Self-Schooling…

Ok, since we’ve come back from our trip to the UK, about 3 weeks ago, it’s been chill out time!

Just before we left for the UK the kids wrapped up their exams. For Maryam, in particular, it was tough. She has worked about 8 hours a day, 7 days a week for about 3 months. She didn’t meet many friends during that exam-intense period – and so she wasn’t the happiest girl in the world.

But all bad things come to an end (I just made that up). Now there are no exams for almost a year! Things feel really relaxed, they’re meeting friends regularly, watching plenty of films, the kids are enjoying it.

The kids know what they need to do now, and getting on with their stuff.

What is amazing is that Isabelle and myself are essentially out of the picture. It’s no longer homeschool – it is self-school. Our kids are educating themselves.

Hey, what?! Yes, they’re educating themselves, and here’s how:

  • The kids are working together, teaching themselves Maths A-level, with two other kids that have joined in. I set the past papers, they do it. When they get stuck they ask each other, Google it, or if that fails, they ask me via WhatsApp group we’ve set up.
  • They’re teaching themselves coding, to build their game app. Plenty of resources online. I asked a coder who used to build games to give them some guidance over WhatsApp. Any questions, they can ask him.
  • Maryam is trying to start her business – but she needs so to figure it all out herself (it’s an online business). She asks me things once in a while.
  • The language-learning is now pretty much all online, and they have their schedule to stick to.

So Isabelle has taken a full-time remote job as CFO of LaunchPad, my tech venture builder, and all she does homeschool-wise is take the kids to their various group activities – football, art, study groups, and visit her friends that have kids of a similar age to ours.

And I play squash with the kids every morning. That is it!

If you can teach your kids to teach themselves, but it has taken us almost 4 years to get here, it all becomes VERY easy. We’re now doing next to nothing.

And everyone still tells us we’re such dedicated and committed parents that have made huge sacrifices for our kids!

Author: Asim Qureshi

Passionate about tech startups, home schooling, barefoot running and squash.

13 thoughts on “Self-Schooling…”

  1. Salam bro Asim, Thanks for your post & blog. Am really interested to emulate the education experience you have for your children to mine. I have a 8, 6,4 & 1 year old, all boys. We are also in KL.

    Do you mind sharing more on how you structured the language learning?

    1) What online resources does your childred used to elarn language? A paid online language program? Tutor via skype?
    2) At what age do you start to introduce foreign language learning?
    3) Does your child learn all 6 language concurrently or one/two at a time?

    Thanks again for sharing.

    TARIQ ZIYAD

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    1. WS Tariq, really sorry I have replied so late. We have just used teachers over Skype, introduced them as early as they can sit down and pay attention over Skype, and we’ve got then them to learn all 6 languages at the same time. I hope this advice is not too late!

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  2. MaashaAllaah, tabaarakAllaah! it’s amazing! This post uplifted my spirit to continue homeschooling… hoping one day, we’ll be at this level too, InshaAllaah!

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  3. Thanks for showing me that such an education is practical… Education is one of my Dreams…

    However, you have made me wonder whether what I am doing is really any useful – https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx8xQKVEnHvKbXMxTXBiVmRKQ0U/view?usp=sharing . Of course, this is just the beginning of this project – this is to include plenty of other “must-know” things (as also pictures and perhaps, videos, to keep the child motivated) that would enable the child to self-learn the remaining. (The document starts with “Start Here.html” and opens well in Firefox.) You are making me wonder whether this really is a good investment of my time, or is it that making children capable of self-learning (autodidacts) is a task that only parents can do? (If my words show a lack of experience – then yes, I am inexperienced, aged just 18, and would like your guidance.) Thank you in anticipation.

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    1. Shubhamkar, hope your project goes really well. Self-learning is greatly sped up with some teaching, so self-learning alone isn’t ideal.

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  4. Thanks a lot for showing that my dream of education is practical – based on self-learning…

    You made me wonder whether I am really doing anything of significance – https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx8xQKVEnHvKbXMxTXBiVmRKQ0U/view?usp=sharing – or just wasting my time. Can making children capable of self-learning be done only by parents, or by others as well? With this project, I intend to provide kids the background they will need for being capable of auto-didacts. Of course, this is just the beginning of this project, and is to include several other “must-know” (and perhaps, basic) topics as also pictures and videos to keep the child motivated. (If this sounds like some inexperienced person, then yes, I am inexperienced, just over 18 – I would surely like your guidance.)

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  5. Asim, did the kids start preparing for these exams by simply solving papers? Did they do any sort of learning of the material prior to solving these papers?

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      2. Eldest is doing C1 to C4 and M1 and M2. She should have done D1 and D2 instead as that seems easier.

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