I have been homeschooling our 2 youngest children since the beginning of 2007. This year has flown quickly by and we have all had such fun, and learnt so much. My 11yr old daughter said recently that she thinks she has learnt more this year, than in all the time she spent at school!
It was a combination of factors that led to our decision to homeschool, the main one being my desire for a different lifestyle. One where my family was my priority in deed and not only in word. Whilst I would not have hesitated to say that my family life came first, in actual fact, I was far too busy with various volunteer work and other committments outside of my family, and home life often took second place. Of course I looked after them, but so far as just spending time just relaxing, talking and listening to them, well, unfortunately I was far too busy. A series of incidents and being stressed because there never seemed to be enough time to do everything, took a toll on my health and emotional state, and at the beginning of 2006 I started to seriously consider all aspects of my life with a view to change and re-ordering.
Back then I knew very little about homeschooling, and have to confess that I thought it was for the hippy, or alternate type people. I did know a lady from my church who homeschooled her children (who are absolutely beautiful - bright shining, confident, knowledgeable and friendly) but in all truth I had never considered it as being something that I could, or would do. I believe that during my time of soul searching about the busyness of my life, God first floated the idea of homeschooling into my mind; I remember immediately thinking, “I could do that”. The following months I researched and read a huge amount of information relating to homeschooling. Thank God for the Internet where I found a wealth of information, anecdotes, statistics and help. Even the Board of Studies NSW website had a homeschooling subsection which was quite useful.
The more I learnt about it, the more excited I became….and the more I felt it was the best thing for our family. I talked to my husband about it and at first he was not supportive. I asked him to read the info I had collated, and a few books before we talked about it some more. I really had peace from God in my heart that it was part of His plan for our life, so I was not at all concerned by my husband’s stance. I was confident he only needed to know more about this way of living, so I just prayed for God’s wisdom to be revealed, and for God to lead my husband as He had me – if it was indeed part of His plan. It was important to me that we be likeminded and united on this issue, as I think that is how marriage and parenting must be in the big issues. Less than 2 weeks later my husband was ready to talk about it….he was absolutely backing me and even more excited about the prospect of homeschooling than I was…if that is possible! Praise God!!
I had already been able to cut back on some of my commitments, so I spent the entire Winter of 2006 formulating plans and a programme for our children’s learning. I was still learning about the different styles of homeschooling and reading how it all works in other families, and it just seemed that the opportunites and advantages abounded. I know many school teachers who are wonderful people and very committed to their job and honestly care about their students. I was friends with some of them ….but I think the public school system that we were a part of is grossly underfunded, has an over-crowded curriculum which often has to major on issues which should be learnt at home (and often aren’t), and is unable to cope with the increasing range of social issues brought about by society’s drug, alcohol, and family breakdown problems, and the impact these circumstances have on children. The system in place is failing.
Contrast that with the many, many advantages of homeschooling. For example, children receive one on one instruction (therefore actual lesson time is greatly reduced and concentrated – leaving plenty of time for children to do what they do best…play and discover) ; individual learning styles can be better addressed; the pace of learning is set by the child – if they understand something and master it, they move up a level …if they struggle with the concepts we stay on it until they ‘get it’. This means that no child …even a slow learner, will ever fail; research consistently demonstrates that parental involvement in their childrens learning results in success; also, the children take an active part in learning and can explore areas that particularly interest them; if the child gets sick they don’t need to worry about being left behind – we pick up exactly where they left off. So far I have not mentioned the wonderful opportunity I have to spend more time with my children and share so much more with them; or how much the family unit is strengthened; or how much safer they are; or how much their confidence increases because they are not subject to negative peer pressure. They are not exposed every day to bad habits like smoking, swearing and bullying. Another advantage is that we can take holidays that schedule in better with my husband’s work – indeed, we can take holidays outside of peak seasons and save a lot of money!
I am aiming to teach my children HOW to learn, and as time continues, a greater emphasis will be placed on study skills and working independently. I want them to learn how to learn, to be lifelong learners.
