Learning in the Absence of Education
Essays on Homeschooling
© Beverley Paine
Index
Homeschool
Australia
Time Spent at an Alternative School
(continued)
As a home educating parent I still saw the responsibility for my children's education resting solely with us, the parents. I had a say in what happened each day at school, and because I was actually there, was able to oversee its implementation, and make sure the children were okay and having their needs met. There were various avenues for airing grievances, or for expressing needs, and these were generally effective, especially when compared to regular school classrooms.
The Annexe valued children for their individuality, and their talents were regularly celebrated. The sense of community was strong, with the adults becoming a cohesive friendly group. Many of the friendships I have now began there.
Although it sounded idyllic we had homeschooled April and Roger for eighteen months before we moved to Yankalilla. This experience allowed us to make a good comparison. We found school to be a compromise, even such a good school. There were still conflicts, often bitterly fought, over ideology and methodology in the classroom. There was a lot of time wasted in behaviour management of unruly and destructive children, or dealing with social or family problems belonging outside of the classroom. I also found the children were often engaged in meaningless busy work, or couldn't access the resources to pursue areas of study of personal interest to them. Repetition became frustrating, and the endless movement from celebrating one cultural holiday to the next in the guise of learning programs tedious.
Over time I became disillusioned. I had more and varied resources readily available at home. We also had the time to fully explore areas of interest, without the distraction of other children. April, Roger and Thomas had access to their toys, their cubby houses, their private spaces at home. And these items were protected from the often wanton destruction that occurred at school. Resources at school were often scarce, and often I would pay for materials for ongoing projects out of my own pocket. For more than my own children.
Socialisation and peer pressure to conform were other depressing aspects of school life, even in this very family oriented environment. I began to see that learning does not happen best in contrived situations. My children were often exposed to unpleasant scenes and behaviour, and values we didn't promote as a family.
I sometimes miss the stimulation that comes from many minds putting their heads together to present the children with a varied and interesting learning program, and the skills the teachers and parents brought to share with the children. But I know I can access these outside of the school environment if we want to. It may be harder work to locate such stimulation and teachers, but they are there in the community. People doing real work, for real reasons. People willing to share their time and skills with interested young people.
Overall our time with the alternative class was a compromise on the education of our children. After nearly six years of participating in the Annexe I can quite happily say home education is the best option.
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Excerpt from Learning in the Absence of Home Education: Essays on Homeschooling
© Beverley Paine, 1999
