basic counting – not just on paper, but with everyday stuff that’s around us. Grocery shopping is good for math too! When the time came to learn multiplication (don’t ask me how I handled that), he mastered the 1 to 12 times table in a week! He’s now learning algebra, but with long hiatuses every now and then! Oh, and just recently, he has expressed interest in Chemistry. Yikes! We’re talking about a mummy who’s always been terrified of Chemistry, and now I’ll get to learn it all over again. What fun?!
I mean, why confine Math, Vocabulary, Spelling, etc, to the study table only? We’re always learning – while taking a bath or shower, rolling around in bed after reading a story book, etc. Of course, doing Science would mean experiments galore (and ultimately a messy home), but we’re easy with that.
But your son Ali is autistic. Doesn’t it make homeschool more challenging?
Friends and acquaintances were rather perplexed when they learn Ali was being homeschooled. There’s nothing wrong with your son, they would say. Homeschooling must be right then, I replied! Being able to learn at their own pace, surrounded by people who love and do not judge them, in surroundings where they feel safe and secure, help autistic children tremendously. That goes for ‘normal’ ones too!
Because autistic children get easily disturbed in unfamiliar and noisy surroundings, we did our best to avoid going to such places especially during the early years. Ali’s doing a lot better in recent years, primarily because he grew up in calm surroundings. Homeschooling allowed us to shield him and it had a relatively calming effect on him. I doubt this can be achieved in conventional schooling.
Indeed, I can’t imagine any school that could have offered Ali the kind of attention he’s getting.
More than that, homeschooling has allowed us to be intimately acquainted with Ali. He’s absolutely amazing and humorous. I love to hear him talk and recap whatever he’s read or watched. Some parents are quite baffled how we could spend so much time together without feeling stifled. I’ll say we are baffled how some parents can spend a good chunk of their day away from their children, come home and then tell their kids, ‘‘Sorry darlings, mummy just got back from a meeting and I am exhausted. Go do something to amuse yourself!”
What values have you sought to inculcate in the home as you raise and teach Ali?
As the years pass by, we have come to realize this: homeschooling is spiritual. Whatever it is about religion that is dished out by people ‘in the know’ have always been dry and meaningless. We have to start putting back the missing ingredients in lifeless religious rituals, and that’s what we’re all about.
What would you say to parents who want to homeschool?
I’ll tell them, you must start with the right intention, and continue to purify your intention as you go on the homeschooling journey. Start with LOVE – you can never go wrong with that. Homeschooling will also reveal ugly weaknesses in you. Just acknowledge them, embrace them. You will surely overcome them in time. Then everyone in the family will come out as winners- guaranteed! Cheers to homeschooling!
RELATED POSTS: Other homeschool families we have profiled:
According to his ability
Character is tops in this homeschool
Living, loving, learning, unschooling
The Soons take it free and easy
Ice-skating homeschoolers
23 December 2009
Homeschooling is Parenting
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Homeschool Profile.
Eileen Lian of Parenting Works posted an email interview with me on her website titled, Homeschooling is Parenting. The website is pretty neat, with lots of advice and tips for raising your children. Parenting Works’ tagline says it all – Where Children Come First.
More importantly, the articles on the website attempt to articulate an Asian point of view which I’m sure will appeal to readers in our part of the world. Parenting may be universal – the teaching of respect and values, nurture of one’s children, the value of hard work, the importance of discipline, undergirded by love, etc – but its practices are surely culturally diverse. Do check out Parenting Works.
25 November 2009
Living, learning, loving, unschooling
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Homeschool Profile.
Visit the home of Edward and Selina Lim and you know you’ve dropped in on an unusual family. Married for 12 years, the couple have 3 daughters (between 11 and 6 years), and a 16-month old son. Both are are also pastors of a church in Penang. Edward has been in full-time ministry for about 15 years while Selina was a state registered nurse before she received her full-time calling into ministry. Edward also runs Contact Sports Enterprise, a sports events management company. He is just as involved in promoting Floorball and coaches both the state and national team. On top of it all, they’re homeschooling. Here’s what Selina has to say about their homeschooling adventure:
So when did you start homeschooling?
