SCHOOLING CHILDREN AT HOME

Gaia Grant

Jo's little boy, Mitch, has just started school this year. But while most new school students have been donning their crisp new uniforms and marching their way to the carefully prepared environment of the formal school classroom, Wes has been staying at home with mum. Jo has made the choice to trial home schooling her children, an increasingly popular alternative for parents who may be disenchanted with the regular school system or who may want to be more involved with the education of their children.

What is homeschooling?

It's difficult to get a grasp of what home schooling actually is, because the whole concept is so individual and fluid. Basically, home schooling involves supervising your child's education in the context of your own home, rather than sending your children to a formal school environment. There is no homeschooling association, with strict rules and guidelines as to what should be taught and how it should be taught, because home schooling implies that parents and their chidlren are free to make their own choices. Also, people who are choosing to educate their children at home do so for a number of different reasons, so each homeschooling experience is very individual and independent. There are, however, home school support networks, and homeschoolers living in the same region will often meet together on a regular basis, perhaps once or twice a month, to share ideas and discuss experiences.

On average, formal homeschooling instruction usually begins when a child is 5 1/2 years old, involves the education of nearly equal numbers of boys and girls, and 70% of homeschoolers are aged 9 to 12 years old. Children are usually "schooled" for three to four hours a day, often spending more time on individual learning programs. A great variety of reasons are given for home schooling. These may include concerns about the child's cognitive development, such as the desire to individualise learning, to accomplish more academically, or to give greater assistance to the child with learning difficulties. Concerns about the child's affective development are also common, such as the opportunity to increase parent-child contact, to avoid peer problems, to enhance personal development, to teach selected philosophical or religious values. Beyond these generalisations, there is very little that you can tie down and latch on to home schooling.

Is it legal?

In Australia it is compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 15 years to attend a Government School or a registered Non-Government School, but special applications can be made by parents wishing to home school their children. Homeschooling is legal in all states and territories in Australia, although often the state education department has specific requirements and regulations which must be met.

In NSW, for example, home schoolers need to be registered with the Office of the Board of Studies. The Minister of Education's decision to grant registration is based on recommendations by an "authorised person", such as a Board Inspector. The sorts of areas that are assessed and taken into consideration include: the appropriateness of the programs which will be used, the care taken with records of learning activities and student achievement and progress in the key learning areas, the suitablility of educational facilities and equipment and the learning environment, and the commitment of the supervisor to the whole process. There is no accreditation for home schooled children, however, so in NSW they would not be eligible for a School Certificate or Higher School Certificate.

Australia was one of the first countries in the world to introduce compulsory school attendance, but homeschooling as an alternative only became an option in Australia in the 1970s. The influence of the philosophies of John Holt and Ivan Illich led to the introduction of homeschooling in Australia at that time. Soon after some Victorians founded the Alternative Education Resource Group, with support from American organisation "Growing without schooling". Approximately 0.01% of the school aged population are now home schooled by their parents.

Is it worthwhile?

With no set curriculum and virtually no formal guidance, home schooling can be a tough option, but many home schooling parents find the benefits outweigh the associated problems.

Jo originally chose to home school Mitch for a number of different reasons. She didn't like the idea of the school "system", for starters, and the impersonal mass approach to dealing with children concerned her. Having an interest in being involved in her son's education for herself was the final motivation, encouraging her to take the step and "go it alone". Despite her mother's concern that the child might be missing out on a valuable educational experience by not being at school, and despite her feelings that Jo may be considering her own desires above the child's needs (mum is a trained primary school teacher), Jo has taken the plunge.

And what has her intial response been? Just as you are taken by shock when diving into icy cold water, even when there has been a conscious choice to do so, Jo's own plunge has taken her a little by surprise. She is still uncertain as to how she would evaluate the experience, and will defer judgement for the next six months or so, until she and Mitch have adapted to the change. She is already starting to see the possible pros and cons of homeschooling, and needs time to see how well she can maximise the benefits and deal with the difficulties.

For now, her major challenge is learning for herself how she can best help to motivate the learning process. A pile of books sits ready on a small table in the loungeroom, and these books are usually the focus of the morning session. Simple phonics, maths and science activities on worksheets are the more "structured" part of their daily routine, and this is what Mitch identifies as "school". He is not always willing or ready to sit down and work, so this time of the day can be more of a challenge. The rest of the day is filled with a range of other activities, anything from visiting the zoo or library, to going for a bush walk, or having a go at some cooking or gardening. When regular school hours are over, Mitch is also involved in soccer, karate and swimming lessons. In this environment learning can be fairly spontaneous, and it is possible for Jo and Mitch to take advantage of whatever interesting situations arise as they happen.

