HomeSchooling, just curious Options

[cassarilda]

Im curious..

Somehow yesterday me, hubby, his brother and his wife got onto the subject of home schooling children. I think it came about because I know a girl at ice skating who is home schooled to allow her to train as often as she needs to, in order to become a good ice skater, and I believe her sister, who is a gymnast is the same.. not sure about her other 4 siblings ( )

Ive tried looking it up but cant find many helpful resources, and there MUST be something on the internet. Something that gives guidelines on what is taught when etc.. and I know the advantage of homeschooling is that you can teach the kids things when they want to, or are capable of learning them, but just a guide?

So I thought id ask you all...


We are considering it (and have many years to consider it even more), since Im good at the arty and english side of things, hubby is good at maths etc, and we have relatives who could help with other things, not to mention tutors etc and it would be especially good if our children are training in sports, music etc. But I wouldnt get too many options to do my own business unless its a day or two when hubby takes over... Anyway, any experiences or thoughts or links would be appreciated

[MrsJo]

Can't help you much there! I think it is a great idea for some children though, but is not the right choice for a lot of children. All I know on the subject is that I personally would be useless at that! I also wouldn't choose that for my child personally, because having seen how much Isaac loves school and how it fits with who he is, the social side of it and everything else, he would probably become quite unhappy if he didn't have that. But I would reassess that choice if it become necessary to do so.

It is one of the many things you just have to judge for yourself with your own children, and see if it is situation where they would be happier and more productive in that environment, than in a school.

Good for your for investigating this early on, so by the time you have your own children you will be well informed, should they turn out to be children that would thrive better for some reason in the home-schooling situation.

[katy_bride]

I don't have kids (yet!) but am definetely going to home school my kids til they are at least 10 or 11. I didn't realise there was such a lack of information, but I am definetly going to do it. Its probably difficult to find info because the government doesn't want to encourage it. I'd ring up the Department of Education in your state, because each state is different in regards to the syllabus that is taught. Please let us know what you find out and good luck!

[allure]

One thing to consider is that kids learn much more at school than just the subjects they are taught. The interaction and contact with other kids is really important for their development as is team sport participation etc.

[MrsO]

I looked into homeschooling my eldest daughter before she started school. There are not a lot of resources in Australia, as it isn't a very popular option. In the US, there are homeschooling support groups so that children are able to interact with other children who are homeschooled, and there are hundreds (thousands even) of resources online which align with the American school curriculum. I also have a teaching background and know that many schools are lacking in areas of curriculum, however I am glad I sent my daughter to a good school. I don't discourage homeschooling - I think it's a wonderful idea, it's just a shame that there isn't a lot of mainstream support for it in Australia.

[Amelia Jane]

I was homeschooled for 18 months. We followed a set program, we worked through work book type things and just went at our own pace. I think the program was called Australian Christian Education, it was ACE anyway, I can't remember what it stands for now.

All I can say is please, please make sure you are doing it for your child, not for yourself. It was absolute hell on earth for my family, my father made the decision on behalf of everyone and didn't ask any of us what we thought, I never wanted to do it and developed severe depression when I was 14. I believe it was a direct result of being basically locked at home and never seeing anyone except my family.

I don't have kids (yet!) but am definetely going to home school my kids til they are at least 10 or 11. I didn't realise there was such a lack of information, but I am definetly going to do it.

Statements like this really bother me. I think the most crucial part of a child's learning takes place in the first few years, please think long and hard before making a choice about this. Please see what sort of people your children are before making a decision.

It was also really tough for my parents to organise Centrelink stuff, according to them we weren't enrolled in an educational institution, and for example my older brother wasn't eligible for a transport concession card because they wouldn't except ACE's stamp as a school stamp.

Keep in mind this was all nearly 10 years ago now so things may have changed.

Based on what I know I would never do this to my kids unless they really really wanted to or if we had run out of options, but I know that lots of people make a successful go of it.

[cassarilda]

Dont worry hun, we will be looking into it a lot more before we consider it, and since we arent having kids for at least another 4 years, it will be about 10years until they get into it

And like I said, it would be fit in around sports etc to allow interaction.. there is actually two groups of home schooled kids who come to ice skating every fortnight for something else.. they also do archery etc. and there are about 6 or 7 in each group?

