Hey, Who’s the Homeschooler?

By Corinne Fraley

Some might say Dalat has invaders in its midst…. Others would just call them home schoolers. It may be hard to believe, but Dalat actually hosts a community of homeschoolers right on its own campus as part of DLRC (Dalat’s Learning Resource Center). They are the unique “inbetweeners” that both are a part of Dalat’s vast community yet not quite fully immersed. That does not stop them from joining and planting themselves as part of the community.

Homeschool kids seems to have a whole world of their own when it comes to schooling. While some of these homeschoolers have siblings at Dalat or some are waiting to return to Dalat the next semester, others are purely rogue, only showing up for social interaction. For some, homeschooling works as a better suited alternative to brick-and-mortar schools. While most Dalat students experience the normal 7 hour grind, homeschoolers participate in a very different routine involving co-horts (meetings with other homeschool students), work and special outings all over Penang as their schedules are particularly flexible when working at home.

When asked about her favorite part of homeschooling Addie (Grade 5 Homeschooler) responded, “It’s really fun because we get to do stuff with groups and get to go places and get to sleep in and finish school early. And my mom and me, we go to coffee shops sometimes and get coffee and sometimes do school.”

Coffee shops are not the only special places some homeschoolers get to go to. For a small fee, Dalat allows homeschoolers to participate in school life including auditing classes and engaging in school extracurricular activities. Students, like Caleb Fraley (Grade 9 Homeschooler), get to be involved in the drama program and act in productions like the school’s upcoming “Robin Hood” while others can participate in sports or afterschool x-blocks.

Unfortunately, since they are not fully students at Dalat, they cannot go to school sponsored events like JSB or CB and are the first to be cut from sports rosters no matter their skill level. Though they don’t get to attend some of these events, they create their own, like the recent Luther movie night celebration. Dalat’s teachers and parents have stepped up in many big and small ways to involve these students to the best of their abilities. Many of Dalat’s teachers have even offered and expressed interest in helping invest in these homeschoolers to encouraging them to grow and learn in new ways.

So, perhaps instead of being “invaders,” these students are just another incredible part of Dalat’s diverse community, adding to the rich culture and bringing a different perspective to everyday life.