Learning in the Absence of Education

Essays on Homeschooling

© Beverley Paine

Why Home Education
(continued)

I have found that there are many reasons for home education, on many levels. Some you don't know about until years later. I have dozens, but the one that explains it best of all is very personal. I am a rebel. A black sheep masquerading under a snowy, quiet and amiable exterior. Outwardly I appear to
conform, but inwardly, in private, I search for conflict. For conflict is where chaos reigns and chaos leads to evolution, constant flux and change, the place where adaptation reigns supreme. The place where new learnings hide waiting for discovery.

My brain yearns for excitement, for the thrill of the chase as I prey upon these new learnings.... I will not patiently sit, accepting what is before me. No! There is more! I have an unquenchable thirst to search for meaning, meaning in life, meaning in actions. I constantly ask 'why?', 'why does it have to be so', 'why not different', 'what is the best way', 'where is the most energy efficient method'? I am a child of nature, and 'school' doesn't support my ways, my questions, my life's quest for meaning. It is too conservative for a rebel like me, thriving on the edge of evolution.

So, in essence, my kids were doomed from birth. By selecting me as a parent they were, in effect, denying themselves the opportunity to live peacefully as sheep, in the school paddock, conforming happily. Even April questions the 'wisdom' of the school ways.... and rebels in her quiet but persistent way....

Home education is a way of life that can't be denied. It is incredibly empowering. It offers the opportunity to grow in very liberating ways. It offers opportunities for true democracy. It demands personal responsibility. By choosing to take full responsibility for all of my children's education, not choosing to delegate sections of it to others, I am challenged to question all of my values, attitudes and beliefs. I cannot be complacent. I need to grow and change with the world around me. I am a full time learner!

This sounds so good, so nice, so... Unreal. Well, the truth is there are many days that I'd like my children to go to school, conform to peer pressure and behaviour and the gross waste of a consumerist system.... There are days when I really want to quit. Days when I want to go back to school myself, and have someone else be responsible for me, and organise my day! Luckily, my children keep me on the straight and narrow, demanding I pay attention to their needs, their quest for learning, their own inimitable styles, reminding me of the quality to be found in a truly individualised learning environment.

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More than 60 essays covering a wide range of home schooling concerns and issues, such as late readers, value of play, socialisation, learning maths, part time school, and thoughts on testing. Learning in the Absence of Education is an intimate and honest look at day-to-day homeschooling life spanning several years. Includes articles on learning maths, reading and writing, spelling, socialisation, part time schooling, fathers and homeschooling, value of play, grading and testing, coping with stress and illness, and much more.

"These essays are the real life experiences of a long term home educator and activist and make inspiring reading... a valuable resource for all those interested in home education.... What I particularly appreciate are the personal day-to-day stories that are so specific in the incident or outcome These are essays written over time that reflect natural learning (read life) as it really happens.

I really enjoy Beverley's writing style in this book. It is very direct, sometimes even challenging the reader. She tries to be scrupulously honest always so we read of advantages and disadvantages of whatever topic she is discussing. She will also point out the ideal situation and how she thinks she falls short. Sometimes she is self-deprecating; sometimes she glows with enthusiasm for their successful lifestyle. There are touches of humour and sometimes wry cynicism.

Hopefully this book will answer many people's questions and fears about natural learning. It is all in here: how right it feels when natural learning is working well, what happens when we have insecurities ourselves, and the results so far. By presenting the natural learning case in this essay style, Beverley has been able to reflect the different moods, the ups and downs, that make the book a valuable resource for all those interested in home education, whatever their current style."
Janine Banks, home educator, Qld

ISBN 1876651016, 128 pages... $22.95

available from
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Homeschool Australia SA HE Network Unschool~Kidz! About Beverley Paine

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