Many times I asked myself this question in the past. After classes and talking to parents. Again when hearing sentences like: "I am not sending my child to school only to have to educate at home."
In the beginning, I looked at this question only from the perspective of a teacher and felt outraged by the fact that anyone would even consider asking such a question. To me, the answer at the time was a firm and definite 'yes'. Over the years, I learned to understand the other angle the parents represented. The potential reasons and challenges behind being a full-time, most of the time overworked parent of multiple children. Then I became a mother.
In my expectations, I was ready to let go of my firm attitude about the definite 'yes'. I was fully on board to join the team of parents who say they send their child to school to be educated fully by their teachers. Parenting was so overwhelming at first.
Then I learned more. I found out how my child behaved and why. When she was sleepy, hungry or ready to play and learn. When she started running up and down in the room, to an outsider she might have seemed either very excited or upset. I knew the difference perfectly well. When she was hungry or sleepy, and why. I taught her to say her first words and learn to eat. To speak kindly and share. Let's assume at this point that there are no special needs involved. Now fast forward to school years and place this child in a class of almost 30 students, all with very different needs. Let me tell you a little, behind the scenes secret.
Although school systems vary across the globe, lessons are usually 45-60 minutes long in most countries. Certain subjects are taught by different teachers. When I started out as an ESL teacher, I spent 3x45 minutes with a class per week. Think about this for a moment: How much can a child contribute to a class, sharing the 45 minutes with 30, or even 20 other students? This is crucial in my subject, as I am teaching a language. You can't learn a language if don't try to use it in speaking, right? How much can my child work on their speaking skills with the aim to learn that language in the shared 45 minutes? I will tell you: if she is lucky, she might say a sentence or two. How can I get to know her needs? How do I know when she is hungry? She can't focus if she is tired. Additionally, I got the "I am not sending my child to school only to have to educate at home." when I approached a parent about the issue of swearing in class. I felt overwhelmed: in the one minute I get to devote to each and every child while teaching a language, I am expected to also teach them about correct behaviour, emotional regulation, correct pencil grip, and the list could go on.
Fast forwarding a few more years, while working with special needs children and raising my own special needs daughter, I learned so much more. I saw how much extra support a child might need. They want to thrive, to move forward with their peers but not all are fortunate enough to set off with the same skills sets and abilities like others. Devoting all my time to researching and finding ways to smooth the path for my own child, I truly saw the superpower every parent has. We play such a crucial role in our children's lives, it's incredible. Do we not want them to reach their maximum potential to have the most amazing lives they could possibly have? Of course we do. And I firmly believe, as a parent and a teacher that the best for the child always comes from us, the parent. We give them the best they can get.
So yes, education starts at home. My definite 'yes' has grown into an unshakable, solid and robust 'YES'. The home environment and family interactions play a crucial role in shaping a child's early development and learning. Parents and caregivers are a child's first teachers, and they have a significant impact on a child's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development.
Research has shown that a child's early experiences and interactions at home have a lasting effect on their academic achievement and success in later life. Home learning environments that are rich in language, literacy, and numeracy stimulation help to develop children's cognitive abilities and language skills. Similarly, positive parent-child interactions that provide emotional support, guidance, and a sense of security can enhance children's social and emotional development.
Therefore, it is essential for parents and caregivers to be actively involved in their child's learning and provide a supportive and nurturing environment at home. This can include reading to our children, engaging in conversation, encouraging curiosity and exploration, setting boundaries and expectations, and providing opportunities for play and learning.
Whether you are home educating, homeschooling or choosing a mainstream educational system, it's inevitable that you work with your child. They go to school, learn, bring the homework home and go back the next day. It's a cycle. If you are not helping when they get stuck with their homework, you break the cycle. It's like building a dam on a river. More and more obstacles come in the way, the barrier is growing in size until it breaks. And you will have flood. More work than you would ever have had in the first place.
Education is a crucial aspect of a child's development, and it is essential to start early. Children's early years are a critical period for their brain development, and the skills they learn during this time will have a lasting impact on their future success. While formal education starts at school, parents can play a vital role in educating and developing their children's skills at home, provided they say 'YES'. Nobody knows your child as well as you do. It's your superpower.
"You are your child's first teacher." Rudolf Steiner