We wont know if its right for us until that stage, so we shall see.. thanks for your perspective

[girlbelt]

And like I said, it would be fit in around sports etc to allow interaction.. there is actually two groups of home schooled kids who come to ice skating every fortnight for something else.. they also do archery etc. and there are about 6 or 7 in each group?

If done properly, homeschooling can be an excellent method of educating children. You do need to provide plenty of social interaction - I think that Piperdee's example above of being "locked at home and never seeing anyone except my family" is a pretty extreme exception rather than the rule for those homeschooling.

I was homeschooled for over four years at two different stages of my education. I still played netball in local school teams and in club teams, went to weekly organised activities with other homeschooled children, made friends through ballet lessons, still had friends from my previous school over for sleepovers etc. Plus I have three siblings, so I wasn't homeschooled on my own. It isn't the same as the social interaction you get when a child is in a traditional schooling system, but it can be perfectly adequate if the parents ensure that the social side of the child's education is not forgotten.

And academically it was fantastic. If the parents are really dedicated to making it work, it can work really well.

Tali

[indigo]

I'd also have to agree with some of the other comments - school has a hidden curriculum that is taught, not just what is deliberately taught / facilitated by teachers. There's learning about society's rules, socialisation skills, peer learning and cooperation / initiative / tolerance things to think of.

I don't think that just because you are good at a subject means that you are automatically going to be able to pass on that skill - some of the best teachers I saw weren't geniuses in the subject and then other teachers that knew a lot just didn't have the right teacher skills to pass it on. I think that's the least of your worries. With all due respect, teachers spend 4 years mastering their skills and learning how best to teach and despite what the state of the education system may be in some areas, I would definately say that education is best delivered as a team effort between parents, teachers, coaches eg. team sports and the pupil. If you cut off avenues of learning then a broad education is hard to receive. JMO as a teacher - I understand the points of view and respect them, however I would personally never entertain the thought with my own children and I'm trained to know what to do. I would worry that their education is too narrow and that they are missing out on valuable life experiences that are happening away from me and that I could never hope to give. Another issue is that at times, the child may want to confide in people other than family...

[STU]

Just curious - apart from benefits if you are a dedicated athlete and can't spare the time - what are the benefits of home schooling?

[tianakaesha]

We have seriously considered homeschooling Tara - and there are a fair few options around if you want to look into it.

Homeschooling, if done in conjunction with other homeschoolers, can really tailor a curriculum to your child. It is about helping them foster a love for learning.

Instead of sitting in a class with 30 little people the same age, homeschooled kids often interact with other homeschoolers of different ages. The older help the younger, confidence is fostered, lots can be gained from it.

I do not like a lot of traditional teaching methods, and I believe it sets a lot of kids up to fail. To be honest, the Sydney schools scare me, and seeing the kids around me and how the system is failing them makes me want to homeschool tara more. Lucky for me I have a great network who we all work together.

I have looked at other options such as schools that work on a homeschoolers style and that is what we are leaning towards. That or a community school - but both options tend to be too expensive.

I think we will probably send Tara to school, but would not hesitate to homeschool if it did not work for her.

[KennaSan]

I don't have any information on home schooling but my sister-inlaw home schools her children - and she's got 8 of them . Obviously not all of them are at school level but I know that they do a lot of activtiies with other home schooling groups.

[Anita]

I think people who don't know about something shouldn't comment on it.

Erinna - I will talk to you about this privately.

[SamIam]

I know a number of families who've chosen home-schooling for their children. While it's not a choice i'd make, they have a great network which facilitates activities that the children participate in together regularly.

I know that the reasons these families have chosen home-shcooling over 'tradional' schooling was well considered and thought-out. I'm sure that it's not for everyone.......

Good luck with your research.

[Daybreak]

I think if you're really dedicated to both the teaching and the socialising aspects, it can be a great option for some kids. I think there are parents out there who do it for the wrong reasons or without proper consideration, and this obviously is bad.
I did know a girl at high school who had been homeschool for a couple of years and she had really bad social skills, but knowing her, and her family, I doubt she'd have been much better if she'd been sent to school.