SPD and Homeschooling

You're planning to do WHAT?!

Yep, we've decided to homeschool R.  We've even gone to seminars with TMA Homeschool and hubby and I are ready to jump in.

UPDATE 11/4/2016: TMA Homeschool is now known as Homeschool Global.

But it's not totally final yet.

In the Philippines, the Department of Education is not really supportive of homeschooling, although it's not deemed illegal.  Republic Act 7277, also known as the Magna Carta of Disabled Persons, states all the rights special needs people have to quality healthcare, education and employment.  You may peruse at your own time.

Basically, what's really getting in our way of homeschooling R is that we need to prove that he will benefit from homeschooling despite his special needs.  That's what DepEd wants.  Thus, TMA Homeschool has referred as to yet another doctor we need to speak to- an educational diagnostician.  We have not seen him yet, and I will update you as soon as we find out if said doctor will recommend him for homeschooling.  So yeah, crossing my fingers and praying really hard.  Please do pray with us too.

So what is homeschooling?  Aren't you afraid R will turn antisocial?

TMA Homeschool defines homeschooling as a means that "allows parents to take responsibility for their child’s education. The home is the primary learning environment and parents teach their child through one-on-one instruction".

When we attended TMA Homeschool's orientation, led by Mr. Edric Mendoza (yes, the guy from ANC's "On The Money"), they gave us a lot of information on homeschooling.  Here are a few slides I took photos of that day.

Defining Homeschooling

Comparing Homeschooling with Conventional Education

The session was extremely informative, and very honest.  Mr. Mendoza was very clear on the advantages and disadvantages of both homeschooling and conventional schooling.  He was also very clear on the amount of commitment required of the parent to be an intentional homeschooler.  If one is not intentional, better not homeschool.

As for social interaction, this is what Homeschool.com had to say.

"Socialization is actually meant to prepare children for the real world, which means learning to interact and deal with people of all ages, races, and backgrounds," says Diane Flynn Keith. "In this case, homeschooling actually does a better job of this because homeschoolers spend more actual time out in society."

Research supports this. According to Home Schooling and the Question of Socialization by Richard G. Medlin, "Home-schooled children are taking part in the daily routines of their communities. They are certainly not isolated; in fact, they associate with--and feel close to--all sorts of people." 

He continues, "Home schooling parents can take much of the credit for this. For, with their children's long-term social development in mind, they actively encourage their children to take advantage of social opportunities outside the family. Home-schooled children are acquiring the rules of behavior and systems of beliefs and attitudes they need. They have good self-esteem and are likely to display fewer behavior problems than do other children. They may be more socially mature and have better leadership skills than other children as well. And they appear to be functioning effectively as members of adult society."

As for specifically choosing to homeschool a child with SPD, granted it can be difficult.  And it might not be for everyone.  Even homeschooling a child with no special needs isn't for everyone.  But for R's sake, and hubby and I do want what's best for him, we decided we want to give it a shot.

So I feel that it can be done.  And I also feel this is best for R, especially with his SPD.  I want him to learn good things, and learn good graces, and to learn that he doesn't have to follow the crowd.  I want him to be God-fearing and Christ-centered, and to learn how to love his neighbors as he would himself.

If you yourself are interested in homeschooling, the Homeschool Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI) is a good starting point to find other institutions that support homeschooling. They also have links to many other homeschooling associations internationally.