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S.Zachorova is one of the founders of the “Family Learning Association”, and many families have been interested in the opportunity to teach children at home for many years.
– Samantha, the new school year has just begun. What thoughts, moods, finally how are you?
– There’s very little time left. I am pleased that the child’s motivation is higher than when he attended school, as well as higher than distance education.
I am also glad that the child, if something is not clear, learns to search for information on the Internet by himself. I have also bought several different textbooks and encyclopedias. I also encourage you to seek information on your own if you don’t know something.
– Maybe we will talk about family learning a little later. Who and what is the Family Learning Association?
– It appeared about five years ago. A little earlier, there was the opportunity to raise a child in a family, but when the law changed, that opportunity disappeared. However, there were families who wanted to teach the children at home. It was just legally impossible. These families got together, talked, looked for solutions. We try to speak legally, but as long as you are a natural person, nothing comes out. It was then that the idea of forming an association and acting legally arose.
– And how did it go?
– Everything is fine. It took one or two years, during which we organized various events, consulted with lawyers, wrote letters to various institutions, members of the Seimas. This is how we have once again seized that opportunity.
We do not have exact statistics and also the statistics provided by different institutions differ for some reason. However, this year there may be around three times as many children as last year; there are likely to be almost 200 children.
As for her age, her parents were home schooling preschool and elementary age children. It is more difficult with the older ones because the children were already used to going to school, to going to class. Unless only if the child doesn’t fit the class. Well, and this year the numbers, as I mentioned, have increased.
– And it led to? ..
– In the past, parents were more intimidated when starting a family. That is, education in the family, because family counseling is something else, when a teacher comes home. And here is the family education.
Parents found it very difficult. However, when there was quarantine, most of the students studied at home and the upbringing in the family still took place. Distance learning, of course, was different: some had lessons, some didn’t. In different ways. But during this time, parents have seen that not everything is so scary and possible.
Family counseling is something else: when a teacher comes home. And here is the family education.
The increase in the number was also due to the current situation. Some do not want to be tested, others do not want to wear masks, others do not like the impossibility of leaving the classroom, and as soon as they ventilate it, everyone returns to class.
After deciding to homeschool their children, some Vilnius residents brought together small groups and communities such as kindergartens, where, for example, 5-7 children study together. There are cases in which parents rent premises for this purpose and hire a teacher.
Others opted for education one hundred percent in the family.
– What about you?
– And I chose a similar one – one day a week the son goes to a private school, the other days – home.
– Do you teach it yourself?
– Yes, we have a plan. We have exercises, books, how much and what you have to do per day. I use Google Classroom’ą, where I put together the weekly plan, the lessons for the week – whatever I need to do, watch, read or write a dictation. The son watches and takes lessons throughout the week on his phone.
– But there is another issue: disciplines.
– We have agreed with him: if we study at home, the discipline will be. Of course, everything passes. Sometimes they don’t want to learn. But then tempiasi Lessons: If you didn’t do the two-page exercise today, there will be four tomorrow. Of course, there is anger and barn. But we are trying to find a compromise.
– Is this type of training very different from distance?
– Big difference. Of course, it still depends on the teacher. The biggest difference is that sometimes it does not respond to the child’s needs. Maybe math is easier for him than Lithuanian? Maybe then your Lithuanian language needs more time and less: math? And so on. Not individually adaptable to the child.
– What were the reasons for your choice and why did you decide to teach your child at home?
– Maniškis just didn’t like school very much, he was in trouble. So I suggest this option – if you do it yourself, if there are no barns, if you don’t have to call 50 times – then well, we’re home, we’ll learn.
Photo from 123RF.com / Raising a child in a family
– What was the son’s reaction?
– He jumped for happiness.
– Why do you think he didn’t like it at school? Maybe it also depends on the child’s own character?
– It also depends on the character of the child, but in recent years he was a very poor teacher. The former teacher took into account the individuality of the child, there were no penalties, and the new teacher proved to be very tough in recent years. The son soon lost motivation. They only learned to be accountable in some way, but not to learn, not to make it a pleasure. Therefore, what they learned was soon forgotten.
– How’s everything going now? Are you preparing weekly assignments according to the curriculum?
– Yes, it is not very possible to escape the program. The exercises, as well as the individual tasks, are taught by the school. I checked with the school because if you are raising a child at home, he is still assigned to some school. There is a teacher who can guide, I have to look at what are the tests, what are the tasks and what the child should learn in fourth grade.
If you have free time, you can assign any additional tasks you want. So I have included additional lessons in entrepreneurship, astronomy, in my son’s educational program.
– What about the learning tools?
– The exercise was given by the school, which has a basic education. If you pay more, you need to buy the tools yourself.
– Samantha, you are your son’s teacher. And who controls his work, that is, is it good or is it properly taught to the child?
– Teacher. There are also no evaluations in fourth grade, but we do have to meet every two months. So maybe we do tests, talk, talk, so that she can see why the child is paying and what is not.
If you are raising a child in a family, you need a way to show what you are doing with the child. Like a little report. It’s not like you fill out a parenting application, and all, no one sees anything, no one knows. The school supervises.
If you are raising a child in a family, you need a way to show what you are doing with the child. Like a little report.
– What are the disadvantages of such education?
– Probably the biggest disadvantage – if the parents work outside the home. Then I wouldn’t know how to do that. Of course, it depends on the specific child, but you may need even minimal care, you may need to ask something. In other words, there must be an adult in the house. What else? Perhaps another financial aspect, because one day a child goes to school, it costs money.
– What about communication with colleagues? Doesn’t family upbringing impede communication?
– All children are very different, but socialization is well implemented not only at school. My son attends sports six times a week, so communication is definitely enough.
– What do you have to do to raise a child at home?
– Two certificates had to be obtained in June. One of the municipalities of the city of Vilnius, if the family is not included in the list of families at social risk or if there were no problems in the family. A certificate from the old school, an evaluation from the previous year, was also required. I had to fill out a questionnaire, answer the questions (why do we want to homeschool, how do we prepare, how do we plan the lessons, etc.).
It was still necessary to choose the school with which the contract would be signed. Because, as I mentioned, the child has to belong to some school. In Vilnius, there appear to be two such public schools in Lithuanian. Another option is a private school, so we chose one.
– This contract, the decision itself is for one year and every year it is necessary to update the questionnaire for homeschooling?
– Not quite. There is no need to do anything later, unless the child goes from prep to grade 1 or grade 4 to grade 5, that is, from preschool to primary, from primary to basic education. In this case, the documents must be processed again.
– Your son just finished fourth grade. Not sure how to keep learning?
– As for me, as a mother, we will not return to the “factory” of the public school. Perhaps in a private, where there is a small community, a class, a few students. The diference is huge. I don’t know what should happen to go back to public school.
– And the last question. When you teach a child at home, does the mother-teacher ask for homework?
– Of course. There are only daily tasks, so if you don’t do them, you leave as homework.
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