Homeschooling provides for teaching-learning outside the school environment

Homeschooling, also called home schooling or homeschooling, is a modality of education with specific characteristics that set it apart from others (such as school education and distance education): the primary responsible for the teaching process is the student's parents and learning does not take place in an institution, but within one's own family (at home, in the neighborhood, on walks, etc.).

Is the sport not legalized in Brazil? although it already has many adherent families? but it is quite common elsewhere, being recognized in over 60 countries.

Consuelo Machado, a lawyer and mother of a child in homeschooling, explains that the Child and Adolescent Statute provides for the obligation of children to attend school. But I consider that such legislation is at odds with the Constitution. The Constitution is clear: "Education is everyone's right, and it is the duty of the state and the family." Thus, I understand that if, at some point, the family is better able to educate than the state, an unconstitutional law cannot oblige the individual to have an inferior education, thereby hurting his or her inalienable right to education. Thus, it is up to parents to choose the best education to give their children ?, he says.

Under the terms of art. 55 of the Child and Adolescent Statute (Law 8069/90), parents or guardians have the obligation to enroll their children or pupils in the regular school system. ?Likewise, the art. 6 of Law No. 11,114 / 05, which amended Law 9394/96 (LDB - Law of Guidelines and Bases of Education), determines the duty of parents or guardians to register children, from 6 years of age, in education fundamental ?, says Consuelo.

"I understand that parenting, in addition to obligation, is the inalienable right of parents who, just as they have the free will to start their offspring in their religion, must have the right to choose between institutional and home education." , points out the lawyer.

Consuelo points out that the reasons why parents choose to choose homeschooling today are not just about religious issues, as many people think. "These reasons range from dissatisfaction with schools, bullying, to fear about the physical and psychological integrity of children," he says.

Camila Hochmüller Abadie, full-time homeschooler mom, author of the Finding Joy blog and teacher in several free courses aimed at empowering homeschoolers (? Teach your kids to enjoy reading? And? Homeschooling 1.0?, Among others) ), believes that the main motivations that lead families to choose home education are: the poor quality of education, because Brazil always occupies the worst positions in the international education rankings and the bad school environment, where children often they are exposed to bullying, drugs, violence, ideological indoctrination and early sexualization.

The Pros and Cons of Homeschooling

As the main advantages of home schooling can be highlighted:

• The overriding proposal is to provide a different learning environment than that found in schools. Especially avoiding bullying (which is characterized by intentional verbal or physical assaults by one or more students against a colleague).
• The ability for parents to closely monitor their children's school development, with the opportunity to be more aware of possible learning problems, for example.
• Strengthening the parent-child bond, as they will have much more time to be together, sharing learning moments, and more. Noting especially that in society at large, these family moments have become increasingly rare these days, when, in the rush of everyday life, many parents do not even have time to talk to their children.
• Time flexibility is also seen as an advantage of home schooling.
• Home education also allows you to extend teaching beyond books through enjoyable trips or trips, for example, without having to meet lesson plans or schedules. This way, learning can become more exciting for the child or young person.

According to Fabio Schebella, a pedagogue with experience in home education, there are several situations in which teaching at home is the most appropriate and logical option."In the first place, there are situations that require this for a geographical or logistical reason, as in the case of families who live far from a school or are in constant movement," he says.

Still according to Schabella, there are also situations in which there are no school institutions that address the student's needs or the family's philosophical, political or pedagogical preferences. "In these cases, family education is also ideal because it allows the educational process to be conducted according to family peculiarities," he explains.

On the other hand, especially because it is not a legal practice in Brazil, parents who choose home schooling may have some difficulties:

• Parents who do not enroll their children in school are subject to the application of art. 246 of the Penal Code, referring to "intellectual abandonment", as Consuelo points out.
• ? Many families who choose home education live, thus, in hiding, because they are persecuted and prosecuted by the prosecutor ?, says Consuelo.
• On the educational side, according to Consuelo, there is difficulty in preparing a curriculum to follow, lack of guidance and tools for families.

Camila points out that when difficulties occur, they are usually due to a lack of knowledge on the part of relatives, principals, guardianship counselors and attorneys about homeschooling. Which is perfectly understandable, since it is something new among us Brazilians. Generally, when there is a problem, it is a complaint to the guardianship council because the children are not attending school. When, however, the council comes into contact with the family and sees the quality, the dedication, the affection with which parents choose to take up their children, the issue does not go forward and the family goes on in peace ?, he explains.

How to adopt home schooling?

Consuelo explains that there is no certainty about a legal means for parents who wish to raise their children at home. There is no legal support or consensus between the authorities. The family can initiate the process by filing a court order with their motives, but once this right is denied, the person can be legally sanctioned. So many choose to disappear, in this case, instead of plaintiffs, saw Defendants in lawsuits brought by the state ?, says.

Camila explains that parents who want to join home school should first of all get as much information as possible. ? It is necessary to investigate the legal issues involved, the available methodologies, the materials / courses / teachers most appropriate for the age range of the child and the educational model chosen. Is that the minimum?

