May 9, 2005
-
Senior Writer Loh Foon Fong came up with several pages of write-ups on homeschooling mothers in the STAR paper’s Lifestyle section in conjunction with Mother’s Day. Thumbs up for the coverage’s positive tone! Here’s a brief summary and links to the complete articles and photos.
Mother Teachers
Single mom Sarah Lee shares about her ADHD son Yeak Ping Lian who’s artistic skills have garnered great attention. Ping Lian first went to art classes in 2003 and since then has been involved in six exhibitions, two of which are solos. His water colour Ubudiah Mosque (in Perak) from a post card was auctioned off at RM100,000. Corporation collectors such as HSBC and Reckitt Benckiser have also bought his paintings. (Note: I previously wrote about Ping Lian in my Feb 7, 2005 post). Full story here.
Homeschooling aligned to children’s likes
Sung Sow Lan, 48, a homemaker in Malacca who homeschooled her children Jeaneatte, 21, and John, 19, said home-schooling has given her the opportunity to be a great influence in her children’s lives.
She began home-schooling them in 1996 for she felt that the school system had become highly competitive and market driven and is not conducive for the growth of a child. (Sow Lan uses Bill Gothard’s ATI at home). Full story here.
Individual needs of homeschooled children
A mother of four Haliza Ithnin, in her 30s, was concerned about the quality of teachers as well as the growing negative influence from other children. She decided to give up teaching in a private school and home-school her eldest child Zulfah Haziqah when she turned seven in 2001. Full story here.
Need for openness
Amy Delph, an American married to a Malaysian, comments that homeschoolers are more articulate and more independent. Delph who now runs a creativity and critical thinking programme called Edison Explorer, also encouraged the Government to be open to homeschooling as parents are legitimate teachers and guardians of their children’s lives. The article also carried my comment regarding the Compulsory Education Act. Full story here.
Learning hands-on
Former futures commodity trader A. Apamah Thevy, 46, took two years to adjust to staying at home after giving up her job to homeschool her children. “I felt that I was not spending enough time with my children and I wanted to teach them many things as well as build their character,” she said.
“All this does not come with just spending ‘quality time’ with them but equally important is the quantity,” said Thevy who uses the Sonlight Curriculum. Full story here.
