We are working parents, or one parent is working while the other is taking care of the home, younger child, and in-laws. So, how do we manage home learning?
This is a very common issue within home learning families. Parents are convinced that they would like to choose home learning for their child, but they usually have two key questions in mind:
- Who is going to supervise the child at home?
- Who is going to plan the child’s learning path along with arranging the learning material?
In many Western countries, government education policies allow and support institutions that specifically help home learning families overcome these two concerns. These institutions provide guidance, learning material, and other resources to families who are on the path of home learning. Since the concept is well developed there, many families within such communities live close enough to form groups that meet regularly and plan learning activities together.
In the Indian context, these two key questions can be addressed by creating and developing a home learning community within your city or even within your local area. By joining an existing community, or creating one if it does not exist, you can connect with like-minded families.
Once you have enough parents in the community, an initiative can be taken to arrange a regular meeting space. This space could be a spare level in a house or room, either rented or volunteered by a community member who has extra space in their home. Parents can take turns and share responsibilities on different days of the week to supervise the children. During this time, children can work on their individual learning plans or participate in group activities.
If the community has sufficient funds, a salaried person can also be hired to supervise the space regularly. For designing individual learning paths and arranging relevant learning material, support can be taken from professionals in the home learning space or from experienced home learning parents who have been on this journey for many years.
Being part of an active home learning community can be a great support system for parents. It creates a space where families can come together, share their experiences, and learn from each other. It also helps in finding practical solutions to common challenges. Most importantly, it builds a sense of shared responsibility and encouragement in the home learning journey.