• There is a need for research and knowledge of the situation so that the decision taken is well founded. With this in mind, my husband and I have developed a course addressing these and other issues, with the intention of empowering families in this first step. Last but not least, you should try to get in touch with other families who practice home-based education, as it is too short a time to learn from others' experiences, Camila adds.

Do parents need to hire teachers to teach their children?

Camila points out that everything will depend on the child's needs, age range and parental limits. For example, if your teenager needs to go into physics and the parents simply do not remember anything about the subject, yes, there is nothing to stop them from hiring a tutor. There are many cases of homeschooler families who supplement studies in some subjects by enrolling children in Kumon, for example. There are many possibilities, and everything will depend on the needs highlighted. In general, a good teacher who cares well for a homeschooler family will eventually be suitable for other families. Word of mouth, personal indications are the most frequently used path between us ?, he says.

Schebella explains that the family that chooses this modality must prepare with a lot of study and planning. In this regard, the help of some professional may be welcome to assist in the search for curriculum material and organization. However, after the "kickoff", the educational everyday ends up unfolding very naturally, "he says.

Setting up a subject curriculum and the appropriate activities for each child depends greatly on the choices made by the parent or guardian, according to the educator. "Therefore, the primary need to start family education is to study the options of lines, curricula and teaching materials to choose (or create) the option that best suits the reality of the student and family," says Schebella.

Another recurring question is whether there is a need for parents to prove that they are providing education for their children at home. Obviously home education cannot be synonymous with material and intellectual abandonment. That is why we are calling so much for regulation so that there is a curricular orientation and supervision ?, says Consuelo.

Legal question

It is noteworthy that homeschooling is not legalized in Brazil, so families who choose this method may have some difficulties.

• Parents who do not enroll their children in school are subject to the application of art. 246 of the Penal Code, referring to "intellectual abandonment", which says: failing, without just cause, to provide primary education for school-age children, imposing the penalty of detention or fine and even the loss of parental power ?, explains Consuelo.

School is not the only option that exists for socialization. And by opting for home education, parents will not be depriving their children of socialization

"It should also be noted that parents who are civil servants need to prove annually that their children are enrolled in order not to suffer administrative sanctions," adds the lawyer.

In this context, many parents who choose home-based education live in hiding, otherwise they may be prosecuted and prosecuted by the prosecutor.

Many people question whether young people who have been educated in this mode may subsequently have normal access to higher education, or if there may be difficulties or harm for those who wish to go to college. Camila points out that on the contrary: experience has shown us that homeschoolers are generally much better qualified for university entry, both technically and socially. And this is not only here in Brazil, but is the same in all 63 countries where the practice is recognized ?, he explains.

Consuelo considers it valid to emphasize that school is not synonymous with socialization, as many people argue. ? School is not the only option that exists for socialization. And, by choosing home education, parents will not be depriving their children of socialization ?, he says.

6 questions about home schooling answered

Especially in Brazil, there are still many doubts about home schooling. Below, the professionals talk about the main ones.

1. Can any family join home education?

Camila Hochmüller Abadie: Yes, I would say any family can. However, some prerequisites are necessary: ​​1- the parents' full agreement on the decision for homeschooling, as the education of children cannot serve as a reason for family disunity; 2) the willingness to study and overcome one's own deficiencies. Parents who are unwilling to research, to study, to actually become the preceptors of their children will not do a good job. In this case, depending on the situation, it is better for the children to stay in school.

2. How does the diploma and proof of schooling work for people with home schooling?

Camila Hochmüller Abadie: This is a very simple question. To prove the end of elementary school, it is enough for the teenager to take the EJA test. To prove the end of high school just need the young person to take the ENEM test. And it doesn't take a transcript for the exams, but only that the student is the minimum age required for the exam.

3. Can the socialization of children be compromised by this type of education?

Fabio Schebella: There is definitely no social deficit for a home student. There could be some harm if the child were totally isolated from society, but there is no record of any family that has done anything similar. In general, educating families insert children into society much more directly during the teaching-learning process, ensuring an active and positive socialization.

4. Can home education be detrimental to the child's upbringing?

Fabio Schebella: Homeschooling in itself does no harm to the child. What can cause harm are parents' misconceptions in choosing how to conduct the process.

5. Does the child who is educated in this modality need some kind of professional accompaniment?

Fabio Schebella: This will greatly depend on the profile of the parent or guardian. In some cases professional follow-up will be more necessary while in others it will be minimal. In the case of the families I accompany, I participate with ideas and evaluations, but almost always parents have been able to instruct their children quite satisfactorily.

6. For children already in traditional school, how can the transition to home schooling be made?

Fabio Schebella: This is a delicate process and should be taken by parents very carefully so as not to cause cognitive or emotional damage. My suggestion is that families start with a gradual transition by starting some? Homework? while the child still goes to school. When the child is already used to this teaching at home, he or she may be withdrawn from school. However, at this time it is important that parents do not completely abandon school elements in teaching, because the change may be too strong for the child? especially at the earliest ages. Over time, unnecessary practices and elements should be eliminated and / or replaced by those planned by parents. This entire transition may occur faster or slower depending on the student's profile and predisposition to change.

