Talk by Homeschooler Mum, Elizabeth Tan
Elizabeth (Liz) said she is the most unlikely homeschool mum; having attained only ‘O’ Levels in education, and is a ‘flighty’ musician (serving as the Worship Director of her church). She had no idea what curricula were available and was not aware that there were other home schooling families. She first found out about the Singapore Homeschool Group when she attended last year’s curriculum fair and met Ruth Schaefer.
Liz did not enjoy conventional schooling. When her mother, a former school principal in their hometown in Malaysia, questioned the wisdom of Singapore’s kindergarten curriculum which consists of little playtime and lots of writing practice, Liz and her husband decided to try out homeschooling. Their American pastor introduced them to the Abeka curriculum, which was renown as a highly-acclaimed and portable alternative.
As missionaries to far-flung places like Tonga(!), where post had to be sent to P.O. Boxes, all Liz and her husband needed was a VCR player which they used to play the pre-recorded lessons conducted by master teachers. She ensured that the children watched the videos and did the accompanying homework. She would check through their children's assignments, mark written work and regularly send samples to Abeka for standardization. Certificates were issued when each level’s criteria was met.
With her Abeka education, Liz’s eldest daughter breezed through the entrance-test and attended high school in the States, whilst her parents enrolled for further studies. After one to two years, the family returned to Singapore. She missed the Chemistry laboratory sessions, but was glad to resume the Abeka curriculum.
It was then that the family started worrying about the daughter’s tertiary education. They were not financially able to send their daughter for further studies in the States. To save up for the local tertiary fees of all three children, Liz started her own full time business, whilst her husband continued as a pastor in their church. Although Liz's daughter did not learn the Chinese language or have the ‘A’ levels certification, she applied to National Technological University (NTU) with her high school results, together with her excellent SAT 1 and 2 scores.
She obtained an interview from the University but the queries about her lack of Chinese and classroom experience surprised and upset her so much, that she could not remember how she answered the panel. But she impressed them sufficiently to be accepted to read Mass Communications! Currently, she is enjoying the Hall activities and the interaction with fellow undergraduates, and in her first semester, achieved A and B grades. Liz highly recommends homeschooling. She believes that parents should not hot-house their children, but enjoy their growing-up years, celebrate their strengths, accept their different characters and be their friend. She is convinced that the Abeka curriculum encourages independence and depth, thoughts and personalities of its homeschoolers.