Meet Esther Chua, founder of TLS Academy. She has been homeschooling for 10 years.
When she started out, there were not many homeschoolers around. Locals were mostly hostile to the idea of homeschooling. Another difficulty she faced was finding support groups. She found strength in her Christian faith and did not give up. She chose to focus on homeschooling for the sake of her boys.
Her efforts to homeschool her children led her to start a homeschool group using ACE that has turned into a full fledged private school, TLS Academy. The purpose of TLS Academy is to benefit those parents who are afraid to embark into uncharted waters but desire to try out a curriculum suited for her kids.
She advises young homeschoolers, “The reason to homeschool is important. You must believe and want it for your child. Like it or not, we are in Singapore and education is very important. Homeschooling allows parents to decide how their children learn and to achieve the desired results from the student’s learning journey. You must own the conviction that homeschooling is the best for your child and pursue it.”
Today, Esther’s two sons, who have completed homeschooling, have found their own paths. Abel, 26, runs his own company dealing with artificial intelligence. Amos, 21, is finishing NS. He is waiting to get into university to do neuroscience. (Amos is Singapore’s first Brazilian Jiu-jitsu champion.) She says of her boys, “They have exceeded my expectations.”