ABOUT HOME-SCHOOLING

ABOUT HOME-SCHOOLING

Some time back, I had read an article by Freny Fernandes in TOI, wherein she has reported how more and more parents are opting for home-schooling. The article starts with a seven year old Aditi Choudhary, who is home-schooled for the last three years. Her mother feels schools prepare students for a mad rat race without imparting knowledge and it is all about rote learning. So she has donned the hat of a teacher. Like Aditi’s mother there are other parents who are opting for home-schooling for their children, thus keeping their children away from – over -crowded classrooms with 1:60:: teacher : students ratio, ‘rote’ learning rat race, carrying heavy school bags, tiffins and water bottles. Many parents (either both of them or one of them) have even given up their lucrative careers and jobs to be teachers to their children. The article states that these home-schooled students could subsequently appear (as external students) for X and XII examinations of any State Board.

Home-schooling, also known as home education, is the education of children inside the home, as opposed to in the formal settings of a public or private school. Home education is usually conducted by a parent or tutor. For much of history and in many cultures, enlisting professional teachers (whether as tutors or in a formal academic setting) was an option available only to the elite social classes Many families that start out with a formal school structure at home often switch to less formal and, often, more effective ways of imparting education outside of school. ‘Home-schooling’ is the term commonly used in North America, whereas ‘home education’ is more commonly used in the United Kingdom, elsewhere in Europe, and in many Commonwealth countries.

Prior to the introduction of compulsory school attendance laws, most childhood education was imparted by the family or community. In several countries home-schooling in the modern sense is considered to be an alternative to attending public or private schools, and is a legal option for parents. In other countries home-schooling is considered illegal or restricted to specific conditions, as noted in the Home-schooling international status and statistics. According to the US National Household Education Surveys, about three percent of all children in the US were home-schooled in the 2011 and 2012 school year. The studies found that of these children, 83 percent were White, 5 percent were Black, 7 percent were Hispanic, and 2 percent were Asian or Pacific Islander.

Parents cite two main motivations for home-schooling their children: dissatisfaction with the local schools and the interest in increased involvement with their children's learning and development. Parents' dissatisfaction with available schools includes concerns about the school environment, the quality of academic instruction, the curriculum, and bullying as well as lack of faith in the school's ability to cater to their child's special needs. Some parents ‘homeschool’ children in order to have greater control over what and how their children are taught, to better cater for children's individual aptitudes and abilities adequately, to provide a specific religious or moral instruction, and to take advantage of the efficiency of one-to-one instruction, which allows the child to spend more time on childhood activities, socializing, and non-academic learning. Homeschooling may also be a factor in the choice of parenting style. Home-schooling can be an option for families living in isolated rural locations, for those temporarily abroad, and for those who travel frequently. Many young athletes, actors, and musicians are taught at home to better accommodate their training and practice schedules. Home-schooling can be about mentorship and apprenticeship, in which a tutor or teacher is with the child for many years and gets to know the child very well. Recently, home-schooling has increased in popularity in the United States, and the percentage of children ages 5 through 17 who are home-schooled increased from 1.7% in 1999 to 3% in 2011/12.

Home-schooling can be used as a form of supplemental education and as a way of helping children learn under specific circumstances. The term may also refer to instruction in the home under the supervision of correspondence schools or umbrella schools. In some places, an approved curriculum is legally required if children are home-schooled. A curriculum-free philosophy of home-schooling is sometimes called unschooling, a term coined in 1977 by American educator and author John Holt in his magazine, Growing Without Schooling. The term emphasizes the more spontaneous, less structured learning environment where a child's interests drive their pursuit of knowledge.

