Home Schooling
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by marion igarashi on -
Hi,
I homeschooled my child for 2 years during a period when he suffered social anxiety. However, I had to be school teacher, parent and friend. It is lonely for your child to be home alone with a parent. We used to go into Brisbane School of Distance Education for tutorials but that was only once a term. As soon as he was able, I sent him to a very small private school. The academics of that school were not very good, but at least he found a few friends and got his HSC.
If we have to homeschool because we cannot find a suitable school, I think the education system is failing our children. This is what I experienced.
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Permalink Reply by marion igarashi on
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Good luck Lindsay and welcome to Australia.
I am sure you will find Australia a friendly place and your daughter will find some lovely friends. Communication is the key, I'm sure. If you can find a small school, that will probably help. It is daunting coming into a new country.
Don't protect your daughter TOO much or she may not be able to experience all the things you fear. I think the world has changed a lot, and she may find some wonderful experiences and friends at school. If you keep your ear to the ground, I think you can nip most problems in the butt. My problem was that I had a son with undiagnosed Asperger Syndrome and he just could not "fit in" socially. He still struggles at University. I was not aware enough of his challenges at the time, because I had 4 children and very busy.
In retrospect, I wished I communicated more with the school because in the long run, it would have given him more social skills than I could, home schooling him. I concentrated on the education, rather than the social, whereas, it is the social skills that are needed if our kids are going to have a happy and fulfilling life with friends and future employment.
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Permalink Reply by Belinda Pryor on -
I have always believed kids are better to go to school but lately you come across to many schools who don't do the right thing for the students and it makes me change my opinion!
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Permalink Reply by Alana Jenkinson on
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I have taught dance to couple of home schooled children where I learned some invaluable information. One child's family opted for i think it was 'free learning' - one of her parents used to be a school teacher. Only at age 10 she could not read properly, nor write her own name. She did tell me that the strain chosen meant that they decided when they wanted to learn. I believe this came about when she realised other children her age and younger could read and write and she couldn't. She was a poilte well behaved girl, but didn't really fit in with the other children.
Another child I taught was also home schooled but had a set amount of work to complete each day. She was extremely intelligent but was also very withdrawn from interaction with other people. I rarely heard her speak and rarely saw her speak to the other children.
When my own daughter started pre school (before prep was introduced) she had homework come home each week. (keep in mind she attended 3 days 1 week mon, tues, wed & 2 the next - mon & Tues) this homework was to be completed for them to recieve a sticker for their reward. It contained colouring in and tracing dotted lines teaching them to write. At first I wouldn't allow my daughter to do it but then as she was missing out on a sticker and she didn't undertsand the whole prinicple I was trying to make I gave in and we did the homework. It would be upto 10 A4 pages (yes thats loads for a 4 year old) and I effectively taught her to read and write as per the schools requirements up to about Grade 3.
teaching your own child can be very frustrating - I went to my daughter's gr 1 teacher and asked how her reading was going (I should mentioned I taught my daughter dance from the age of almost 2 - so I was quite aware of her learning capabilities and behaviours). I was taking up to 2 hours to try and help her read a 5 page book with 1 line per page that the teacher assured me would take about 10 mins (yea I did warn this teacher that wouldn't happen). after being told (as I suspected) that my daughter was doing quite well with her work I told the teacher I'm not pushing this - tell me if she needs help and I will get it for her.
Home schooling is not for me for my own children - perhaps I could help other people's children. But I also have seen a few different sides of home schooling and I believe a good school is far more beneficial.
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Permalink Reply by marion igarashi on
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Hi Alana,
No one in their right minds is going to take on the task of homeschooling if there are "good schools" out there. That is the problem. In any one suburb, if the school and teachers are not up to your values/standards, where do you go?
I was willing to change suburbs, or even cities, if I could be promised a suitable school for my son with Asperger Syndrome. I have 4 children, so it would have meant disrupting the other 3 children as well. So for a short time, I homeschooled the one child I had with Asperger Syndrome, when life at school was impossible for him.
I think if the Australian Government did an honest survey, they would find that homeschooling is the last desperate attempt to educate one's child when the system has failed him/her.
I hope someone else has a different opinion to me, as mine is rather pessimistic from my experience.
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Permalink Reply by Belinda Pryor on
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My son has asd and i have to say theres not many good schools for kids like that and its shocking when theres so many kids like that. Schools need to shape up for the students sake!
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Permalink Reply by Glenn Patrick on
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TO: BELINDA PRYOR
I am a parent who has been scanning this forum for information on a number of subjects and your comments keep popping up on nearly every thread!
1) Stop blaming everything on teachers and take some responsibility for your child's endeavors.
2) Do you think that schools actively CHOOSE not to 'shape up' (to use your words) and support ASD kids? NO! I would love to see all ASD kids support one on one, but until adequate funding for this is provided by Governments, how is this possible?
4) I was talking to a young teacher the other day who is doing a wonderful job, but she is completely burnt out trying to improve her school and teaching in every manner possible - comments such as yours, damning the entire workforce of schools, simply add pointless pressure to these bright stars and see them burning out well before their time.
STOP GENERALISING, BLAMING EVERYBODY BUT YOURSELF AND TACKLE YOUR ISSUES IN AN APPROPRIATE MANNER.
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Permalink Reply by marion igarashi on
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Hi Glenn,
Your comments seem a bit unfair. Our education system needs a complete overhaul and I don't mean building school halls.
ASD has increased all over the world but schools have not been able to meet these demands. This is a responsiblility of our government and education departments.
