By Yanna Solace Adofina

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS, FEET ON THE GROUND — THIS IS THE RALLYING CRY OF OUR DREAM DOERS: INDIVIDUALS WHO LEAD UNCONVENTIONAL, UNPOLISHED LIVES.

THIS ARTICLE IS THE FIRST OF THIS SERIES, WHERE WE FEATURE DREAM DOERS FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD. WE HOPE THAT THEIR STORIES PROVIDE YOU INSPIRATION AND COURAGE TO PURSUE YOUR OWN LIFE EXPERIMENTS.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

- Robert Frost

Hi. My name is Yanna. Where I’m from, it’s not a usual name. I change my hair color every three months, and I don’t mind old aunties giving me a reproaching stare whenever I go out to segregate the trash. I am passionate about stories in different forms — thick books, three-hour-long films, songs filled with strong emotions in another language. So as you can probably tell, I'm very used to being different. 

Before the pandemic, I was already exploring the idea of homeschooling my ten-year-old child. I found the concept interesting, but I was hesitant to do it. I was afraid he would miss out on the usual rites of passage of childhood that I experienced beforehand, like the first day of school, moving up ceremonies, and the like. Then the pandemic came, and we were basically forced into it due to health and safety measures. It was our only option, as I knew online distance learning would not work for him.

WHAT DOES OUR HOMESCHOOL LOOK LIKE? 

No homeschoolers are exactly alike. While most follow a specific philosophy of education, the way principles are applied differ from one family to another. For us, we mostly follow the Charlotte Mason education philosophy, which advocates short lessons and use of living books (mostly unabridged classic literature --- no textbooks for us!)

For us, every morning after breakfast we have an hour reserved for what we call Morning Basket. Besides doing our daily civic duties, we sing hymns and folk songs, do memory work, study a foreign language, and read a fun story before officially starting the day. After this, we proceed to our formal lessons, which look different for each day of the week. Mondays are for Home Economics, Art Appreciation, Handiwork, Health, and Life Skills. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are for World and Philippine History, Biographies, History Tales, Geography, and Philippine Literature. Thursdays and Fridays are for Science, Shakespeare, Classic Literature, Greek Mythology, and Grammar. Math, Musical Instrument Practice, and Character Education are done every week day. All these —- in less than four hours each day! As the world is starting to get back on its feet, we plan to spend more time immersed in nature.

WHY DID WE CHOOSE AN UNCONVENTIONAL WAY OF LEARNING?

To be kind, empathetic, and resilient - My kid was not a victim of bullying, nor was he a bully. But at an impressionable age of 7 years old, he often saw playground bullies subtly manipulate the smaller kids. These playground bullies were his friends. Hearing stories like this every day scared me that one day he might treat other kids the same way. Homeschooling allows us to learn and understand kindness and empathy through books and community role models, and practice these everyday in real life situations.

Collaboration over competition - While competition is not a bad thing on its own (e.g. the Olympics), but encouraging children to compare themselves constantly to other children is very damaging. Expecting children (whose minds are still developing at varying rates) to learn at the same pace is ridiculous. Children will learn when they are ready, not forced. Homeschooling encourages us to learn for knowledge's sake, and eventually use this knowledge to be of service to those in need.

To cultivate strengths - Like me, my son gets very passionate when he's fixated on a certain topic --- dinosaurs, birds, space, cars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You name it, he will not stop talking about it, even in his sleep. He loves drawing, shooting and editing videos on an old smartphone, and acting in front of any recording screen. On a regular school week, all his interests get pushed aside because there's a mountain full of homework, exams, and other extracurriculars waiting to be done. Homeschooling helps us to be flexible with our time, so he can pursue his interests.

To provide support over challenges - Also like me, my son occasionally struggles with Math. There are times when his sense of focus goes out the window for the rest of the day. Homeschooling allows me to gently support him with these challenges by making the necessary adjustments.

This is our unconventional way of living and learning as a family. Breaking loose from the status quo can get uncomfortable and even tiring at times, but it's also taking the courage to stand up for what we believe in. We choose to align our values, beliefs, and dreams to be able to live the life we want to live.

We have been taking the road less traveled for the last two years and counting; and it made all the difference in our lives.

Note: Yanna and her son reside in the Philippines, where homeschooling is deemed legal as an alternative form of education. There are approximately 12,000 homeschooling families as of present time --- while this is a significantly large number, they are still well into the minority of the local education system.