Philippino-Luxembourg family Tamesis-Reichlings have been homeschooling their children for the past three years. To ensure other children don’t miss out on valuable learning time, father-of-four Reggie and his wife, Joelle, have been taking parents through the steps of homeschooling. In a post, they urged parents to discuss their expectations about homeschooling with their children.

“Just as Education Minister Claude Meisch did with his children, emphasize this will not be a vacation. Nonetheless, the environment for schooling at home can be relaxed and enjoyable. Perhaps you will discover a quality or ability in your child which you’d not seen before,” the couple wrote.

They urge parents to draw up a schedule for their child and, in addition to following government education programmes, he says they should feel free to add other items, like helping with cooking, laundry, cleaning and taking personal time.

“These are life skills. We have discovered the value of bridging the textbook to real-life situation in this way. For example, while cooking children can apply math through measurements. Young children can learn physical coordination. Older children can read the recipe,” he writes.

While many schools, including ISL and St George’s International School, have established platforms with educational material for learners to continue their education at home, parents still have questions.

During the weekend Reggie and Joelle responded to a number of queries from parents, many of them asking about the legal framework of homeschooling but there were also questions about motivating children and monitoring their progress.

Homeschooling is permitted in Luxembourg under certain conditions. In 2013, parents practising home schooling in Luxembourg established the Luxembourg Association for the Freedom of Instruction, or Alli for short. This not-for-profit aims to educate parents about homeschooling and alternative education, provide an exchange among homeschooling families and defend the right to educational choice.

The site, which is available in English, French and German, has a handy FAQ section and includes a number of useful resources for parents trialling homeschooling.

Anyone interested in finding out more should visit www.alliasbl.lu or they can join the Homeschooling in Luxembourg Facebook group and can even contact the Joelle and Reggie directly via Facebook.