Being Teachers, the Pramadh way

                                                     "Look Papa, the Frog is telling a story!"

This year has been about many firsts. A year where plans have had to change and evolve. A year where we have been humbled by the uncertainties, by the moments of not knowing and not having answers really. 

A few months back, I had blogged about Ira starting her Early Elementary Montessori. Few weeks into it, we felt that online it was quite hard to implement learning in a Montessori manner. After  a lot of deliberation, speaking to her school principal and many educators, we decided to take  her off school this year and teach her at home. So, technically, we have begun homeschooling her. Using the word homeschooling for the lack of a better word. When Ira was about a year old, Prashant and I did think about homeschooling her. But as time went by, we decided to enrol her into a Montessori. The last few years we have seen her grow, learn and express herself very strongly. We have to thank Ms. B and Ms. A, her Montessori teachers who have been amazing. 

So, we made the transition in the 3rd week of July. We had  a talk with her to make her understand what this would entail and what it means for her. She said ok. She is 50% fine and 50% not sure. We decided to take that leap of faith. 

6 weeks of homeschooling, there is a lot that we have learnt. While the journey has just begun, sharing our learnings here. 

1. Research, Learn, Teach- As parents, we have to do a lot of research and continuously learn ourselves. This is the most time consuming component. Prashant and I have been reading up, making notes and planning every step of it. I attended a 5 day course on understanding Homeschooling by someone who has been a homeschooler and runs an alternate school. I would definitely recommend the course. It helped me bring together many a psychological components and see how that can impact learning. 

2. Unlearning and Relearning- We have to understand that homeschooling is not just about teaching at home and using worksheets and videos. Each of us can choose the curriculum that we shall follow, we can then work to customise it to suit the needs of our child. We are following the basic NCERT curriculum for Class 1 to understand what she has to learn conceptually and then planning the learning thematically. The books are only a reference point for us. It is essential to understand the child's developmental stage, how they learn and also how we teach and how can we optimise our collective intelligences. 

3. Keeping the experience Child-led and Organic- It is very easy for us to make this experience about us. The fact that we have an agenda that the child has to complete and learn certain components this year and we have  a list to complete. A constant reminder to self that the activities we plan have to be child-led and organic in nature. Am a person who makes lists constantly and likes to tick them off. While for months, we have been doing a lot of activities with her, right now, we teach a few things everyday based on a particular theme and let the rest of the day unfold organically. Somedays, Ira spends a lot of time colouring or doing her imaginative play. We also let her have a choice with regard to the order of the activities. Somedays, be prepared for a flat NO and it is important to accept that. 

4. Understand how you teach and how the child learns- some children learn better through visual mediums and some through experiences. Some are nature child and some learn better when the process is algorithmic. Understand how your child learns. Ira loves nature and experiences. So, we try and incorporate that into the learning. One particular week when we were working on the theme, Road Safety, we also happened to plan a long drive and discuss components of road safety. Also, some of us teach well through anecdotes and for some of us as parents, we may prefer reading, writing and learning. Figure out the styles that match and teach the child and make it a multi-dimensional experience. 

5. Homeschooling is a Collaborative Effort- In nuclear families, it is important that both the partners are on board with the process. The little human being also has to understand how we are doing it and we need to discuss and plan the activities with them. They feel the ownership and you will see how they effortlessly take to this. At our home, Prashant and I share the subjects and the way we teach her. While am a more read, write and learn person, he seamlessly intertwines a discussion and a video component.  

6. This becomes or is a way of life- sometimes, we may plan the activities, but it is important to be in the moment and savor the experiences that happen. For eg., we can plan to do some cooking related activities as a life skill. Or there could be  a time when the family cooks a meal together and it becomes a trigger for discussion on types of food habits, importance of the ingredients etc. Ira has a knack for cooking and made prawn curry in coconut milk with her Papa one day. The entire experience evolved to talking about food habits, seafood masala and how coconut milk is made. A rock art activity where she is drawing insects can lead to a discussion about insects and their features. The journey is continuous, every moment. 

7. Embrace the Challenges- There are challenges, this requires  a lot of effort. There are times when it is exhausting, and you will wonder what's happening, you may wonder why did you even embark on this. Between the days when your little one seems to be completely onboard, there are times when she may not what to do anything that you want her to do, respect that choice. Have a conversation, try and plan one day at a time for her. Also, there is too much information available. To just sift through that, decide what you want to pick and make a part of your learning and teaching journey is work. Don't get on the bandwagon of wanting to buy materials and kits, and online tutorials. You have chosen this journey, define it your way. 

                                                                "Learning through doing."

For now, the Pramadhs are enjoying this. 2 weeks into it, one day Ira told me that am acting like  a Principle with my list of activities. That honest feedback was a revelation. What worked for me doesn't for her. Our strengths must not become their limitations.Then, I also changed how we go about it. I still have my lists for my reference but we give her the choice of what would she like to do that day. We are learning along the way and it is a revelation. Keeping an open mind to the endless possibilities makes this journey fascinating. 

Are we finding this experience life changing? Definitely.

Will we continue this next year? We don't know. 

For now, it is one day, one week, one month and sometimes one theme at a time. 

For now, what matters is Ira tells her friends that she is being homeschooled, her Papa and Mamma are her teachers and she has a choice in her activities. This morning, she also wished us, "Happy Teacher's Day"! 

So, Happy Teacher's Day from the Pramadhs to all teachers out there❤

                                                        "Happy Teacher's day Mamma and Papa!"

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