And, here we go...

Respected Teacher,

Welcome to Kymaia's world. And her team.

From Monday, 28th of June, 2021, we start on an unforgettable journey into the unexplored.

The decision to homeschool our child has been one of the biggest, riskiest decisions we have taken in our lives.

We have chosen each other after much thought and deliberation. We do not know the reason you chose us, but we (and that includes Kymaia) chose you because we feel confident that under your tutelage, Kymaia will achieve her true potential.

This letter is to welcome you to Team Kymaia. You are now a stakeholder in Kymaia’s future growth, aspirations, and hopefully, achievements. Our only hope is for her to find her calling, pursue it with passion, and discover happiness. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Now, to the more mundane things. Here are ten issues we’d like to be clear about while educating Kymaia:

1. We would like you to teach your subject to her with an objective of learning, and not just passing exams. Of course, we’d like you to test how much she has learnt and measure the progress from time to time, not just for you to report back to us (which we’d very much want), but also to see how much she has grasped from your lessons so you could adjust your pace or depth, depending on what you see. But do focus on learning and not on acing examinations.

2. We would like you to encourage her to question everything and be curious about the subject you teach. Please do your best to answer her questions, and when you are not sure of the answer or do not know, please simply say, ‘I don’t know, but let’s find out,’ instead of feeding her some fantastical but convenient untruth. As adults, we are compelled to think that we must have answers to everything, and that if we do not know the exact answer, some approximation and some speculation, some injection of supernatural and some guesswork, is good enough for the child. We implore you not to fall for it. Kymaia is used to hearing, ‘I have no clue, but I think I know where we can find the answer.’ Feel free to use this phrase. And of course, remember that she has a memory of an elephant and will remind you that you had promised to explore the answer with her online or in books or whatever. So, do keep some time for that activity.

3. We would like you to promise her only what you can deliver, and if you cannot, be honest about it. Kymaia has been brought up with a firm belief that a promise, once made, is unbreakable, regardless of circumstance. So, be mindful of what you promise. Also, feel free to hold her to this ideal too. If she promises you something, remind her that a promise is a promise and no excuse will be acceptable for breaking it. If she does it, do make it into a big deal. This is a necessary preparation for her entry into adulthood later in life.

4. We have taught her that age is not an automatic qualification for knowledge or wisdom. So, at points, she may ask you something that may seem rude. But please be patient. Also, please encourage her to trust only what appeals to her intellect and reason, and not just because an adult is telling her something. As parents, we too fail in this (when we assert our authority) from time to time. So, do not worry. As long as you know this, you (and she) will be fine.

5. We have a No-Forced-Homework rule. This means that you may assign her things to practice, write, read, research, and/or do after her class hour, but we cannot enforce it. She will do it of her own volition, or may not. It is up to you to incentivise and monitor this. Try and get the maximum you can from her during your class hour.

6. Life has no fixed syllabus. And we are preparing Kymaia for a life. So, feel free to drift away once in a while from a fixed syllabus and do what you think she, and you, are enjoying. If your specific subject requires practice, it is up to you to motivate her to do so. We cannot force her to do any homework absolutely. See above point!

7. We cannot teach you how to teach. We have neither the requisite qualifications and skills, nor a right to do so. You are the authority on your art and skill, and we are not the right people to critique or supervise it. So, your style of teaching will be unfettered. We will not interfere. As long as she is learning something and is doing so joyfully, we are happy. The only time we may discuss your teaching with you is if we see her losing interest. Or not learning. Or not joyfully doing so.

8. We would like you to keep away from bringing up religion, superstition, caste, genderisation, or othering of any one race, community, language, or culture. Ideally, use non-gendered pronouns, and if you must, do please use the feminine as far as possible. Also, please avoid using words that pertain to looks, hair, shapes of noses, colour of eyes, clothes, shoes, etc., about anyone, not just her, unless it is an objective description pertaining to her understanding some specific matter. While complimenting her on her hair or choice of clothes or shoes once in a while is not the issue, we would like to keep away from classifying people based on how they look or what they wear.

9. Please be on time and expect her to be so too. Ditto turnout. While it is still possible to teach and learn, both in pajamas sitting on a bed, we’d prefer that she is properly dressed, with her hair done, in a well-lit, and ideally, silent room, logged in, and waiting for her class to begin 2 minutes before it does. Please point out to her if she is tardy or disorganised about any of these. Homeschooling does not mean that she takes it easy on matters such as punctuality and turnout. We expect her to respect your time and effort, and you hers.

10. Have fun. And see that she is having fun too. There is no learning without joy. And without joy, literally everything is pointless to humans.

Do feel free to talk to us about absolutely anything connected with Kymaia, even if it is not regarding your specific subject. We are here to help each other get Kymaia an education, and anything that comes between that and her needs to be spotted in time, analysed, and sorted out before it becomes a problem too large to resolve.

We are sure you too have your set of rules and dos and don’ts for her and for us. We welcome them, and as long as they do not violate any of the above ten points, we would like to help you and Kymaia adhere to them.

Once again, welcome to the Team. Let us make this work.

With the fondest regards and the best of wishes,

Natasha & Kedar

#LearningWithKymaia