Settling in a foreign country is very difficult. Muslim Immigrants (or visible minorities in General) in Quebec, or even in the rest of Canada, know this just too well, getting a house, stable employment and above all, a learning facility or a school for their children can all become challenging at first.
Home schooling is done under familiar environment and as such it accelerates the child’s learning experience unlike in the conventional schooling system (whether private or public) where the environment is a bit crowded. New comers’ children may take time to familiarize with their new environment.
Home schooling provides the child with the chance to learn what they can at the time they feel most comfortable. Their parents will know better how to interact with them, and this makes learning a continuous process and less tiring unlike in the standard schooling system where the child is expected to be in class for a certain period of time, this way the child’s concentration level is lowered making them lose interest in learning at such an early age. Private schools are much better for new comers than public schools in general. Yet, there is no statistical proof as to which one is better for visible minorities or for Muslims.
The education level in Canada’s private school might seem quite challenging for immigrants who just got into the country. The challenge is not related to the quality of teaching. A lot of parents come from overseas with higher quality teaching. However, the educational system in Quebec has a pace that is different from other foreign home countries. It’s therefore wise that the child should learn at home for a while so s/he can move smoothly from one environment to the other. This way the child will gain the conviction they need and improve their learning abilities within a short period of time.
For Muslim students who were born and raised here, the challenge is different. Their parents might not like the standard schooling system because it exposes the young students to a different value system that is not quite matching with the preferred value system at home. Hence, home schooling looks more attractive for this category.
Schooling at home goes beyond the preset curriculum that the public school follows (or even the private school). Therefore, students from visible minorities are able to explore other interests like music, arts and other hobbies of interest that may eventually become a good career for them later in life. Home schooling is an all holistic program that ensures that the child’s learning needs are fully met.
Finally, it should be noted that this is not a conclusive call to get on the boat of home schooling. This is just a quick exploration on whether home schooling is another alternative for Muslims in Quebec. There is a need for a rigorous study to check whether this schooling mode will effectively and efficiency offer our children the learning excellence they need.
May you please comment and share your point of view about this schooling mode.