HS FAQ: Prologue

(The posts starting 'HS FAQ' are translated from a Hindi document I created to answer the most common questions we face on Homeschooling in India. I hope you like it and I hope you find it useful) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------  

When people meet us they say- ‘Such nice children you have. Which class are they studying in?’ Or they ask the children- ‘Which school do you go to?’ And me or the wife or the children themselves have to answer this straightforwardish question in a straightforwardish manner. ‘We study at home. We don’t go to school.’ ‘You don’t send your children to school?’ This question is asked in surprise or with a smile or sometimes with a trace of anger in the voice. And then I have to again bring out our two-year-old story in small bits and pieces. The last time I repeated this story for the one thousand and one-eth time I got a tremendous idea. Why don’t I write it down and make a small document out of it. The next person who asks me- I just whip out the document and hand it to them and say- ‘Bhai everything is written here. Read it. I don’t have the time to explain it all again for the one thousand and two-eth time.’ ‘What? What do we do with our time? Bhai, don’t we have to teach our children at home? It’s no joke. Its a full 24 by 7 job.’ So this document was born out of my need to tell the story of our children not going to school. Tell it one last time. But will you in the middle of your hectic life have the time to listen to my story? I think not and that is the reason that I decided to use a question-answer format here. The advantage is that you can read the answer to the specific question that rises in your head and then throw this document into the dustbin. Matter finished. Your precious time is saved and the burden on your brain is also minimized. What do you think? Good idea no? Some people may have even more questions than the ones that are answered here. My email ID and address are given on the last page and you can write to me at these addresses. And some friends out there who after reading this document feel that they have no need at all of my friendship can send me a collection of their best gaalis. Great fun no? From our side the blessings of our family-that-studies-at-home are always with you that reading this small document will wake you up and make you instantly take your children out of school and start teaching them at home.