“How much of what you studied in school do you put to use in life?” Hyderabad-based Vaishnavi Anantha (17) asks me. She takes my silence as a cue to go on. “I would spend eight hours a day in school, but even then, it didn’t feel like I had learnt much. Likewise, with my tuition class.” On most days, the then 12-year-old wondered what the point of school was if her parents were eventually the ones coaching her.
Revealing that the had been hovering over the family for years, Vaishnavi says it was only during the COVID-19-induced lockdown that they found the pluck to try it out; the three months made for a good preface to gauge its merits. And Vaishnavi considers herself lucky to have parents who obliged, unlike most others who would have discounted it as a teenage whim.
“My mother was never really in favour of the schooling system; she always believed in practical learning. Even while I was in traditional schooling, she would encourage me to learn new things on YouTube and experiment with new activities, etc,” she says.
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In the year 2023-2024, the Education Ministry discovered that more than 72,000 students were getting a , with Tamil Nadu leading the practice. In the coming years, will this mode of education become a trend? Most likely, say psychologists. Backing this with an explanation, Smita Dutt, child psychologist points to how children’s time in school is not optimised. “Kids also don’t get individual care in most schools, because there are too many students in each section. And one cannot blame the teachers for it.”
Vaishnavi Anantha has been homeschooling for five years now and is engaged in many activities, including playing the flute.
Vaishnavi adds that the curriculum isn’t to be blamed either. Despite the innovative tactics detailed in the syllabi, teachers rarely found time to delve into them, she explains. “They were always in a rush to complete the syllabus, and so we would never really get to try the out-of-the-box experiments.”
To add to this, she says, school hours were long, leaving no time for any extra-curricular activities. The monotony was compounded by the slew of . The end result — a stifled creativity.
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One would assume that the ‘smart’ kids have it easy. Vaishnavi disagrees. “If I got anything less than a 19 or a 20 on a test, my teachers would disappointedly ask ‘What happened? Why this score?’”
It has now been five years of homeschooling and in hindsight, Vaishnavi recalls it as her best decision. “Work life will anyway come with its pressures. I did not want my school life to be stressful too.”
Underscoring the benefits of this radical approach, psychologist Varkha Chulani says the model permits control over the . “So, the parent can supervise if the child pays equal attention to Sanskrit as he would to Maths. Conversely, if a parent sees that a child can excel in Science and Maths, he or she can stress more on it.” While allowing for substantive attention to core competencies, it also enables children to explore their other strengths.
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It is a Monday morning when I speak to Vaishnavi. An ironic time to catch a student who would, in a traditional reality, be in her first or second class of the day. But this student is relaxed and composed, surrounded by her books, and blank sheets of paper. She’s been working on a few novels, she tells me. The blank papers are her canvas for the upcoming ones.
“I started writing at the age of 12. Since then, I’ve authored four books,” she says with pride. The mythological thrillers are a part of ‘The JAZ Gang’ series, a .
“Today, most Indian kids love Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. We want to know about the Greek, Nordic and Romanian cultures but not about our culture and heritage. The JAZ Gang series is a blend of fantasy, action, adventure, mystery, thrill, comedy and friendship set against the magical backdrop of ancient India,” Vaishnavi shares. Crediting the homeschooling period as the phase that helped her establish her literary genius, she hopes that every student could have this opportunity.
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Vaishnavi Anantha has written four novels during the time she homeschooled and these are part of The JAZ Gang series.
When did you know it was time to homeschool?
“We would sit for hours in front of the screen for lectures. After class, we would be back again in front of the screen to complete our homework. It was stressful.” Being an outdoor girl who loved sports, Vaishnavi wasn’t habituated to so much screen time.
Things peaked after one particular Maths class when, after spending hours learning online, Vaishnavi still couldn’t make head nor tail of it.
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That was the day she told her parents, “I just can’t do it. I’m not learning anything.”
Does homeschooling mean waking up late and doing what you please?
No, laughs Vaishnavi. She recalls her parents’ firm instructions — “You need to utilise your time properly, follow a timetable and be disciplined.”
