What a fantastic article. It just proves the point that schooling and education are not the same thing. Children and adults are the same when it comes to deep learning, as adults we are able to choose what we learn and how we learn it, why should this be denied to children by sending them to school? Maybe because the majority of adults are school taught they too have lost the ability to think outside the box, and cannot believe that another learning sysytem can be as effective as the current one. Todays information rich society surely allows for a variety of learning methods and locations. As George Bernard Shaw observed "what we want to see is the learner in pursuit of knowledge and not knowledge in pursuit of the learner". How you learn is as important, if not more important than what you learn. Todays modern world requires flexible people with flexible approaches which is what home education allows, they are trail blazers of education for the 21st century. Maybe current schools could regenerate themselves, as Roland Meighan suggests, into "Learning Resource Centres" where anyone who needed help with their learning could go at anytime, what ever their age. The curriculum would be personalised and not standardised. As he also observed 'Education is an octopus not a snake, we have to face up to the fact that education is a complex problem, and not a simple problem at all, however inconvenient this may be. Whilst the Government must be congratulated on updating the current system, they must not be ridgid in their thinking, they have an ideal opportunity for working with home educators who are obviously producing competent, confident and educated adults. They must seek the advice of these forward thinkers and utilise their expertise for the reconstruction of the current system.

Could you imagine the uproar if residents were required to register their kitchens for food handling safety? Worse still, that those new laws gave power to government inspectors to enter citizen's homes to ensure their kitchen met prescribed health bureaucracy policies and procedures?

Imagine the absurdity if the hygienne in the homes was found to be better than professional or institutional kitchens?

That's what the new education bill requires.

A great article that is full of many truths. Many more could be added including the religious convictions of families, the advantages of children no longer being placed in age specific pidgeon holes, special needs children and children of particular skill in advanced learning.

When you consider that home educating actually saves the Government money, is this a ridiculous power grab or are there other motives?

Hi Susan et al,

Thanks for another thought provoking article. I have re-published some of my earlier articles on my blog, Face Value recently:

Included is 'Homeschooling: An Overview', originally published in 'Gifted' journal of the NSW Association for Gifted & Talented Children;
http://rosiereal.blogspot.com/2006/02/homeschooling-overview.html

'What kind of Parent/Teacher Accelerates', originally published in the newsletter of the Tas. Association of Gifted & Talented Children
http://rosiereal.blogspot.com/2006/02/what-kind-of-parent-teacher.html

'Homeschooling and the Democratic Deficit', originally published in Education Choices Magazine.
http://rosiereal.blogspot.com/2006/02/homeschooling-and-democratic-deficit.html

Rosie Williams
http://rosiereal.blogspot.com

I am greatly concerned at the proposed changes affecting home schoolers. there are some fundemental rights at serious risk,like who children belong to, the state or the parents. It alarms me that the state is removing control from its citizens and claiming that control itself. The home is a sacred place and governments should not cross that thresh hold and interfere. It is clear to me this government is trying to get its toe in the door of the family home with the intention of getting the whole body in and then dictating what goes on in there. I have read the comments of the realist but wonder what his definition of reality is. History speaks for itself and anyone who cares to find out what underlying philosophies driving our present government are, would be greatly alarmed. We are run by people who are not like the average person. They use a new and different language with a different slant on the meanings of the words than is normally understood and we better get to know what they are actually saying before it is to late. A great transformation is taking place in education world wide and the powers to be want "no child to be left behind" that means by hook or by crook home schoolers must be brought under control and into the fold of the great transformation. We have a government who just cannot stand anybody who wants to be diffent and thinks independantly from a herd mentality. It should be obvious the proposed legislation is not about education but about control. Dont let them get their toe in the door, next it will be the foot and in a short time they will be demanding parents teach a revisionist view of every thing. The same battles home schoolers are faced with here have all been waged across every state of the USA. The bottom line is the state believes children belong to them not you the parent. This came out back in 1982 with the then proposed legislation. Now it has surfaced its ugly head again.

Keeping it in the Family.

I'd be interested to know what it is that makes the home schooling so successful. Is it the individual attention? the dynamic, tailored learning methods? the lack of pressures from other kids?