Ever since we became parents we’ve homeschooled and it’s a part of our life – we’ve never lived any other way! Our eldest is 11 years, so that makes 11 years of homeschooling in all.
What made you both decide to homeschool? Who thought of it first?
The decision was actually made during our courtship. Even then we discussed how to raise our children, and I remember we said we wanted them to enjoy the learning process and not be caught in an exam-oriented culture and the rigidity of a regular school system. We wanted to nurture them according to their natural bend which we knew conventional schools couldn’t provide.
We knew we would need flexibility for the family anyway, in view of our church ministry. So before we became parents we sought God intently for confirmation, and our desire to beat the school system became a conviction when we were expecting our firstborn.
Tell us about your homeschool – the curriculum you use, the way you spend your time, etc. With your busy schedule, what’s a typical day like?
Throughout the years we tried different approaches but we found ourselves leaning towards unschooling as it suits us best. We may not be 100% unschoolers but we do keep to Charlotte Mason’s motto of living, learning and loving.
Typical day? Different seasons have different days! Generally, our children begin their day with their own quiet time with God. This slot can sometimes take very long as their prayers often turn into occasions for poems, stories and songs. They call it “creative dreaming in progress”. We have some workbooks for languages and Math but do not rely on them completely. We have a pretty good home library so we don’t need to depend on the public library. However, we do make a point to visit the public library as regularly as we can.
A big chunk of the day is spent reading, making dance pieces, writing stories, playing, talking as a family, and learning from our natural surrounding. We enjoy unit studies too. If something in a book, a recent experience or an issue captures our interest, we will pick it up and do a unit study. Depending on our girls’ level of interest, the topic can occupy us for a week or many months.
Most of all, they find every possible opportunity to play – whether it is a household chore, mealtime, babysitting, even their educational project. Play is work. Work is play. If you ask them, they will tell you: “Everyday is a holiday and everyday is a school day.” So, everything we do at home is intertwined. Household chores are done together with a gotong-royong spirit. No charts. We do almost everything together (or at least with one parent). We minister together. The children are part of our ministry – our prayer team, our helpers, and our dance team. They go with us whenever and wherever we go for ministry (except hospital visitations).
I see flexibility, but where does discipline come in? Don’t you need to have a lot of discipline to make unschooling work?
Indeed, our girls delight in the flexibility of time, space, and freedom to explore and experiment within the boundaries of our faith and values. But along the way they have learnt discipline. They are independent and industrious, and know how to take responsibility for their own learning. Every day offers ample learning opportunities. As i see it, learning is really an ongoing process and all I do is ensure our home provides the children with liberty and every opportunity to exercise their creativity, even to make a mess. It has certainly given them real meaning in learning and they view life more holistically. As they’re with us during formal and informal meetings, I notice they have become very adaptable and interact well with people of all ages.
You seem to spend a lot of time together as a family. What else do your girls do?
The girls are very involved in dance (ballet and contemporary) and they perform in community events, concerts, weddings, as well as in church. They have choreographed their own dance pieces ever since they were 6 and 7. They also enjoy rollerblading and skating, playing the guitar, sewing, knitting, arts and craft and cooking (especially creating our own recipes).
As a family, we’re into adventure – outdoor activities, wall climbing, biking. Since Edward runs adventure camps and sports events, the girls get involved as much as they can. Naturally, they are part of the Junior Floorball team too. Then when we went horseback riding in Australia, they came back crazy over horses – would love to pursue horseback-riding, but it is just too expensive for us here. They swim as well. Oh yes, we love to snuggle up for a good show during family movie night followed by Edward’s debriefing.
That’s really an active family you have. Doesn’t unschooling make more demands on you as a parent, then?
