A Mom's Homeschooling Story from India

Ambiga Patil, from Mumbai, India, gives this inspirational and moving account of why she started homeschooling her two children. You will certainly love reading this!

Ambiga Patil: Why I am Homeschooling My Kids

I am Ambiga Patil. I have two angels, Rani who is 8 years old and Naresh who is 11. I have been homeschooling them for 5 years. And they are loving it!

What made me decide to start homeschooling? There are three reasons actually.

1. Seven years ago, my sister's son was mixing with the wrong crowd and began to take drugs. Eventually he started stealing to pay for the expensive habit. My poor sister only found out about it when he was caught by the police for stealing from a neighbour. The police were kind and gave my nephew a second chance. They did not press any charges against the boy out of pity for my sister. The person whom my nephew stole from was also generous enough to forgive my nephew.

   My sister pulled her son out of school to break his contact with the negative influence. She underwent three years of hell as she did everything she could to stamp out his habit.

   Her love for her son and her determination to succeed at all costs finally paid off. Cut off from his horrible friends and constantly being in close contact with those who cared for him, loved him and guided him, my nephew finally turned into a new leaf. He has become such a responsible and loving boy that nobody would ever believe that he almost became a career criminal. Now he is in a good university studying computer science. We are so proud of him.

   My sister's experience put the fear of schools in me. I would have no control over who my children mixes with at school. That doesn't mean that my homeschooled kids don't have any friends. In fact, they have many friends. Their friends are all good kids with responsible parents who have taught them moral values.

2. My second reason for homeschooling my kids was so that I could be in total control of their academic life. As I am teaching them one-to-one, they are improving by leaps and bounds. They have also gained a lot of confidence in themselves because of their mastery of difficult subjects.

   That doesn't mean that I have made them bookish or that they spend their whole day studying. I give them lots of time to play and explore their other talents. My son loves his guitar and my little daughter is crazy about Sangetham, which in English means classical singing. She has a pure, beautiful voice and loves to sing whenever she gets a chance. My kids also love swimming and cricket.

3. Homeschooling has freed up my children's time. Rather than wait for the school holidays, my husband and I can now take our children for holidays all over the world. Their exposure to cultures of the world has made them open-minded and accepting of others. Our world is in a sad state because many people all over the world hold on to the belief that theirs is the best culture, language and religion and that everyone else is in the dark.

   I see much that is good in the world and much that is bad too. I have told my kids to be open-minded but at the same time not to be naive and gullible. Just because a culture or religion or way of life has been around for thousands of years doesn't mean that it is perfect. We have to question everything we are taught and see whether it makes sense and matches with our moral principles. For example, if a culture tells you that women are the property of men, or that they have to elongate their necks by placing rings in them until their necks eventually dislocate, there is something seriously wrong with that culture!

What do I want for my dear children? I want them to be educated and be rich enough to live the life they want. I want them to be smart enough to be able to live in any social condition and take control of their lives. I don't want them to blame their employer or their wife or their friends for the condition they are in. I want them to be financially savvy enough to start their own business and succeed at it. I want them to be healthy and active in sports.

And above all, I want them to be kind, understanding and compassionate to everyone they meet.

And I know homeschooling will help me achieve what I want.

I hope you will succeed too. I have realised that any parent can succeed at homeschooling as long as they are determined to succeed. Good luck and have fun!

A Note From Kris, Our Editor.

You and your sister have clearly shown that if parents are determined, they can change their children's lives for the better. A lot of parents who are facing difficulties with their children will take heart from your story. I am sure they too will overcome their obstacles.

I am also delighted to say that I began homeschooling my twins for some of the same reasons you have given here!

I believe that a lot of problems and conflicts in this world could easily be overcome if people realize that everyone is human despite their outward differences. Cultures and religions may be different but people have still the same hopes, dreams and emotions.

Wish you all the best, Ambiga!

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