Afterschool

Homeschooling in Portugal has been growing in recent years, especially since the challenges, losses, and frustrations left by the pandemic. Although many turned to homeschooling during a time when they experienced the pain, anxiety, stress, and pressure of "school at home" during those dark times, the truth is that many felt completely exhausted and, I would even say, defeated.

There are several reasons why some families, whether they want to or not, are unable to 'free' their children from the education system we have in Portugal. Some suffer in silence with the anguish of never having been able to continue their own education in order to now have a piece of paper that the government will approve for their decision regarding their children's education. Others simply do not have the financial means to pay for an umbrella school, nor do they have anyone to leave their children with, whether they are single parents or both working to ensure the essentials are met.

 The truth is that amidst all the talk about homeschooling and individualized education, these families are left behind. Those who live more isolated, those who don't even have access to a nearby library, means of socialization, friends, or family. There are many families who could, would like to, or even dream of homeschooling, but simply cannot. Others may not even dream of it, and many may rebel and even try individualized education, only to quickly regret it or feel defeated by the numerous challenges many face in the first year at home. (Don't give up! OYE give them everything they need to succeed!

It’s not perfect, nor does it completely eliminate the problems that exist in traditional schools. But it offers a point of light, a spark of hope that may be exactly what many need without even knowing it exists. However, once this path is chosen, it does not mean that doubts and difficulties will be nonexistent. In the beginning, you may face questions that are very similar to those of anyone just starting homeschooling.

Especially today, when information bombards us from all directions... Many questions arise, almost always without a concrete answer.

• Where to start?
• How to start?
• What is the best way to enrich my children's learning and childhood?
• How can I help them when I’m not sure myself how they can pursue their interests?
• Or how can I help develop important skills like critical thinking and oral expression? And what if I’m asking too much?
• And what if I miss the window of opportunity for effective learning?

In response to questions like these, we decided to write this article to guide parents who are determined to take the lead in their children's education but feel overwhelmed and lost. Our goal is to help each family discover their unique profile, identify the intellectual and character skills their children need or wish to develop, and focus on these aspects. 

It’s not perfect, nor does it completely eliminate the problems that exist in traditional schools. But it offers a point of light, a spark of hope that may be exactly what many need without even knowing it exists. However, once this path is chosen, it does not mean that doubts and difficulties will be nonexistent. In the beginning, you may face questions that are very similar to those of anyone just starting homeschooling.

The term "after-school," of English origin, literally means "after school." It began to be used more specifically in the late 1880s when some American organizations started creating academic reinforcement programs and extracurricular activities to complement what schools could not offer during regular hours or to address specific academic challenges faced by children.

In fact, these programs had already been initiated even before the term "afterschool" became common—particularly by individuals and churches in various countries who aimed to help at-risk children or those transitioning from child labor to formal education.

Over time, these programs became more organized, focusing on complementing traditional education. In other words, they addressed subjects and aspects that schools could not cover during regular hours.

To better understand this aspect, it is necessary to begin by understanding the difference between three types of education: FORMAL EDUCATION, INFORMAL EDUCATION, and NON-FORMAL EDUCATION.

These terms emerged in the 1960s in the Anglo-Saxon context, when the school system collapsed to such an extent that non-governmental organizations began looking for solutions to improve or somehow assist education. Although there are different views on the specific meaning of each type of education, in general, they are organized as follows:

INFORMAL:It occurs whenever someone learns something spontaneously. When you teach your child how to count change at the bakery, when you teach about honesty in a conversation, or when someone discovers what a birch tree is by reading a book.

NON-FORMAL:It refers to any teaching initiative that has organized learning objectives, sequence, and method, but is not part of the formal education curriculum. It includes activities such as catechism classes at a church or extracurricular courses.

FORMAL: This type of education has a defined structure regarding the basic knowledge and skills a person needs. It is organized in cycles or stages and includes assessments to verify learning. Essentially, it is regular education – the process that goes from primary school to university.

Thus, to begin planning your after-school project, I have organized some training topics, aligning them with these levels, to help you think: at which of these levels can I work today?

If you are just now becoming more actively involved in your children's educational life, perhaps the first step is to work at the most basic level – informal education. Even in this area, you can work intentionally on fundamental aspects of children's education, considering what they need at each stage in terms of health and development, identity and emotions, faith and devotion.

For example, a child from 0 to 3 years old is learning to walk, talk, and understand the world around them. A child from 4 to 5 years old needs to learn specific hygiene habits. A child from 6 to 10 years old needs to be taught how to manage emotions, and so on. If you feel more confident and are already working on the foundations of informal education, you can start focusing on aspects of non-formal education. Here, your focus shifts to developing necessary skills that may not be covered in school: language development, cognitive skills, general knowledge, character education, virtues, and physical-motor skills.

For example, a 4 or 5 years old child is in the phase of phonemic awareness or pre-literacy skills;; a child/teenager of 11 to 14 years old needs to consolidate their fluency in reading, planning skills, and reasoning abilities, while, from 15 to 17 years old, it becomes important to refine logical reasoning and problem-solving skills.

Once parents have a good grasp of these first two levels, they can begin working on the third level, which involves the academic subjects of formal education itself. Here, it does not necessarily mean taking on the responsibility of teaching (or hiring specific teachers), but rather having an understanding of the content and skills children need at each educational level, to better understand the work that the school is doing. 

Formal education involves teaching subjects such as Language Arts (Phonetics, Grammar, Syntax), Mathematics (Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, etc.), Natural Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, etc.), Geography (Physical and Human Geography), History, Arts, Foreign Languages, and Physical Education. Naturally, once parents have worked on the aspects of the previous levels and there is a solid understanding of academic subjects, some may consider creating an official educational plan to officially take charge of formal education – in the form of what we call homeschooling.