Image credits: Suryanarayanan Ramamurthy

"Teach your own," said John Holt, and that's exactly what these parents did. Many wrongly think that homeschooling is not for families and kids who want to follow alternative careers—that it closes trails to the more conventional paths to 'success' we are more familiar with. Not true, and here is a great example. This lovely story was first published on LinkedIn by Suryanarayanan Ramamurthy, a proud (and enlightened!) parent. We are sharing his original post here with his permission.

My wife, Aparna Balasubramanian and I both studied in traditional schools. While we greatly respect schools, it didn’t feel like the right path for our kids. 

We were looking for something more personal—a way to guide our children toward becoming confident, well-rounded individuals, free from the limits and pressures that can come with a conventional classroom.

Schools are wonderful for many children, but they can sometimes feel like assembly lines, nudging everyone into pre-set molds. With 40 or 50 kids in a classroom, it’s hard for any teacher, no matter how incredible, to reach each child’s unique pace and passions. And once we recognized this, a seed was planted—a small idea that grew into our decision to homeschool.

It was a big leap for us, and we felt both excited and a bit nervous.

We saw homeschooling as intentional parenting, following every parent's instinct—to give their children the best environment to grow. 

It doesn’t require endless patience or superpowers, just the commitment to create a space where kids can learn, explore, and thrive in their own ways.

Now, years later, we’re incredibly grateful for the journey. 

Our elder son, ashruth suryanarayanan, is studying Neuroscience at Arizona State University and pursuing a bachelor’s in Data Science from IIT Madras, while our younger son, Amruth Srivatsan Suryanarayanan, is studying Computer Science at BITS Pilani.

Alongside their studies, they’ve also embraced paths as yoga practitioners and as curious researchers of Eastern wisdom, following their interests and cultivating inner growth as part of their learning journey. 

Homeschooling has allowed them the freedom to delve into their passions deeply without the rigid schedule of a traditional school day.

In a world that’s always racing toward the next achievement, maybe it’s worth asking: what do we really hope our kids gain from their education? And how can we create a nurturing path that honors who they are?

I don’t think we need to add anything else here!

You can also read the original post here. Parents: Please let us know if you have any questions and we’ll try and get back to you with answers from Aparna and Suryanarayanan. We hope to have Ashruth and Amruth share their experiences as well!