Homeschool Australia Does anyone else homeschool and have kids at school as well?

FAQ - Does anyone else homeschool and have kids at school as well?

© Beverley Paine

We homeschooled for a couple of years when April and Roger were first at school age, then attended an alternative class where parents could attend and be involved as much as they like for a couple of years. We dropped out when they sprayed termiticide under the school building for six months, then returned as a part-time school and homeschooled family. We had another stint of full time homeschooling, then April chose to go to regular highschool part-time, and finally full-time for years 11 and 12. Her brothers remained completely homeschooled.

I think any time spent homeschooling is empowering, for both child and parents (and any school going siblings). It shows that there are many ways to become educated, not just one. It gives parents and children an opportunity to really get to know one another, work cooperatively through difficult situations as they happen, and to find satisfactory solutions that suit individual family members and current circumstances. It shows that the 'one size fits all' solutions often paraded about in our society as the best aren't the only ones out there.

Sometimes I think that it would be good to rewrite our past - there are things I fantasise about doing differently, but realise that we wouldn't be the wonderful family we are today if not for the experiences we went through. Would I risk changing that? Everything in our lives is a learning experience and it's up to us to find the 'lesson' in each and every moment, savour it, and move on... to the next. No regrets - only learning opportunities!

Our haphazard school/homeschooling life over the last 20 years has only made us wiser and stronger. We've tried a little of everything on the smorgasbord, rejected that which didn't seem best for us at the time and embraced that which worked well. The most empowering thing about home education is that it gives us CHOICE.

Beverley Paine is a mother of three young adults and a prolific writer of homeschooling articles. More articles and essays can be found in her books, available from the Always Learning Books online bookstore.

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Beverley Paine is committed to supporting home educating parents who practice non-violent and attachment parenting. Since 1989 she has worked towards the goal of the establishment of consistent and transparent guidelines and regulations for the provision of home education, including being a member of a legislative review panel considering home schooling in South Australia.
Her approach is inclusive and seeks to build bridges between disparate groups.
Her desire is to help families grow towards enlightened parenting and educational practices that respect and honour the individual learning and developmental needs of all children. She has worked with teachers and bureaucrats in schools for improvements in school education as well as with teachers, bureaucrats and home educators for improvements in the provision of home education.
Beverley began writing for home educators in 1989 an continues to add to her growing collection of homeschooling and unschooling titles. Her aim is to demystify the education process and make it accessible to all parents. She began home educating her children when it was almost unheard of in Australia and is a passionate advocate of true educational choice for families. She shares her perspective as well as great ideas to motivate and help you enjoy this wonderful family adventure through articles and books and online at www.homeschoolaustralia.com. Enjoy!

You can post your homeschooling questions on the HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ online support group and Beverley Paine, homeschooling author and publisher with two decades of home educating experience together with other homeschooling parents will do their best to answer them for you.

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Beverley invites you to visit her Australian K-12 Home School Curriculum. Continually under construction, this website offers articles and checklists in all subject areas based on Beverley's personal homeschool experience: http://australianhomeschoolcurriculum.com/

Buy Beverley's books on homeschooling from the Always Learning Books website. Her books are full of practical and useful ideas to motivate and help you on this wonderful family adventure.