It is hard to say, since this is the only life we know. In many ways we think it’s easier, simply because of its practicality. The children are always with us; therefore, we can be as mobile as we need to be, which is an advantage in our vocation. Besides, since we are close to one another, bringing up our children and disciplining them is more effective. It is easier to instill our beliefs and values. We are definitely more aware of our responsibility as well as the seriousness of educating and nurturing our children, as opposed to letting others do the job that is rightfully ours as parents.
What special challenges (if any) do you face as a homeschooling family? In what way do these challenges affect your children’s homeschooling?
The usual challenge is the lack of support from relatives and friends who think we are depriving our children. It doesn’t really affect our convictions as we have come to embrace homeschooling fully as our lifestyle. Unfortunately, as our children grow up, they tend to be at the receiving end instead. The girls do love homeschooling but often find many people’s comments and questions unbearable. Nevertheless, all this negativity has deepened our children’s own convictions.
Sport is another challenge. As homeschoolers, our girls were not allowed to participate in competition in rhythmic gymnastics (run by the State Sports Academy). Although our girls loved the sport very much and excelled in it, they refused to trade homeschooling to advance in the sport as suggested by their head coach. They did it for recreation instead and eventually stopped due to the lack of skilled coaches.
Finally, the challenge of proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia. Unfortunately, this is one language they are not particularly keen in although I love the national language myself. Since English is widely spoken in Penang where we live, I constantly seek opportunities to make Bahasa fun and practical for the children although this is not always easy. Sometimes the children try conversing in the language when ordering food or shopping, but people always respond in English or Hokkien!
What values have you consciously sought to inculcate in the home as you educate the children?
It is our aim to raise our children to love God and serve His purposes. We gear them towards being responsible, resourceful and respectful persons. We want them to love life and live it loud for the Lord Jesus Christ. We encourage them to dream big and pursue their God-given passions.
What a full life your family has! What wonderful memories you’re building, which is really one of the joys that homeschooling brings. Is there anything else that’s memorable – a milestone maybe – in your homeschooling journey that you wish to share in closing?
We’ve got many! Among other things, all our girls were early readers but we would highlight our third daughter Chrisalynn’s development. She began reading simple words at about 18 months, started simple chapter books at 4, and then on to chapter books at 5 without any reading programme. We believe it’s the result of her listening to us read aloud to the older girls. Chrisalynn was always there with us whenever we were reading. And now the girls are into learning Spanish by themselves via the internet and books. They teach each other (and parents learn from them!)
2007 was very memorable as we took our sabbatical that year. It was an extraordinary year, packed with surprises as we took time to rest in God and fed our faith. The children learnt on the go as we travelled to different places locally (Langkawi, Kuala Lumpur, Cameron Highlands, Sabah) and overseas (Australia and Singapore). Their learning experiences were recorded in two volumes of travel logs, all of which have become their cherished keepsakes. These volumes are filled with stories, research, interviews, reports, book list, budget expenses, and pictures. Above all, they experienced faith in action and watched God’s promises come alive in the journey.
23 September 2009
Character building is tops in this homeschool
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Homeschool Profile.
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.
3 August 2009
The Soons take it free and easy
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Homeschool Profile.
Homeshool Profile: The Soons
KV and Wai Leng Soon have been staunch campaigners for homeschool and family-centered education for as long as I have known them! Happily married and the parents of 3 children, Amrita (13), Samanta (12) and Arian (5), the couple began their extraordinary advocacy for do-it-yourself homeschooling almost at the same time as the launch of their pro-family web initiative called Family Place. How the Soons became firm friends and fellow advocates with us on the road less traveled is another story in itself. Meanwhile, Wai Leng invites us home for a peek at their unschooling family.
Tell us, how long have you been homeschooling?
For as long as we can remember! I’d like to think that we were already homeschooling them since they were born because homeschool is a way of life that is child-centered, holistic and engaging.
What made you all decide to homeschool?
We felt that there had to be a better way for children to learn and to grow without having to go through all the unnecessary stress or limitations imposed by conventional schools. We also feel it is the most natural thing to do as parents.
Tell us about 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.
