In my community, children are homeschooled. In the morning, we do not wake up and walk to school, but stay in our bedrooms. Our desks, where we write, draw, and read, are also where we sit most of the day. With the computer under my hands, I type furiously from morning until afternoon, finishing papers and writing essays. From the 18th floor, I watch students in yellow uniforms walk to school and wonder about public school life, full of students and classmates, tests and homework, hours of studying and after-school sessions.

We are homeschooled because of our religion. Our curriculum is filled to the brim with Christian morals and ethics. We do not merely learn for the sake of getting into a better college or attaining a more prestigious job, but rather to learn more about the world God has created for us. From morning to night, every aspect of each class is not accomplished by checklists, but rather by an intense discussion and mindset of wanting to learn more and enrich our lives.

We are homeschooled because we believe in the classical method. Public schools, especially in Asian countries, have always been test-based. With each score you receive on the test, you are paired with high-achieving students and tested into more prestigious schools. However, this system, although it may benefit select students, is toxic and destroys the love of learning that homeschoolers yearn to achieve. Through the classical method, students are not learning to get full points on the test, but rather because they love to learn. Students are not taught material, but research and learn for themselves out of curiosity and interest.

We are homeschooled because we believe in personal learning. Oftentimes, a teacher is paired with 30 or more students to teach and is unlikely to help the minority who fall behind. It will also be difficult to accommodate those who burn through the material and rush ahead. Through homeschooling, it is easy to help those who cannot understand concepts and aid those who learn faster. Personalized learning will help students catch up, as well as boost them toward a more healthy learning method and teach them how to love the world we’re given.

Learning should not be about gaining money or power. It should not be merely attempting to get full points on a test. The purpose of learning is to get to know more about the world around us. The love and knowledge we receive on this journey of learning are crucial in living a life of happiness and joy.