Testimonials from mothers who opted for home schooling

Camila Abadie

Camila Abadie, who is a full-time homeschooler mother, says she decided to go home with her husband when she realized that her daughter was getting extremely frustrated with the lack of encouragement in school, the lack of challenges, leveling always at the lowest. “I realized that if I didn't do something, in a short time, she would acquire a complete aversion to study and knowledge. Then, after months of research, we took the definitive step and didn't regret it for a single moment ?, he says.

Camila points out two key advantages in home schooling:

• "Family unity, because we are always involved with each other, learning, studying, discovering together, and this is very special and very healthy for the emotional development of our children, besides being something extremely rare in our day," he says.
• • The chance to be able to stimulate each child according to their natural talents and inclinations. There are things that only the home environment, which allows individualized attention to each child, allows it to flourish. And that is wonderful. Being able to participate in the awakening of talent that would not even be perceived in the massed classroom environment is priceless. Is that a real privilege? Says Camila.

Consuelo Machado

Consuelo Machado, who is also a mother of a home-based child, proposes a reflection on the issue of homeschooling also from the perspective of School Inclusion of Disabled Children. Since 2009, when I sought a school to enroll my disabled child, I have been experiencing situations of exclusion, bullying, prejudice and even nepotism. Parents of children with special needs having difficulty enrolling children in school and having their children's needs met. Schools creating problems not only for children with disabilities, but also for allergic, hyperactive, gifted, or attention- or learning-impaired children, which makes me conclude that schools are only prepared for standard student care and completely unprepared for those who do not fit into this previously standardized model ?, he explains.

? While public schools open the door to families, the community and the 'Friends of the School' for financial reasons above all, some private schools are doing their best to alienate their families in order to conceal bullying and abuse. avoid lawsuits rather than actively participating in building citizens together with families, going against modern pedagogy and educational policy. And that is the big reason for the search for homeschooling ?, adds Consuelo.

And if the Constitution, in its art. 206, says that education will be provided on equal terms for access and permanence in school and, if the Public Prosecution Service does not care about the access and permanence of children with special needs in school, they do not care about inclusion, not may require the registration of so-called normal children? also! Is it a prejudiced and contradictory behavior ?, highlights Consuelo.

Alejandra Soto Payva

Alejandra Soto Payva, link psychotherapist, facilitator of groups of mothers and babies and doula, is Argentinian, but has lived in Ilhabela for 16 years. She has six children and a grandson and says she chose home school because the school her children attended did not satisfy them. “We didn't identify with the values ​​mainly, and I saw problems that couldn't be solved at group level, conviviality.”

At this time I met virtually German Doin through his documentary La Educación Prohibida, and I was moved and shocked. I got in touch and invited him to visit Ilhabela and arrange a meeting with parents and educators. He only managed to come after a year. It was wonderful because we already had our children in the early days of unschooling. At the time, we had an excellent teacher with experience in homeschooling, but we repeated without understanding the school methodology? That is, we reproduce the school indoors.The following year, it was my husband who taught the children in the middle of a destabilization of marriage, it was an intense year and we decided that he would not be the "educator" again, reports Alejandra.

This is our third year of news, we feel lighter about models and the perception is that we are creating ours! Are the children happy and the learning comes in different ways and not just on the blackboard or because someone taught? They experiment, develop criteria, reflections, arguments and a self-esteem of respect for their own processes (which are individual and not massive) ?, adds the mother.

Among the main advantages of the sport, Alejandra highlights freedom. "Realizing how mechanized, conditioned, massified I feel we have rescued our entire family from a bankrupt, hypocritical, patriarchal system that creates slaves instead of letting the true potentials manifest."

The biggest difficulty, according to Alejandra, is dealing with something apparently un legitimated. • Criticism from family members (grandparents, uncles) for ignoring it; the lack of information in public places like Teaching Departments, Guardianship Council, Public Ministry; Prejudice (we are called "bad guys", "hippies", "richer", "dropped", "irresponsible"). But I do not see disadvantage in the sport, I see that it messes with our structures full of conditioning, but my challenge is to be able to disarticulate them and participate in the construction of new paradigms ?, concludes.

Support Groups

Through the Internet, it is possible to get in touch with other families who practice homeschooling, which makes it possible to learn from the experiences of others.

Some examples of support groups that allow interaction with other families who choose homeschooling are below:

• Home education? Homeschooling
• Home schooling
• Home schooling? a different attitude
• Homeschooling in Brazil

Finally, it is worth remembering: Parents who are interested in joining home-based education should first and foremost research the subject. This is a serious decision that requires, above all, the full consent of those responsible for the child or young person in the decision for homeschooling, as well as a willingness to study and overcome their own disabilities.

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