“I would wake up early. Then exercise for an hour.” The black belt in taekwondo (a form of martial arts) couldn’t afford to miss out on her exercise regime. “Then I would study for the next four hours, followed by YouTube sessions to catch up on . My parents ensured that everything I learnt was in sync with what was being taught in school.”
During the afternoons, the young writer sat to work on her novels, followed by play sessions in the evening, and a round-up on the daily news at night.
So what do you do with all the extra time?
“You use it to find out what you’re good at,” Vaishnavi says. For instance, she shares, “I was never an avid reader or writer.” However, her curiosity was piqued when her mother assigned her a few passages one day. “This was where I developed an interest in writing. I used my time to watch relevant videos, develop a storyline for my books, and research the India of the past, people’s way of life, the food habits and the accommodation.”
Does homeschooling make you introverted?
Considering you aren’t expected to dress up and go to school, participate in school events, have annual days or sports days to channel your energies in, there is an understandable tendency to retreat into a shell. But this is where, Vaishnavi says, your hobbies will play a role. “Writing has helped me tremendously with a lot of skills, from designing the book cover to creating video trailers on my own. It has also forced me to come out of my introverted nature to promote my books on various platforms.” She recalls participating in prestigious literary events, including three appearances at the National Hyderabad Book Fair and a chance to speak at the ‘Youngistan Nukkad’ at the Hyderabad Literature Festival in 2024.
Contending the assumption that don’t have friends, she says, “People often think that homeschooling means an end to socialisation. But I tell them that I have gotten a lot more time to socialise after homeschooling. I have more friends now than I did in school.”
What is the best part about being homeschooled?
It teaches one ‘life skills,’ a thing many schools don’t, Vaishnavi says.
“As part of the curriculum my parents curated, I would wake up early, exercise, recite shlokas (religious scripture) and wash my clothes despite having a washing machine. If the house help didn’t arrive, I would help my mom wash the utensils and even sweep and mop the floor.”
For anyone wondering if homeschooling could be their cup of tea, Vaishnavi urges, “You’ll never know until you try. When I was in school, I was externally motivated to get high grades as I wanted to maintain a good reputation with my peers and meet the expectations of my teachers. But as , I don’t want to show off or prove anything to anyone.”
Summing up her journey with homeschooling, she says, “I learn because I like to. I learn because I want to.”
Edited by Arunava Banerjee
Revealing that the had been hovering over the family for years, Vaishnavi says it was only during the COVID-19-induced lockdown that they found the pluck to try it out; the three months made for a good preface to gauge its merits. And Vaishnavi considers herself lucky to have parents who obliged, unlike most others who would have discounted it as a teenage whim.
“My mother was never really in favour of the schooling system; she always believed in practical learning. Even while I was in traditional schooling, she would encourage me to learn new things on YouTube and experiment with new activities, etc,” she says.
Advertisement
Reorienting study patterns
In the year 2023-2024, the Education Ministry discovered that more than 72,000 students were getting a , with Tamil Nadu leading the practice. In the coming years, will this mode of education become a trend? Most likely, say psychologists. Backing this with an explanation, Smita Dutt, child psychologist points to how children’s time in school is not optimised. “Kids also don’t get individual care in most schools, because there are too many students in each section. And one cannot blame the teachers for it.”
Vaishnavi Anantha has been homeschooling for five years now and is engaged in many activities, including playing the flute.
Vaishnavi adds that the curriculum isn’t to be blamed either. Despite the innovative tactics detailed in the syllabi, teachers rarely found time to delve into them, she explains. “They were always in a rush to complete the syllabus, and so we would never really get to try the out-of-the-box experiments.”
To add to this, she says, school hours were long, leaving no time for any extra-curricular activities. The monotony was compounded by the slew of . The end result — a stifled creativity.
Advertisement
One would assume that the ‘smart’ kids have it easy. Vaishnavi disagrees. “If I got anything less than a 19 or a 20 on a test, my teachers would disappointedly ask ‘What happened? Why this score?’”
It has now been five years of homeschooling and in hindsight, Vaishnavi recalls it as her best decision. “Work life will anyway come with its pressures. I did not want my school life to be stressful too.”
