As a parent, my homeschooling journey started when my daughter was in 7th grade. One day she came back from school frustrated and declared that she was unhappy and felt claustrophobic at her school. She felt disconnected from her classmates and could not have conversations with them. Days passed and my daughter's mood did not improve.
What was happening? This was so not how I had visualized my daughter's school would be. We sent her to school so that she could discover relationships and make friends. But the school did not deliver on our expectations. As my daughter grew, her school experience started to become a series of academic competitions with her peers. Most of her school day consisted of back-to-back academic lessons with very little time for extra-curricular activities, sports, or interpersonal interaction. There was no space or opportunity for easy and meaningful relationships. After spending the whole day (8:00 am to 4:00 pm) at school and travelling, my daughter did not have any time or physical or mental energy to pursue her interests. She could barely manage to complete her homework and meaningless assignments to prepare herself for another gruelling day at school.
My daughter, during her formative years, played and enjoyed chess. She wanted to make a career in the sport. She wanted to play outdoors and try out various sports including karate, football, and basketball. As a family, we wanted to travel together and pursue regular physical and spiritual activities.
As her parents, we considered these reasons among others and decided to HOMESCHOOL our daughter.
Not for one minute since then, have I ever regretted that decision. My daughter, presently a national-level chess player and a city-level football player, feels that it was the best thing I did for her so far...
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