Home schooling as a result of Hyperparenting

Dear daddy's friends

Dad looked at me strangely this evening. He wondered if it was alright for me to be home-schooled. After reading an New York Times article 'New York parents delay formal schooling for kindergartners' http://http//r.smartbrief.com/resp/mLrYsSAfCzyrhQfCiugxvmAZ
he found it odd to make the connection that home-schooling is an extreme version of bourgeois parenting- hyperparenting. (He chuckled and was near hyperventilating)


As he read, he concurred that the parents chose such a path for their kids (and themselves) with a very clear goal in mind- to craft a life that fits what they see as their child’s developmental stage as well as that of themselves. Further reading led to finer distinction from the home schooling curriculum- "nor are they strictly “unschooling,” that is, following the teachings of John Holt, a progressive educator who promoted a child-led learning movement that is a wildly democratic subset of the home-schooling world". What was evident in the article was the social network support among parents who home-school their kids.

Dad reflected on the rationale of why these parents took this path, many of whom are very 'well-schooled', considering very practical issues and was tempted with the idea himself. Surely, he thought to himself as a curriculum designer, he has more than it takes to individualise a curriculum well suited for us. His main concerns though with home-schooling is the lack of space for development of social skills. Yet, as he pondered deeper, if life skills were taught through activities such as reading aloud the subway stops, or counting out change at a vegetable stand, how can he achieve success even without going down this path.

One thing that was clearly a push factor for parenting in both New York and Singapore is the mad rush to nurture the brainiest kids- endless enrichment lessons (many of which began from the foetal stage), multiple tuition classes- tireless cognitive hyper stimulation for the sake of ensuring a seat in the top schools or highest grades during placement exams. Daddy concludded that the following quote by one of the parents resonated well with him- "to value his own good work, and think for himself". What necessitates the 'right' option, eventually lies in how one best understand himself/herself and that of the child. May God grant all parents the wisdom (and energy) to raise the kids in a best possible manner.

footnote: Dad wondered what do Jewish parents that their kids are generally more gifted than other kids around the world.