The disruption that COVID-19 has caused in the traditional school system has left many parents wondering whether there is a way to take more control over their children’s education. An increasing number in Beijing are now turning to homeschooling, yet questions abound: how does it work? Where do you start? Is it legal? In this series, we dive in, talking to Beijing parents who have already started the journey about the big questions, and busting some myths along the way. Let’s get stuck in!
For the first article in our series, we spoke to May Yeung, who has been homeschooling her two daughters (8 and 14) for a total of 14 years.
May Yeung with her daughters Theo Chow – 14, and Halak Chow – 8
There are a few reasons why my children don’t ‘attend’ school. A month after we had our first baby we learned we were moving to Beijing. I started doing research on parenting and teaching. It was fairly easy and fun for the infant stage because there were so many programs and tools such as occupational therapy training, baby sign language, Doman, and Montessori training available. I just had to follow them and arrange playdates with other children.
When my daughter started kindergarten I started visiting schools with other moms and one of them mentioned homeschooling. She invited a lady who was homeschooling to share with us, and when I went over to look at the school materials I was blown away because it was exactly what I had dreamed of when I first prayed about it. I just jumped right in and started and it went well and we loved it.
The system that we use to homeschool our children is Sonlight from the United States. The reason I chose this system is quite simple. As I mentioned earlier, I want my children to be taught through the tenets of our religious beliefs, so I especially like the way their daily curriculum is structured, starting with a religious module, and the entire curriculum is structured around religious history and a worldview shaped by our personal beliefs.
‘I especially like the way their daily curriculum is structured’
We intend to homeschool our children until they are in High School.
I think the best thing about homeschooling is the ability to choose a curriculum that meets my family’s needs and fits my children’s learning style. For example, we can choose a math curriculum, whether it’s more intellectual or hands-on. Also, my children can learn each subject at their own pace so that they can master everything without pressure. It also provides us with a flexible daily schedule so that my children can focus more on developing their giftedness. For example, my eldest daughter can have more time to practice ballet and write her own book.
Homeschooling saves a lot of travel time which allows them to enjoy more free time. Looking back, I think homeschooling really helps them become self-taught instead of being indoctrinated. In addition, it helps them build a completely different network of friends that is not just limited to their classmates or schoolmates, but everyone they come in contact with.
“My eldest daughter can have more time to practice ballet and write her own book.”
There are some drawbacks to homeschooling. When my daughter was in elementary school, the people around me, especially my parents, were so anxious about my daughter’s future and a social life that they would even try to test her abilities and find any difficulties in her, which put a lot of pressure on me.
There are wonderful resources that have helped us on our homeschooling journey. It’s been a blessing to find native language teachers to help with language classes, Beijing Sports to allow my daughters to participate in different sports programs such as baseball and gymnastics, and Girl Scouts to enable my daughters to have peers to grow up with.
My advice for parents wishing to start homeschooling is this. I think parenting/homeschooling is like a dessert you want to make for your family (what kind of children you want to raise), once you figure out, the rest including the cooking method (teaching methods) and ingredients (resources) becomes easy because it’s just problem solving and it will sustain you through the difficult times of doubt. As a bonus, during this journey, I also discovered my gift and developed it into my “second curve” to become an accredited play therapist. So, I highly recommend that you give it a go, why not? If you don’t try, you’ll never know!
“I definitely love the fact that I’m able to ‘play around’ even though I’m a high school student.”
I thought it might be good to have my children share their thoughts on homeschooling:
I like being homeschooled for a lot of reasons. The most important one is that I get to spend half of my day playing and doing things that I love, such as dancing, playing with my sister, cycling, playing Minecraft, reading, writing, and hanging out with my family. Homeschooling has given me the extra time I need to dance more at my dance studio and still be able to play around. And I definitely love the fact that I’m able to ‘play around’ even though I’m a high school student. Homeschooling is amazing because I can go at my own pace, have no homework, and I can go to school at my own house! I don’t have to wake up early every morning to travel to school and come home late in the afternoon to finish up homework. I can wake up later than most people, finish school before them, and still have so much time leftover! I love homeschooling, and I would highly recommend it. – Theo Chow, 14
“I have time to do my favorite things”
I like homeschooling because I have time to do my favorite things: play Minecraft, lego, singing, drawing, and relax. And another great thing I love about homeschooling is that I have less homework to do and more time to spend with my family. – Halak Chow, 8
KEEP READING: What You Need to Know About Homeschooling in Beijing
Photos: Courtesy of May Yeung