But I am very much apprehensive about this whole concept. Let’s consider a hypothetical case of seven year old boy whose parents have donned the role of his teachers ever since the boy was home-schooled. (Let’s say, for the last three years)  All these years the parents themselves have assessed him, and they will continue to do so till he is ready to appear (externally) for X, when he is around 15 or 16.So for nine years or so the parents will be teaching and preparing their son for the X, upgrading themselves each year, learning or upgrading themselves with additional subjects progressively each year and will go on assessing him till he finally appears for the X. When the child is seven years they are also young, energetic and full of enthusiasm and ideas. Nine years is a very long period. Anything could happen. Their health may not permit them to continue or they may find it difficult to keep themselves abreast with changing academic advances or even understand different subjects that are being taught.  In short, circumstances could change and home-schooling would not be sustainable. Further, I do feel that an ideal   environment both at school and home will help a child develop a wholesome personality. Both the teachers at school and parents play an important role in a child's life. When teachers become facilitators, every child gets the attention and assistance the way each one of them needs. And as they get equal care and support from parents too at home, they will be able to explore things beyond school text books. Kids also need to be with their peers at least till the age of 16, as they influence the child positively at many instances.

    Vinay Trilokekar

A Tribute To Dr. Ernest Borges On World Cancer Day

A Tribute To Dr. Ernest Borges On World Cancer Day

Today is WORLD CANCER DAY. Many articles will be written. I have witnessed ‘cancer’ from close quarters, as my mother suffered from it. Suffered would not be the appropriate word, I would rather say she braved her way through it, fought against and survived, oops no, not just survived but enjoyed every moment of her life because of sheer will power and her faith in her doctors.  It was in the year 1958 that she was diagnosed – cancer of thyroid gland. My father too had cancer – colon cancer and she realized from her own symptoms that she too must be suffering from the dreaded disease and went straight to Dr. Borges, who had become more than our family friend, by then. Cancer was confirmed.

Dr. Borges, as you will know, was as an internationally respected cancer specialist attached to Tata Memorial Hospital, Bombay, which he headed for many years till constant exposure to radiation, while treating his patients, claimed his life. Is remembered much after his death by some of his still surviving patients, like my mother and all those, both professionals and lay persons, who came in contact with him for his profound knowledge of oncology and, even more so, his kindness, dedication, diligence, compassion and altruism. Participated in several medical conferences in India and abroad, has a number of publications to his credit, was founder member of Catholic Medical Guild of St. Luke, Bombay and was elected in 1966 the vice president of International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations. He was also a deeply religious man. A legend in his life-time, after his death, Goa and Bombay honoured his memory by naming some important roads after him.

 

Dr. Ernest Borges, considered my mom as his sister and hence declined to operate on her then telling her ‘she being his sister he couldn’t put a knife on her’ and his student, Dr.Praful B.Desai would perform the surgery instead’. May be it was his way of introducing his student to his first surgery at the same time putting the patient’s mind at rest. All went well for my mother. She was indebted to both of them and of course to the Almighty. She would quite often express these feelings of her having full faith in both of them and she was so very grateful to them for enabling her to lead and live normal life. Incidentally, prior to my mother’s death, Tata Memorial Hospital records showed my mother as ‘the longest surviving cancer patient’ with her photograph below it and which would often be circulated among the resident cancer patients as a morale booster. In fact, Dr. Borges would tell me, “This lady deserves ‘A Nobel’, if there was one for fighting so bravely against such a dreadful disease. I admire her will power and desire to live.” Incidentally, Dr. Borges passed away in 1969, much before my mother did. Even after the surgery she religiously followed her doctors' advice and underwent radiations and chemotherapy regularly. 

Yes, she had this desire and own reasons to survive, first it was for her son (that’s me),who was schooling, then - She would say, " Doctor, I always tell my God, my son is young, let him ---then He can take me."  The list was log and kept changing  - wanted him to complete his graduation, then getting employed, then wait for his marriage and those of her daughters and then to see her grand children and got the bonus of seeing her great- grand - child as well. Now she had fulfilled her desires. Now she no longer any reasons to live and she had nothing to look forward to. Everyone was doing reasonably well in life. It was her moment of contentment. She no longer had any more of that desire to live. She simply passed away on 30^th August, 1988 many years after her doctor – Dr. Ernest Borges, the eminent oncologist, had passed away. We all are indebted to the entire BORGES FAMILY and Dr. Prafulla B, Deasi, who is today a top consulting cancer surgeon and recipient of Padma Bhushan.