Underscoring the benefits of this radical approach, psychologist Varkha Chulani says the model permits control over the . “So, the parent can supervise if the child pays equal attention to Sanskrit as he would to Maths. Conversely, if a parent sees that a child can excel in Science and Maths, he or she can stress more on it.” While allowing for substantive attention to core competencies, it also enables children to explore their other strengths.
Advertisement
Your questions on homeschooling answered
It is a Monday morning when I speak to Vaishnavi. An ironic time to catch a student who would, in a traditional reality, be in her first or second class of the day. But this student is relaxed and composed, surrounded by her books, and blank sheets of paper. She’s been working on a few novels, she tells me. The blank papers are her canvas for the upcoming ones.
“I started writing at the age of 12. Since then, I’ve authored four books,” she says with pride. The mythological thrillers are a part of ‘The JAZ Gang’ series, a .
“Today, most Indian kids love Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. We want to know about the Greek, Nordic and Romanian cultures but not about our culture and heritage. The JAZ Gang series is a blend of fantasy, action, adventure, mystery, thrill, comedy and friendship set against the magical backdrop of ancient India,” Vaishnavi shares. Crediting the homeschooling period as the phase that helped her establish her literary genius, she hopes that every student could have this opportunity.
Advertisement
Vaishnavi Anantha has written four novels during the time she homeschooled and these are part of The JAZ Gang series.
When did you know it was time to homeschool?
“We would sit for hours in front of the screen for lectures. After class, we would be back again in front of the screen to complete our homework. It was stressful.” Being an outdoor girl who loved sports, Vaishnavi wasn’t habituated to so much screen time.
Things peaked after one particular Maths class when, after spending hours learning online, Vaishnavi still couldn’t make head nor tail of it.
Advertisement
That was the day she told her parents, “I just can’t do it. I’m not learning anything.”
Does homeschooling mean waking up late and doing what you please?
No, laughs Vaishnavi. She recalls her parents’ firm instructions — “You need to utilise your time properly, follow a timetable and be disciplined.”
“I would wake up early. Then exercise for an hour.” The black belt in taekwondo (a form of martial arts) couldn’t afford to miss out on her exercise regime. “Then I would study for the next four hours, followed by YouTube sessions to catch up on . My parents ensured that everything I learnt was in sync with what was being taught in school.”
During the afternoons, the young writer sat to work on her novels, followed by play sessions in the evening, and a round-up on the daily news at night.
So what do you do with all the extra time?
“You use it to find out what you’re good at,” Vaishnavi says. For instance, she shares, “I was never an avid reader or writer.” However, her curiosity was piqued when her mother assigned her a few passages one day. “This was where I developed an interest in writing. I used my time to watch relevant videos, develop a storyline for my books, and research the India of the past, people’s way of life, the food habits and the accommodation.”
Does homeschooling make you introverted?
Considering you aren’t expected to dress up and go to school, participate in school events, have annual days or sports days to channel your energies in, there is an understandable tendency to retreat into a shell. But this is where, Vaishnavi says, your hobbies will play a role. “Writing has helped me tremendously with a lot of skills, from designing the book cover to creating video trailers on my own. It has also forced me to come out of my introverted nature to promote my books on various platforms.” She recalls participating in prestigious literary events, including three appearances at the National Hyderabad Book Fair and a chance to speak at the ‘Youngistan Nukkad’ at the Hyderabad Literature Festival in 2024.
Contending the assumption that don’t have friends, she says, “People often think that homeschooling means an end to socialisation. But I tell them that I have gotten a lot more time to socialise after homeschooling. I have more friends now than I did in school.”
What is the best part about being homeschooled?
It teaches one ‘life skills,’ a thing many schools don’t, Vaishnavi says.
“As part of the curriculum my parents curated, I would wake up early, exercise, recite shlokas (religious scripture) and wash my clothes despite having a washing machine. If the house help didn’t arrive, I would help my mom wash the utensils and even sweep and mop the floor.”
For anyone wondering if homeschooling could be their cup of tea, Vaishnavi urges, “You’ll never know until you try. When I was in school, I was externally motivated to get high grades as I wanted to maintain a good reputation with my peers and meet the expectations of my teachers. But as , I don’t want to show off or prove anything to anyone.”
Summing up her journey with homeschooling, she says, “I learn because I like to. I learn because I want to.”
Edited by Arunava Banerjee