We’re living in a world that is, today, vastly different to the one we knew only a few short years ago. In so many ways, it seems unlikely that life will ever be the same and so many children and babies won’t even know any different. Mine certainly won’t.

(Is it just me or do you feel like you’re an 80 year old man, declaring that children today have no idea what life was like, and that you walked 100 miles to school in the snow, uphill both ways?)

Global statistics reveal an unprecedented upturn in the number of families choosing to homeschool their children - likely as a consequence of lockdowns, school closures, poor health and travel restrictions…

Due to the increased interest in homeschooling, we thought we would ask a few parents about their experiences, to better allow others to make informed choices about their children’s education, or simply to satiate curiosity about this seemingly unorthodox path. Here, we have questions posed to, and answered by, Chris White (our very own) and Myra Kaur.

Studying is one of those things people think they know how to do, and everyone seems to do most of the same things. The reality is, most of the time, students are doing ‘busy work’ rather than studying effectively. Not necessarily because this is intentional or because they are procrastinating, but because studying is a skill not often explicitly taught. It should be.

So, let’s start with the basics: why is reading important? What skills are developed through reading?

As Neil Gaiman writes, in his wonderful work titled ‘Why Art Matters’, “everything changes when we read.” We grow as people, in our understanding of other worlds, cultures, histories, groups and individuals. We escape to fantastical worlds and confront demons and know that we can beat them. We learn to view the world through other people’s perspectives, and we learn empathy. It’s important for children to learn these lessons – that was once the point of fairy tales, after all.

The notion of learning styles may be something you’ve come across reading an article, or magazine, or even your child’s school report. The idea is basically that a particular learning modality is most effective for a particular child. For example, some students learn best by doing, and others learn best by hearing. While there may be some truth to this, there are a few issues with this notion... let’s unpack.