Homeschool Australia

Do homeschooled kids end up homeschooling their kids?

2012-02-04T09:33:00.001+10:30

Yesterday I was asked that, if mychildren ‘had their way’ would they homeschool their children. I’ve touched onthis subject previously, late last year because I noticed that it is a questionthat is occurring more frequently for me. That if my “children’s experience ofhomeschooling is a good one, won’t they wish to pass these extraordinarybenefits onto their children”. And wouldn’tit be interesting to see statistics on how many home educated young people goon to educate their own children.

I responded by saying that, while Iwould love my children to home educate their children, it's something they willwork out for themselves. In our situation the partners have not been homeeducated, so home education is new to them. Their lives will follow pathsdetermined by their needs, not what has happened in the past.

"If they could have their way" assumes that thereis a chance they can't - which I don't believe will happen. Home educationtends to develop individuals who have considerable self-understanding andawareness, people who know can identify what they need and how to meet thoseneeds, and have a good idea about what they want and how realistic andachievable that is. They use whatever resources are at hand and think laterallyabout possible resources and tend to actively problem solve - all this helpsthem achieve what they need and want. They create pathways to "have theirway" so to speak.

Secondly I don't think my children's experiences of homeeducation was either 'good' or 'bad' - it was simply an experience that theybenefited from in many ways. The educational side of their childhood - how wehome educated, what we did, etc - is nowhere near as important to determiningthe type of adults they have become as their genetic inheritance (personalitytraits, inherited medical conditions, etc) and the quality of their parentingexperiences. Offering them an education free of the confines and restrictionsof school simply allowed my children to grow up to the be the people they are,not who someone else (including me) wants them to be or thinks they should be.

As parents and home educators we responded to our children'sneeds as they arose. I think most of us eventually end up doing that because itmakes sense and it works and it is what makes home education more responsivewith better results than school based education. How we measure those resultsis an individual thing: my perception of success and benefit will be differentfrom my child's perception, both during childhood and then looking back on itas an adult.

For many years people would ask my youngest if he thoughthome education was better than school and he could only honestly reply that hedidn't know: he had not experienced school and was not prepared to make a judgmentabout it. He was happy learning at home in the way he was - that's all he couldsay. Would he home educate his children? He says, 'that depends' - he is awarethat there will be many factors to take into account when the time comes aroundto make that decision and that his personal experiences as a home educator areimportant but only one of those factors.

As a movement home education is are seeing second generationhome educated children but it is also seeing home education children becomingschool teachers and many children of home educated children going to schooltoo. I don't see this as saying anything about the effectiveness or benefit ofhome education, simply that people are people and have access to a wideselection of choices to suit their needs.

At the end of home education most of us define success andbenefit differently than how we did at the beginning: we're grateful for thefriendships we've created with our children, we're grateful they know their ownminds and can problem solve their way through life, that they are autonomousand responsible, we're happy that our choices helped them get there, but we'realso aware that what we did is what we did and that they need to carve theirown paths through life. And isn't this the whole point of parenting andeducating our kids, to get them to this point? I love that my children maketheir own choices and don't feel the need to emulate my example.

I think it would be helpful to gather all kinds ofstatistics on home education, how it happens and its outcomes, but mainly sothat we can provide appropriately targeted support and build home educationcommunity more effectively. As a general tool to assist planning or evaluate pasthappenings statistics are useful but I am cautious and tend to be skeptical ofthem.

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If you haven’t already done so, please think about joining our Homeschool Australia FAQ, it is a friendly, on-topic homeschool Yahoo group. We encourage people to share information and tips, as well as reviews on favourite homeschooling resources and where to get them. And, of course, to ask questions about any and all aspects of home education! To join send an email to HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ.Our Learning Naturally Yahoo Group aims to cooperatively widen our understanding of how learning occurs naturally in the home and community, and to share advice, tips, trials and tribulations so that we may all grow! We want to help dispel some of the myths that are out there about Natural Learning and Unschooling and make it easier for everyone to capitalise on these approaches as home educators. To join send an email to: learningnaturally-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningnaturally.And once subscribed, don’t forget to post an introduction and begin asking questions, sharing tips and ideas, etc!

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One Step at a Time

2012-02-04T09:23:00.000+10:30

by Beverley Paine

photo courtesy of Natural Life Magazine

I think there is a huge lesson in this message for me but my brain is weary.