Unless Belinda spreads her concerns in every thread, how are we going to raise awareness.
Without a change in awareness and attitude, nothing in the system is going to change. There needs to be more Belindas.
Go for it Belinda, I like to hear your voice. Don't be intimidated by anyone who does not understand the needs of ASD and appropriate schooling.
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Permalink Reply by Glenn Patrick on
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Hi Marion,
I agree, my response was perhaps a bit too passionate, but at the time I was very irritated after reading Belinda's countless threads blaming everything on the schools and teachers.
After talking to the young teacher I mentioned in my previous post, it seemed that the exact people we need in teaching are leaving the profession due to undue pressure and unfair blame, not to mention that complete lack of respect for teaching as a profession that is propelled by EXACTLY the attitude that Belinda is pushing - that teachers don't care enough to fulfil their responsibilities to their students. I think you'd be hard pressed to find ANY young teacher that was in the job for any other reason than a total commitment to the teaching and learning of their students.
Marion, It seems we are in agreeance -- it us up to governments and education departments to restore the support -- So WHY THEN is Belinda blaming everything on our underfunded, undersupported teachers and schools?
I also agree she SHOULD USE HER VOICE, however, she should use her voice to be questioning the (lack of) funding from governments, the fact that 90% of schools that specifically supported ASD have been gradually closed over the years on the notion that these students can be 'integrated' into mainstream schools, however the support does not move with these students to their new schools; rather, it is gradually shifted into the private sector, who don't even face half the issues of mainstream schools.
How about Belinda use her 'voice' to blame and question those really at fault for the injustices in our system rather than the overworked and under appreciated school staff who dedicate their entire career to try and achieve success for students in spite of the lack of support from above.
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Permalink Reply by marion igarashi on
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Hi Glenn,
Thank you for expanding on your thoughts. In a normal conversation, we would all get a chance to speak and justify how we feel. Posts are a bit different as often we justify one side of the argument. It is great that you have found some young teachers who are dedicated to the profession. It is very difficult taking care of and teaching children all day, all week, all year!! especially if they are challenged with a disability. I think most teachers do an excellent job. I have a few reservations about "all-inclusive" classrooms. I think teachers are expected to do too much and the children with disability can't always be accomodated. So the philosphy has a good intention, but the practicalities still have a lot of challenges. Hence the aggressive conversations.
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Permalink Reply by TamaraK on
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I have two children, my youngest of which is going into pre primary (WA) next year. My daughter is currently in year 2 and we live on a farm about 40 minutes from the nearest school. My children do not have special needs and I consider them to be intelligent and social children. I make sure I immerse them in social activities outside of school for their benefit and always take into account their feelings on the particular activity.
The problem is we are currently at a small school the only one of which we have access to (if you want to catch the bus at 7.10am and be home by 4.30pm) every day. We have only 5 girls in the year 2 group and unfortunately 3 of them are in the split year one two class. My daughter is in the year 2/3 class and is progressing extremely well in the classroom. I have had many conversations with her teacher and we both agree that she has blossomed in confidence (especially since one of the other girls shifted to the other class).
Unfortunately, it is a very different story in the playground where she has been bullied since week 2 of year 1. I have been on the school's back about it since then and have been out of my mind with worry because of the emotional explosive outbursts I've witnessed my daughter exhibiting. She has begged me to keep her home and do school at home and I believe it is for this reason.
I simply don't know what to do. We went to Perth over the weekend and visited another school (for boarding in the future) and I saw how they nurture the girls and really help them to become resilient in all facets of their life at school. Why can't we have that in the state schools aswell?
This is the one reason I am considering homeschooling my children, so that they are emotionally aswell as socially and academically ready for what lies ahead for them. Yet it is also the one thing that is holding me back, would I be potentially setting my children up to fail in all three of these extremely crucial areas?
I know my daughter can make friends and be happy. I saw it during our tour where another girl her age was there and they were laughing and playing together as if they knew each other for years.
More than anything I want a happy school life for my children not a repeat of what happened with me.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah Hammond on
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I recently took my three children out of a Christian school and brought them home to be distance educated. We have enrolled with a college, and are supplied with an excellent curriculum for them, and they learn at home. In the beginning we were all excited about the adventure, and yes, some days are very frustrating with my youngest because he thinks that real school was more fun (all he did in Yr 1 was watch movies, cook and play games), but I am certainly more than happy with the progress my children are making.
Each of the children had to go through a diagnostic test when we started the program, so that a correct prescription could be made of where they needed to start. I was blown away when my eldest child, who started Yr 7 this year, was prescribed Yr 5 maths because she hadn't been taught very much in that particular year when she was in mainstream school. My daughter started Yr 7 work at the beginning of this year and is now working towards her Yr 10 certificate; my middle boy started Yr 5 this year and is already working at Yr 6/7 levels for most of his work; and my youngest started Yr 2 this year and completed his Yr 2 work by the end of second term.
I believe that having my children at home has enabled me to keep a better handle on their education and work closely with them in areas that they are having difficulty. I certainly don't have any issues with the "socialisation" aspect of it, because they come shopping with me, we go out visiting friends and enjoy the Activity Days that the college run, and so they are socialised amongst a wide variety of ages, rather than just children their own ages.
I don't understand why people think that we "have" to send our children to school, now that I have experienced the benefits of home-schooling. Most of us taught our children to talk and read, say the alphabet and count, we are just taking the next step, going beyond the simple things in life and expounding on the foundations already laid.
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