Richa, Melbourne - VIC / Bunurong Country
“Less is more - there is no joy in over scheduling your child.”
Richa and her husband, who were both born and educated in India, now live in Melbourne and home educate their two children, aged 7 and 2. We cover a variety of topics in this episode including Montessori, minimalism, community building, sibling dynamics and fostering a love of reading, nature and kindness.
This is Episode 26 of the Australian Homeschool Stories Podcast - Richa’s Story:
Summary:
When Richa and her husband were house hunting in Melbourne they were ironically drawn to Bayside for the schools, but it was the solace and peace of being next to water that solidified their choice to call this area home.
When her daughter was two she felt that homeschooling would be the best choice for her and that she wouldn’t thrive in a school environment.
Early on people would point out that her child had a lot of anxiety and that she was so attached, but isn’t that how humans are designed to be? We are supposed to be close to our caregivers.
In India, education is the most important thing. Richa was an A-grade student, and felt the pressure to do well (but knew no different). Over the long term, this pressure leads to burnout and hitting her forties, she feels that now. After 15 years in the corporate sector she decided to take a break and raise her children.
They migrated to Melbourne without any support system, all their family live in India. Finding other friends who homeschool has been an incredible help and given their family both mental and physical support.
Richa and her husband chose to divide and conquer when it came to telling their own parents about their wishes to homeschool their daughter, which they had to do virtually. She recalls this conversation being unpleasant and not easy.
“Even though my child has never been in school, I still have to remind myself of why we are doing what we are doing”
You are the parent who is dual hatting as the teacher and that is a hard hat to wear at times.
There is chaos in bringing a younger sibling into the mix of homeschooling but it is also enriching for the sibling connections and bonding - if her daughter were in school right now, her son would hardly see her.
Open your house up to welcome friends in, share a meal together, do a craft together. It can be hard finding the people with whom you can connect with on a deeper level.
Intentionally not over-scheduling their week. Letting them be, giving them free time to tinker around - she values that more.
Homeschooling minimally means not having more things and more materials. Not overwhelming yourself with the multitude of curriculum choices out there. It’s very easy to bring overwhelm into your space. It’s about prioritising less.
“When I look at the positives there are so many to count. You are just living your life with your child, there is no separation, no one is dealing with any anxiety, there is no 7am or 8am rush out the door, they get to eat their meals in peace, they get to eat as much as they want, they get to sleep as much as they like, so there’s no rush to wake up.
There is a slow pace of life that homeschooling brings in, that is a blessing not just to me as a parent but also to my children as well.”
Homeschooling brings a lot of freedom for children which is not offered in other settings. How does that frame how we function as a society and how we are set up for treating children? Children don’t get the respect they deserve.
Generally speaking, homeschooled kids are mostly very inclusive - they don’t differentiate between ages and genders. They want to include everyone and have a good time.
She is looking forward to seeing the beautiful people her children turn out to be and the joy they bring to others
Read more, talk to people who have been doing this for a long time. It’s easier and less daunting than it seems.
“Have faith in yourself. You’ve chosen this path, it’s your gut that’s told you that this is what you need for yourself and your child. Acknowledge that and don’t let what you see happening in others lives influence you or bring you any sense of doubt. Know that you are doing the best you can.”
Inspiration
Simplicity Parenting - Kim John Payne (book)
Unconditional Parenting - Alfie Kohn (book)
The Secret of Childhood - Maria Montessori (book)
Good Inside Podcast - Dr Becky Kennedy
@bigmothering (instagram)
@mainly.montesorri.homeschool (instagram)
@wonderled.life (instagram)
Recommended Read Alouds
The Silver Arrow -
Mr Poppers Penguins - Richard & Florence Atwater
The Very Very Far North - Dan Bar-el
A Boy Called Bat - Elana K Arnold
Resources
Blossom & Root - Nature based, secular homeschooling curriculum
Connect
Instagram - @waliaricha
Food for thought
Join an online community of mothers who read for themselves and to their children. This is a place to connect with other book loving families, seek out and recommend read alouds and read alones.
Take a peep inside the reading lives of other Mother Readers via the Portrait of a Mother Reader series, which showcases the reading habits, rhythms and book recommendations of Mother Readers the world over.
You can read
and ’s portraits via the links below:
This podcast is recorded on the lands of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging and acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be aboriginal land.
Original Music by Daniel Garrood @garroodcomposer
Listen on Spotify here