We have found that the ‘free-and-easy’ approach to learning suits us best due to our learning styles that lean towards creativity. We do not have a lot of sit down work like book studies or homework, but instead spend a lot of time indulging in music and singing (our daughters play the piano, violin and guitar), composing and performing. We also do art and craft, and a little fashion designing. The girls are involved with competitive swimming with a swimming club and participate in competitions regularly. Arian plays most of his time and attends a twice-weekly playgroup that I initiated. As you can see, we are advocates of learning through play!
Then again, now that there is a likelihood that one of our children may be destined for college, we have begun a somewhat structured approach with curriculum gathered from the internet and elsewhere following a syllabus along the lines of the American system. While the syllabus is structured, our approach to learning is still pretty much child-driven.
How has homeschooling affected or benefited your children?
They are given a lot of freedom to be creative and expressive in the things they do. They are self-assured and are not afraid to pursue their dreams. I think homeschooling has helped them discover their true passions in life, and because they have loads of time on their hands, they are able to channel their energy into things that matter to them, like music, art and sports. We also feel it gives our children more space and opportunity to explore what they want to do, when and how.
What about yourselves as parents? Has homeschooling made parenting more demanding, or is it easier?
I feel that homeschooling is easier on the family. Because we have our children at home, I am able to monitor them closely, in terms of their learning and emotional development. There are fewer distractions from the outside world and the children can be more focused in their activities. They are also involved in day-to-day chores like keeping the house in order, washing up, and looking after the pets (we have a dog and 6 cats!)
For KV, it has changed his lifestyle. He has had to focus his effort and energy on the kids after working hours so that time spent with our children is more meaningful. There are some sacrifices, but overall we feel it is worth it.
Are there any special challenges that you face as a homeschooling family? Do these challenges if any affect your children’s homeschooling?
There are too many challenges to remember! We certainly have had difficult times but the breakthrough is in getting past our own mindset and discovering new approaches as well as learning to see things from our children’s point of view. Solving problems as they arise – this is how we see challenges.
As an example, our children have friends from the swim team but they do not get to meet with their friends on a daily basis. So we arrange play dates and play groups for them on quite a regular basis. We also initiated a study group recently and now some kids meet to learn together in our home.
What else do you do that involves your children and the whole family?
Our children attend a Buddhist Sunday School where they have an additional group to socialize with. KV and I also conduct holiday camps for children where our kids participate and learn in as well. We formed a singing group that they are a part of, and they get to perform their songs at other centers and even birthday or wedding functions. Right now we are working towards getting their first album out! It’s so interesting the things that regularly come up in our homeschool!
What values have you sought to inculcate in the home as you educate the children?
We teach our children to be responsible for themselves and others, and to give their very best in whatever that they do.
Are there memorable achievements in your homeschooling journey that you wish to share?
Unlike a conventional school where there are many opportunities to collect prizes, homeschoolers celebrate achievements in more subtle ways.
Take Amrita – for the past year and a half, she has learnt to play the guitar almost entirely on her own and has performed in public a number of times. Our other daughter Samanta is quite a swimmer. Through personal discipline and dedication she has improved tremendously and is likely to attain state level next year. The youngest in the family Arian has quite a wide vocabulary for his age from hearing and speaking with his older sisters and through the movies that he enjoys watching!
All in all, we believe our children will grow up to be high achievers in whatever they may wish to pursue, be it art, music or swimming or all of the above!
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The Soons are also founders of Malaysian Home Educators Network (MALHEN), an inclusive support group for homeschoolers of all stripes and convictions. Wai Leng has recently published Malaysia’s first book on homeschooling in the country, called Learning Beyond Schooling, while KV posts his view on all things education and homeschool on his blog titled – you guessed it - Learning Beyond Schooling . To join MALHEN, please email malhen(at)yahoogroups.com
29 June 2009
Ice-skating homeschoolers in Malaysia
Posted by DAVID BC TAN under: Homeschool Profile.
