Homeschooling: A Parent-Led Journey 在家自學：由父母引領的學習旅程

Homeschooling: A Parent-Led Journey

The most meaningful and effective homeschool experience almost always happens when parents take the role of the primary teachers. This approach creates something no tutor, learning centre, or paid programme can replicate — a deep bond of love, trust, and shared discovery. When parents and children learn side by side, they grow together emotionally and intellectually. This, to me, is the true heart of homeschooling: not simply teaching a child, but discovering the world together.

Another major advantage is cost. Homeschooling becomes far more affordable when parents teach directly, because they avoid the heavy monthly expenses of hiring tutors or enrolling in expensive centres. Instead of paying over 10,000 Hong Kong dollars each month, parents can invest in books, museum visits, family projects, worldschooling adventures, or simple hands‑on learning experiences that create lasting memories and genuine curiosity.

Parents teaching their own children also leads to the most fruitful long‑term outcomes. Daily involvement gives parents a deep understanding of their child’s strengths, weaknesses, interests, and learning pace — insight that no external tutor can match. This allows lessons to be personalised in a way that truly fits the child. My daughter, Paris, always says when she looks back that the most precious part of her learning journey wasn’t how much knowledge she gained, but the growth we experienced together — learning patience, communication, responsibility, and teamwork through everyday life.

Of course, not every parent feels confident teaching every subject. In those cases, using online curriculum, video lessons, or AI tools is a far more cost‑effective and flexible solution than hiring multiple tutors. For example:

- A parent who struggles with secondary mathematics can use a structured online programme that teaches concepts step by step.

- A student preparing for IGCSE English can practise writing with AI feedback instead of paying for weekly writing classes.

- A child fascinated by science can explore free or low‑cost online experiments, virtual labs, and interactive simulations.

These tools allow parents to stay actively involved while still providing high‑quality instruction — without turning homeschooling into an expensive, tutor‑dependent system. To me, if homeschooling begins to resemble traditional school — tutors for every subject, high monthly fees, and a schedule controlled by outsiders — then it loses its purpose. Homeschooling is meant to be flexible, family‑centred, and financially sustainable. When parents take the lead, supported by affordable resources when needed, homeschooling becomes not only effective but deeply meaningful.

And there is another point that is often overlooked: homeschooling is meant to raise children who are independent in both learning and life. But if every subject is taught by a tutor, how can a child ever learn to take ownership of their studies? How can they develop the self‑discipline and initiative that university life demands? And if a student grows up relying on tutors for every challenge, what will happen when they finally reach a stage where no tutor is there to guide them?

Homeschooling should prepare children for real independence — not dependence. When parents guide the process and children learn to explore, question, and solve problems on their own, they become far more ready for the ultimate destination of the homeschooling journey: confident, self‑directed university study and adulthood.

在家自學：由父母引領的學習旅程

 

最有意義、最有效的在家自學模式，往往都是由家長親自擔任主要教師。這種方式能建立出任何補習老師、學習中心或付費課程都無法取代的東西——深厚的親子連結、信任，以及共同探索的喜悅。當父母與孩子一起學習，他們不僅在知識上成長，也在情感與心靈上一起成熟。對我來說，這正是自學的核心：不只是教孩子知識，而是一起發現世界。

另一個重要優勢是成本。當家長親自教導時，自學的費用大大降低，因為不需要支付高昂的補習費或學習中心的月費。與其每月花費一萬多港元補習，不如把資源投放在書籍、博物館參觀、家庭專題計劃、世界自學旅行（worldschooling），或是簡單而有意義的動手學習活動，這些都能創造深刻而美好的家庭回憶。

家長親自教導孩子，也往往帶來最豐盛的長遠成果。每天的陪伴讓家長更了解孩子的強項、弱項、興趣和學習節奏——這是任何外來老師都無法比擬的洞察力。這種了解讓家長能真正做到因材施教。女兒 Paris 每次回想起來都說，最珍貴的不是她學到多少知識，而是我們一起走過、一起成長的時光——在日常生活中學會耐性、溝通、責任感和團隊合作。

當然，不是每位家長都能教所有科目。這時候，使用網上課程、教學影片或 AI 工具，比聘請多位補習老師更具彈性，也更節省開支。例如：

- 不擅長中學數學的家長，可以使用有系統的網上數學課程，逐步講解概念。

- 準備 IGCSE 英文的學生，可以利用 AI 練習寫作並獲得即時回饋，而不必每週付費上寫作班。

- 對科學有興趣的孩子，可以參加免費或低成本的網上實驗、虛擬實驗室和互動模擬。

這些工具讓家長仍然能保持參與，同時確保孩子獲得高質素的學習，而不會把自學變成昂貴、依賴補習的模式。對我而言，如果自學變得像傳統學校——每科都要補習、每月支出沉重、時間表由外人控制——那就失去了自學的意義。自學應該是彈性、以家庭為中心、並且可持續的教育方式。當家長成為主要引導者，再配合必要時的低成本資源，自學不僅有效，更能成為一段深刻而美麗的家庭旅程。

還有一個常被忽略的重要觀點：在家自學的目的，是培養孩子在學習和生活上的獨立能力。但如果每一科都由補習老師教，那孩子如何學會為自己的學習負責？他們又如何建立大學階段所需要的自律與主動性？如果孩子從小到大都依賴補習老師，那當他們真正面對沒有老師指導的階段時，又該如何應對？

自學應該培養真正的獨立，而不是依賴。當家長引導學習、孩子學會自己探索、提問和解決問題時，他們會更有能力迎接自學旅程的最終目的地：自信、自主的大學學習與成年生活。

Written By Dr Lai Mei Kei Vivien