The #1 thing I am confronted with most often about homeschooling is the socialisation issue. Honestly, this is such a big furphy! Anybody who homeschools would attest to this! It is somehow assumed that children can only be ‘socialised’ in a school setting and with children only of their own age group. We don’t closet our children away from the world, and we absolutely desire that they be responsible, functioning, relational members of society. They are involved in groups outside the home and have good friends at Church, Karate, and Soccer who we also see outside of the times we are actually doing these activities. We belong to a homeschool group and go Ice Skating fortnightly with about 40 other children. The homeschool group goes on excursions together, and has park days together. In fact, some days I think we are far too busy meeting up with friends and ‘socialising’. Our friends come from different ethnic backgrounds, ages and interests. I like to model good behaviour when we are out and about, and give my children opportunity to answer questions (like, ‘why aren’t you at school?’) ; to ask their own questions, and talk in a general way with members of our local community – for example, the Librarian, who we are becoming quite friendly with! My children have plenty of time to socialise, it is just in a different environment … more like the real world
We are meeting more and more homeschooled children, and I have to echo what former Dept of Education researcher Patricia M. Lines said, “Children educated at home are some of the friendliest, most articulate and socially comfortable people I’ve met. They look you in the eye. They speak in complete sentences, eschewing verbal crutches such as “you know” and “she goes”. They aren’t robots, but neither are they freaks. They are, I suspect, the way most parents would like their child to be: smart, kind, courteous, respectful and seeking to live a moral life”.
The homeschooling children we know are confident, friendly, mature and willing to talk and interact with people of all ages. They are curious about the world around them. I watch as they mingle with one another and lookout for, and include younger children (including their siblings) in a lot of their games. They like to include everyone together, and if someone looks lonely they go off and talk to them and see if they are alright. They care about other people and don’t seem to stay in set cliques or groups. I find that very refreshing.
The second most common question I am usually always asked is, “Are you a teacher?” (as in, do you have a teaching degree) No, I am not a trained teacher, but I don’t believe that to be a hindrance either. I am a learner too. My enthusiasm and commitment means that if I don’t understand or know anything about what the children need to know, I will find out. Home education is totally different from school where crowd control is a big factor. I do believe our way of one on one tutoring, especially in the basics of Maths and English, is far more effective than what even a competent, certified teacher can do in a classroom of 30 children. To quote Craig Smith, in his article, “How can parents armed with only love for their child and good intentions provide an education anywhere near as good as a professional with a teaching degree?”
…there is the almost unrecognized fact that classroom logistics can make even the best teacher’s efforts an exercise in futility: overcrowded classrooms, lack of discipline, unsupportive administration, inability to give needed individual attention, time restraints which force them to move on to new material before the previous material is comprehended. Teacher certification does not ensure a quality education.”
The next thing I am usually asked by those who know very little about homeschooling is, “What if your kids want to go to University?” It is another false assumption that children can only enter Uni if they graduate Year 12 with their HSC. In fact, entry to tertiary study can be accessed through many avenues, including TAFE, OTEN, and Open Universities Australia. Direct application is another option, via the presentation of a portfolio of work at an interview with the relevant faculty. Homeschooling is no barrier to further study or university entry for our children if they so desire.
Another common response when people find out that we are homeschoolers, is for them to ask me, “how can you stand being around your children all the time?” Well, excuse me if I enjoy being with my children and having them around…I love them! They also know how important they are to us, and how much we love them – unconditionally. Our family has a special bond which is being strengthened all the time. I am not saying that people who send their kids to school don’t love them, not at all. I am saying that I see our children as being gifts from God . We are responsible for their upbringing, training and education. We are simply doing what we believe is right for us…and finding it to be the most wonderful thing!
Finally, I am sometimes accused of over-protecting my children. I try to explain that children should be protected from a lot of what goes on in the world, and not left for long periods of time to fend for themselves and learn anti-social behaviour .. but let me quote Barbara A. Bliss in ‘Home Educating: A Look at Current Practices’ Research project, Michigan State University:-
“Protection during early, developmental years for purposes of nurturing and growth is evident in many arenas: plant, animal and aquatic. Why should it be considered wrong or bad in the most vital arena, human development?”
To sum up, we absolutely love the homeschooling way of life. I know not everyone can do it, and I am not saying everyone should…but I honestly believe it is the ideal way to live and raise children. I thank God for the privilege and opportunity we have to homeschool. I want so much for my children. For them to love, and be loved. For them to know God, and His plan for their lives. For them to pursue excellence in all they do. To maintain high standards of morality. To be thinkers. To ask questions and to find answers. To seek wisdom and make wise choices throughout their lives. To be able to express themselves and be creative. To have a strong sense of who they really are. I think homeschooling allows us the time and the freedom to major on not only the academics, but the character of our children. This is beneficial for them, and society.