Homeschool Profile: The Phillips Family
The Phillips girls Laura (10) and Kristiana (8) are passionate about ice-skating and believe it or not, they picked it up here in tropical Malaysia! (Watch them on YouTube) Their mom R’deen tells us about their homeschooling journey and how ice-skating became a part of their schedule.
How long have you been homeschooling?
We’ve homeschooling since 2004!
What got you into homeschooling?
I have a lot of friends who homeschool their kids, and since we travel a lot, it’s a method that makes the most sense. Also with me being Filipina and my husband American, we thought this would be a good way to make sure they get Philippine and American History/Culture as part of their education.
Tell us a little about your homeschool.
Our girls are using Sonlight which is a wonderful program and works well for our family. I would say that the actual “schooling” time we spend when we sit and read and discuss is about 2 hours a day (I’m using Core 3+4 with both girls right now). But I wouldn’t limit their learning to these 2 hours alone. If something comes up we take the time to answer their questions, or we may even do craftwork that may or may not be related to what they are currently studying.
What do you enjoy about homeschooling?
Top of the list would be the flexibility it offers! Another thing is, I get to invest enough time in training my girls not just in academics but also in discipling them, building into them godly character. I also get to customize our lessons and discussions to what the girls are interested in at the moment or what we are dealing with as a family,
Are there challenges you face homeschooling your daughters?
I need to be really disciplined in the use of my time. If I feel lazy, then we don’t get much schooling done. I’m glad the principal, Mr. Phillips (that’s my husband!), is usually around to make sure discipline is maintained.
Tell us about Ice Skating. How did your girls get into it?
Three things: 1. Watching the movie ‘Ice Princess’ 2. Watching girls in beautiful costumes doing fancy things on ice, and 3. Laura got inline skates for Christmas 4 years ago and wanted to learn to how to use them! We thought ice skating would transfer to inline skating, but they enjoyed ice skating so much we ended up giving the inline skates away! And we thought ice skating would be a perfect PE activity! My girls sure keep fit and healthy.
How long have they been ice skating?
The girls first started skating early 2006 and they learned it at skating classes offered at Sunway Pyramid Ice.
How has ice skating been good for you all?
Aside from the good physical exercise they get from skating, they also learn some very important life skills such as, working together in a team, patience while working on a new skill, handling frustrations when the training gets tough and demanding, good sportsmanship, etc.
They have made a lot of good friends through ice skating. We see them not just at the rink but they also visit, have meals, or have play dates.
Laura enjoys team productions because it’s fun for her to be working with friends. She also enjoys the challenge of learning new jumps or other elements. Kristi enjoys going fast and she enjoys doing programs and skating to music. She also loves choreographing her own dance.
Is there anything about ice skating that they don’t like?
Laura doesn’t like falling and getting wet and cold. Kristi didn’t like getting dizzy, when she was first learning to spin. I don’t enjoy the demanding schedule: early morning and late night practices. We’re thinking of cutting back on our skating hours and commitment.
That sounds like a lot of time on the rink.
When we’re not preparing for any competition, we skate twice a week for about 3 to 4 hours. But during competition season, we skate twice as often sometimes even as much as 6 times a week!
What other special challenges do you face ice skating?
It depends on how much time and money you want to invest into skating (or whatever sport or hobby for that matter), but if you don’t watch it in can run your life! At the last competition (Skate Nationals back in March) we were at the rink almost every day! And one of our coaches said we should decorate a corner of the rink and put up pictures on the wall since it was our second home!
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About the Philips: R’deen is married to Timothy and they are currently residing in Subang Jaya, Selangor. R’deen enjoys all kinds of craft and creative things, especially scrapbooking, sewing (mostly her girls’ costumes), and more recently, bejeweling. She also enjoys planning and hosting parties!
Apart from ice skating Laura loves to read. She also enjoys writing books and making up games to play with her friends. She has a pet hamster named Amanda Lin.
Kristiana recently caught the reading bug, and likes writing poetry. Her pet hamster is named Squeaky.
Both Laura and Kristiana are participating in Skate Malaysia 2009 and you can check out their events on the website. Details are also on Homefrontier’s NOTICES.