The other challenge has been the social isolation. Even with afternoon group activities, Mitch is still aware that he is not going to a regular school with his friends, and having just moved to a new house and a new area, his needs for social contact have increased.

But Jo is willing to persevere at this stage, because the joy of being with both her children and being involved in their growth and development is so valuable (her younger son, Wes, is an unofficial home schooler, joining in on the program where possible and sometimes working at his own age-appropriate activities).

Is it a long term option?

At the other end of the spectrum, Renee has been a "home schooling mum" for the last seven years, and she expects to continue for the next seven. After an initial adjustment period, and with ongoing support from others in the homeschooling network, she is highly enthusiastic about the experience. With five children of her own, the last three of whom have been involved in home schooling in one way or another, this choice has been taken lightly. But for her there have been no regrets, and the benefits have been amazing.

When Renee initially heard about homeschooling, she thought it sounded interesting, but saw no relevance for herself. Her older children were happily settled into school and there was no question of moving them. It wasn't until a year later that this interesting idea became a serious option.

Renee's third child, Johanna, was suffering from peer pressure, and the family then started to consider home schooling. Johanna learned at home with her mother for the whole of Year 6, making it through the transition phase until she was ready for high school. She then started at the Conservatorium High School, just completing Year 12 last year. Now, at 18 years, she has enrolled to study Mining Engineering at NSW University.

Thomas, Renee's fourth child, started home schooling at the same time as Johanna, completing Years 3 to 6 at home. He, was also enrolled in the Conservatorium High School for Years 7, 8 and 9, but has decided to complete his final years at home with mum and his younger brother. A nasty incident, in which he was beaten up on the train on the way home from the Conservatorium, prompted the return to learning at home. (The young people involved in the incident have since been caught for armed robbery, and Thomas and his family have been involved in unpleasant court action ever since.)

The youngest of the five, Simon, is now ten years old and starting Year 6. Simon has never been to a regular school or kindy, and wants to continue learning at home through his high school years.

How does it work in practice?

Renee and the two boys are up at 6am and out for a walk before starting work at 8am, when they all find they are most receptive to learning. Renee has bought a supply of educational workbooks and resources from a local educational bookstore, so the children can work at the appropriate age level. The children are given the choice of completing activities when they are interested in them, and they have the freedom to explore ideas for as long as they like and in as much depth as they like. They may choose to concentrate on maths one day, write stories for the next, and they tend to work quite independently. By the afternoon they're ready to go out, or to enjoy music and sports. Both boys belong to a number of different music and sports groups, and feel they have plenty of positive social contact.

The change from regular schooling has been a welcome one for Renee. She often felt like she was missing out on her children's education, and now believes the best place for learning is the child's own home. In this environment children's natural capacity for learning is fostered and they can begin to see learning in the whole context of life. There are times when a household appliance breaks down and they can watch as it gets repaired, there are other times when the children take responsibility for their own shopping and learn as they support the household.

Also, she has found, everyone has a different way of learning, and it is difficult for a strange person in a foreign environment to know about and be able to cater to each child's individual needs. She and the children are learning together, so it's easier to be aware and supportive of their needs, and to cope with whatever new challenges come their way. This also means that the children are not as self-focused, as they must also become aware of her needs and take responsibility for looking after each other.

Whereas children's natural curiosity fuels their learning in the pre-school years, Renee has found the questions often disappear with formal schooling. Only a few weeks after finishing at school and starting to learn again at home, Thomas' questions came back, and that was an important sign for Renee that the motivation was again coming from within.

An option for the future?

As Tim Rodriguez, a Web designer who was home schooled as a child says, "I consider education to be an ongoing process, not something you can take classes in and then be done with. Unfortunately, that is not what our society seems to think. But homeschooling gave me the freedom to do what I'm interested in and learn in the manner that works best for me."

An interesting educational option for the new millenium?

Gaia Grant has a background in education, and is the author of "The Rhythm of Life", which considers child rearing practices in different cultures around the world. She continues to write and teach between Bali and Sydney, and is available for seminars and consultation.