Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling

The Reality of Remote Schooling - Ever since the coronavirus pandemic hit the world, homeschooling seems to have picked up steam again. Although most parents still have reservations about teaching their children within the same four walls every day, some people believe the benefits are multitude. Homeschooling as a boon: 1. Taking the Covid-19 situation, for example. This led to underscoring the importance of digitization and e-learning and embracing it as the 'new normal'. More than 40% of families in India did not have access to electronic devices then but had to respond to the situation. Today, after more than a year of online learning, several parents feel that it has helped them develop stronger bonds with their children while getting to spend more time with them. The same goes for homeschooling; parents have the liberty to determine the curriculum and schedule for their kids and dwell in their company longer. 2. Another strong point is the personal attention that they receive. With one-on-one interactions, the children are able to raise doubts without inhibitions. This gives them more time to adapt and are supported throughout as they master concepts. 3. With homeschooling, children are sheltered from unhealthy practices that they would otherwise encounter at school. This makes parents worry less and they feel it fuels their cognitive development much more. 4. An interesting pro of home learning is that parents can discuss topics apart from the ones chalked out on blackboards with their children in discretion, especially topics like menstrual and sex education, mental health, and others that are considered a 'stigmatic' topic in most institutions. 5. Inevitably, homeschooling also allows parents to plan family vacations and travel without the need to rely on a stricter school calendar. Homeschooling as a bane - While teaching children at home can be attributed to development in many cases, there are also a few downsides. 1. Homeschooling requires a parent to be extremely patient and have restraint. Children can get restless with the monotonous routine and this could take a toll on the parent. 2. With a less regimented schedule and program structure, homeschooling generally moves at a slower pace and demands more effort, in terms of planning the curriculum and concepts to be taught. 3. Of course, with home teaching, it is a given that purchasing new teaching tools and advanced learning material is a lot more expensive. 4. Most importantly, children tend to miss out on the extra-curricular activities and state-of-the-art facilities they would have otherwise been exposed to in school. The choice between homeschooling vis-a-vis public schooling is only made easier considering the prevailing situation. With the ongoing pandemic, most parents prefer teaching their children at home with their safety in mind.