The simplest words that explain the term home-schooling are, ‘to teach one’s children at home rather than send them to school’. The term has become common nowadays; however, it dates back 2,500 years when Alexander was tutored at home by Aristotle.

In the West many parents are home schooling their children under supervision of qualified tutors. For Pakistan the term is not new either but since a larger body of people have been part of the indoctrinated system they feel completely alienated by the term ‘home-schooling’. So much so that when I decided to take this route, everyone I knew was horrified.

Like every mother I too always wanted my child to get the best education. I explored many schools to learn admission procedures and deadlines, determine locations and the commuting time it would take everyday. It was shocking to learn that at nine months my child was already late for enrolment into various playschools; most of the reputable playschools register babies at three months.

At first I panicked; had my negligence cost my child a precious year? But then I looked closely at my child and noticed his innocent childhood. Was I being fair to thrust him into a crowded, competitive environment just as he’s beginning to experience the wonders of the world? For the first time I questioned my judgement.

Without realising I was turning in the direction that led to home schooling — a decision which would unleash a lot of negative remarks from almost everyone I knew. I started researching the subject and read works by various initiators of home education. One such was John Holt, who convincingly made me fall in love with the theories on home schooling.

His most popular books How Children Fail and How Children Learn beautifully explain the fears that hold the child back from developing interest in school education.

“The human animal is a learning animal; we like to learn; we are good at it; we don’t need to be shown how or made to do it. What kills the processes are the people interfering with it or trying to regulate it or control it,” says Holt.

Home schooling is not just making your child sit at home and forcing him or her to study what you want. It’s a step-by-step process that initially studies your child’s behaviour patterns and works accordingly. As I monitored my child at home, I started looking at him from various angles; I busied myself in exploring what all he held inside: the hidden talents, his strengths and even his weaker areas.

Luckily I found an excellent tutor to take charge of his education who worked with him on a curriculum designed for his age. We worked together: the teacher to fulfil his education needs and the mother on his humanitarian side.

While other parents were depending on playschools and preschools, I was busy enhancing my child’s interests. He loved reading; I would take him to bookshops and allow him to select books for himself. We would paint together and share all the beautiful ideas our minds could think of. We would bake and cook together, which helped him learn how a little bit of this and a little bit of that could change flavours.

He would observe how I spent time with my elders, helping them in different ways and giving them company. One day when I was making tea for my grandmother, he innocently told me, ‘I’ll also make tea for you when I grow up.’

Children learn better when they are a part of what we want them to learn. They need to watch us apply the values we would expect from them when they grow up.

Today, when we are extremely dependent on school systems for our child’s character building, being a parent, it is our duty to see that our child’s interests are safeguarded. Every child is born with a unique quality that distinguishes her from another child. Sadly we, firstly, as parents and then as guardians or teachers fail to notice this.

Most children love to learn but imagine the process of learning where someone is constantly ridiculing you, frowning on failed attempts. We all know what such a process would promote. On the other hand, when you have no fear of negative remarks you are free to explore the world for answers. You will enjoy the process of learning rather than learning for the sake of someone’s satisfaction.

Schools play a vital role in spreading education; they have the authority and ability to promote learning. But not all schools give children the freedom to follow their interests. If parents are convinced that only a school can provide the educational needs for their child, they should make an effort to find a school that focuses on the abilities of their child. A school should not just be an enclosure where your child spends a few hours to memorise various patterns put in front of him. Parents need to brush off the fear of failing in the rat race and fulfil their foremost duty as parents, for they were entrusted with this gift to be taken care of.