Many people are fooled by the 'home' in homeschooling. Sure, our kids are home a lot, but that doesn't mean they aren't learning in small or large group situations. In addition to getting together with other homeschooling families for all kinds of social and educational activities, including debating and games clubs, sports activities, art and craft, science activities and days at the beach, pool or park, homeschooled kids also attend afterschool and vacation classes together with with schooled kids.

In fact, a common trap for new homeschooling families is to overdo it: parents quickly find themselves in the role of chauffeur, spending many hours each week ferrying children from one activity to another. Carschooling - using time sitting in cars as an opportunity to extend learning has become very popular. One mum I know declared each Sunday a 'family only' day as it was the only day there were no social or educational committments planned!

Most homeschooled kids are naturally curious about school, especially high school. Homeschooling parents naturally want the best for their children and they're willing to try most resources, at least once. Families new to homeschooling worry incessantly about what happens after childhood: will their child get into tertiary education without a HSC? The answer is YES! With an increasing number of homeschooled children making their way into the adult world of work and education it's getting easier to convince people that high school is but one path kids can take: there are others, equally suitable that will get you where you want to go, sometimes faster and more effeciently. The rsources are already there in the community for us to take advantage of, and that's what many homeschoolers are learning to do.

Hi Jolanda, your comments are very interesting, however, you are not home educating, you are doing distance education, which is different. The only similarity is that both forms of education do not take place in a school. I think I have made this point before, but it is important to clarify that distance education is not the same as home education, and therefore it would be difficult to equate your experiences with those of home educators.
It is true that both schools and home educators need support, but I think it should be pointed out that schools already get a lot of government support and home educators get none. So the scales are already unfairly tipped on the side of schools.
I wish you well with your search for a good school for your children, and I agree the quality of schools does need to be raised drastically

Several problems surround the concept of home education in Australia. (please feel free to argue these points, they are but my opinion.)
Firstly, home education appears to be the domain of the wealthy. There is no possibility of the ‘average’ one or two parent family finding the resources to be able to give up full-time employment for the benefit of their offspring’s education. The vast majority of families in present Australia require more than one breadwinner. The number of families therefore excluded from the alleged benefits of home education number in the majority.
Schools actually exist so that modern industrial society may exist. The primary function of schooling is that of an ‘educational creche’ - somewhere safe & useful for kids to go while mum & dad are out eking a living.
It would not surprise me at all to find our present governments, State & Feral (sic) supporting home education. Economic rationalism rules – less at school means less schools.
While I’m not at all familiar with legislation surrounding home education, it would appear that the ‘policing’ of a home education system would be nigh on impossible without a centralised examination system. It could be said that this already exists through Tertiary entrance examination. This seems vastly inadequate.
I ask all the advocates of home education to think beyond their own family & realise that we are a society. To withdraw ones children from public education is to announce that the system is ‘not good enough’ or irrelevant. For the benefit of all, I suggest that you exercise your right to educate at home, but match this ‘luxury’ with positive moves that help to correct the problems within the education system that are the basis for your decision. If one has the time & means to educate at home, one surely has the resources to make some sort of social impact, for the benefit of those less fortunate.
I also ask again – how many parents are choosing the home education option to satisfy their own insecurities?

Hey Hasbeen a man after my own heart.My son attended a special arts course at Kalamunda High School Perth.He was bullied by some 16 yr old fat cretin twice his size on a regular basis,so being a product of social engineering and a pseudo psychologist my self I atteded the school to sort the problem out.After demanding an audience with one of the teachers concerned(who incidently couldn't find her own arse-hole with two hands)I sat down to discuss the problem rationally.With no tangible effort on her part to solve the problem,she asked me if I had any suggestions.
I said "Of course but nothing you would subscribe to,I have told my son if this cretin touches him again to drive a compass into one of his eyes or failing that break a ruler and shove it up his arse" I thought the poor women was going to faint,and heaven forbid I would have to give her mouth to mouth she had a face like ten miles of bad road.

On the way out of the school I saw the said offender and told him exactly what I would do to him should he even breath oxygen near my son.His father rang me later that day and was very upset,and what he wasn't going to do to me.I gave him my address and surprise,surprise, he was just like his son full of piss and wind.

When I went to school in the fifty's bullys were given short shrift by the teachers and the families of the victims.Bullying has increased because we have taken the primal instincts out of our kids to defend themselves.I do not condone violence or have ever used it to prove anything,but if you man handle me or mine you will get it back in spades.

Sajo said “I was mainly interested in the bullying aspect in this forum so am a little disappointed that it wasn't addressed further”. In what manner would you like this addressed?

Interesting comments you make, Swilkie. Am not looking for an argument, as you seem to invite, however would like to jot down a few responses in return.

“Firstly, home education appears to be the domain of the wealthy. There is no possibility of the ‘average’ one or two parent family finding the resources to be able to give up full-time employment for the benefit of their offspring’s education.”

They can be found all across the country (and across the world). Wealthy, on the breadline and everywhere in-between. Single or both parents present, taking responsibility for those they have brought into the world.

“That the primary function of schooling is that of an educational crèche – somewhere safe and useful for kids to go whilst mum and dad are working.”

I’ll leave this one for someone else to answer in detail in regards to the history of schools. In my opinion schools are generally not safe and are well past their use-by date or usefulness!

“To withdraw ones children from public education is to announce that the system is ‘not good enough’ or irrelevant.”

Um… what ’s so wrong with that? Would you stay with a bank if it continually messed you around or charged exorbitant fees? Or the butcher if the meat he sold was off? No, you’d be off with a “not good enough” and they’d be lucky if they ever got to know the reason for your swift departure. (See next post for more)

“I ask all the advocates of home education to think beyond their own family & realise that we are a society.”

And we’re raising our children out IN society – not tucked away in an artificial environment until a certain age when they’re foisted out onto society again, largely ill-equipped and ill-prepared. My children have had experience of both, now, and I know which I’d prefer.

Continued:

“I suggest that you exercise your right to educate at home, but match this ‘luxury’ with positive moves that help to correct the problems within the education system that are the basis for your decision. If one has the time & means to educate at home, one surely has the resources to make some sort of social impact, for the benefit of those less fortunate.”

Let me clarify this, Swilkie… So not only are we working hard to raise and educate our children in a manner which will result in them being knowledgeable, compassionate, caring and creative, curious people, we have to help “fix” the school system that we either left or never entered in the first place, as well? And in regards to the parents who will probably never send their children to a school, ever, why would they pour time and energy into helping correct the mainstream educational system? How about the parents in the system taking up the mantle en-masse?

Of all the homeschoolers (estimated to be upwards of 50,000 in Australia), someone like myself would be in a good position to “have a go”, given my experience of both the school system and home education as both involved parent, and paid and volunteer classroom assistant. I’ve witnessed what really goes on and I am doing my bit to bring about change but it’s a big task. I’ve wondered at times if a group of concerned parents needs to camp at the Prime Ministers office until a meeting is granted with himself and the Education Minister. Any sort of real change needs to come from the top, not local school districts and certainly not individual schools.

Bullying is certainly a major problem but not the only one in schools.

PS: Upon re-reading your paragraph above I take it you mean that the “less fortunate” are those who attend school – which means you obviously consider home educated children to be the more fortunate. NOW you’re talking!