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There are so many ways to homeschool, and most homeschoolers will tell you that they don\u2019t question whether or not to homeschool \u2013 but rather HOW.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure exactly what to call what we<\/em> do, although others have come up with \u201cunschooling\u201d, \u201clearning at home\u201d, \u201cself-directed education\u201d and \u201cchild-centered learning,\u201d among others.\u00a0 What we don\u2019t<\/em> do is have a school at our home.\u00a0 Homeschooling, however referred to, and whatever the methodology, just means that parents are taking on the responsibility of educating their children rather than relying solely on a public or private institution.\u00a0\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t mean that the child\u2019s learning is literally at a desk in a remote corner of their home.<\/p>\nParents not only have the responsibility of making decisions otherwise made by school officials, they also have the privilege of managing the content of their children\u2019s academic pursuits and directing their social activities as well.\u00a0 With parents in charge, children have the opportunity to explore the world around them and learn to act and interact in their environment at their own pace.\u00a0 They are never ahead or behind.\u00a0\u00a0 Learning and living are meshed \u2013 just as Islam is with life, not separate from it.\u00a0 We are not just Muslims at prayer time or on Friday or only on Eid, and children are not just learning from 8:00 to 3:00 inside a building down the road.<\/p>\n
For our family, homeschooling provides our children with the opportunity to learn by living and experiencing the world outside of 4 walls.\u00a0 They have regular and meaningful interaction with adults and children of different ages and from all walks of life.\u00a0 Our time is not organized around the hours or holidays of the school.\u00a0 We can visit places during the week that we otherwise couldn\u2019t set a foot in on a crowded weekend.\u00a0 We travel off-peak.\u00a0 We can attend late night activities at the masjid without being concerned about unfinished homework sheets.\u00a0 The kids can eat when they\u2019re hungry, and\u00a0move when they want, use the bathroom when needed, take naps when they\u2019re exhausted \u2013 without waiting for an appointed time or special permission (other than from mom or dad, of course).\u00a0 They can take the time they need to understand a concept or absorb information without having to switch gears at the sound of a bell.\u00a0\u00a0 Their learning is hands-on and constant.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Other than the usual roundup of parenting skills, a homeschooling parent may just need a little extra patience, more active listening skills, and a keen awareness of their child\u2019s educational development.\u00a0 Beyond that, a degree of resourcefulness comes in handy too.\u00a0 Our communities are filled with people and places to learn from, if we can just take the time and effort to find out.\u00a0\u00a0 Inevitably, taking on this task also takes accepting less \u201cme-time\u201d and living in a less than show-case-perfect home, as mom\u2019s attention will surely be on other things.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0A homeschooling parent\u2019s work is also hands-on and constant.<\/p>\n
Susan Assaf<\/p>\n