Can't help myself, even when weary... Question popped into my mind : but where is the staircase going, is it going where you want to go?

And then the insight burst forth: control, I need to keep working on letting go of the need to control. I want to see the big picture, to see where the staircase is going because I don't trust that the staircases I build are going to take me where I need to go. I still want to go where I want to go. I'm not internalising my lessons about wants yet.

'Want' responds to my conscious thoughts which are also my trained thoughts. I'm still reacting to what I should be doing. Even my sense of cautiousness owes a large part of its power to my training - very full of 'should' messages.

'Need' responds to my instinctive thoughts, to my actual needs, to what my body is telling me I need to do to be where I really want to be.

The staircase has appeared not because of my wants but because of my needs. If I trusted that I am smart enough and have what it takes to steer the most appropriate course through my life, one that will meet my needs, then I'd be happy to take that first step and stop procrastinating because I can't see where the darn staircase is going!

I'm a natural learning, every moment of every day I'm learning. All I need to do is reflect on what I am learning right now as I respond to my environment and I what bring to my consciousness and whammo, I've learned something incredibly powerful and important. Life is AWESOME!

Planning a Homeschooling or Unschooling Camp? A Few Tips and Suggestions.

2012-01-22T17:24:00.000+10:30

by Beverley Paine

I’ve planned and organised a few camps in my time, includingcomplex ones that combine parent sessions, conference programs, specialistactivities as well as simple bush camping retreats. If you are planning yourfirst camp and want to keep it simple but still fun, engaging and inviting, thebest advice is to keep it simple – sometimes it is difficult to keep themsmall, especially if you advertise them through your local or regional homeeducation networks!

For a first camp I'd say aim for autumn, make it a caravanpark that has lots of natural areas and good tent sites (some powered, someunpowered - not many caravan parks seem to cater to for tents anymore, so bechoosy). Cabins will increase the number of people who will come - some withlittle children don't like camping and some who have disabilities find it toodifficult. Access to hot showers also boosts attendance!

Weekends are good because it allows working partners toattend. Mid-week is great because parks are usually less full... especiallyduring the tourist season.

An extensive playground and trees suitable for clamberingover or sitting in the shade under are essential. If the weather is going to beat all warm, water play is a good idea - either a pool, creek, beach, butremember that you can create safe water play areas with sprinklers, plasticsheet water slides, etc if the park allows that.

Children love to play chasey and hide and seek - keep that inmind when choosing a venue. Safety is a big concern, but look for areas thathave lots of neat places that encourage fantasy play.

Start each day with a morning circle for everyone. Somepeople will do yoga, etc before the circle, but if everyone comes together andplay a few circle games that really helps people to meet each other. Plus itgives an opportunity for everyone to have a say what they'd like to do that day- plan the games and any activities, say if they are going on an excursion(fishing, walking, etc) and invite others along.

If the camp has a communal kitchen, plan to use it forcooking meals. It is so much easier for everyone to prepare their own, but youcan pool food for one celebratory meal without too much hassle. Using the campkitchen brings everyone together. For a short camp I would simply use the BBQsand see how inventive we can all get with recipes and menus!

Quiz nights are hugely popular. They don't have to beelaborate, like the ones local clubs do for fundraising. They can be less'academic/intellectual' and more physical, role playing, etc. If two familieslive close to each other they can take on organising this - better if a coupleof parents take on this responsibility as it is a reasonably sized task!

If everyone who goes brings an activity to share - and itcould be as simple as getting a game of french cricket started - you will haveenough to fill every day. Someone could bring a box of books and a rug for areading nook under a beach umbrella... Networking beforehand allows forbrainstorming ideas like this.

I personally like the idea of everyone wearing name labelsfor the first few days. An early activity could be to make labels and perhapsplay a few games so that people begin to recognise who is who. Name labels alsohelps late arrivals feel part of the group faster.

Two to three nights is a great short camp and whets theappetite for more. Longer camps can be exhausting for younger children as wellas for large families. Nothing beats spending five days away with like-mindedfamilies though – the bonding and friendships that are made at a long camp lastyears, if not forever.

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Create Your Own High School Curriculum for this Year

2012-01-17T10:12:00.003+10:30

by Beverley Paine

Many families faced with needing to withdraw their teenagechildren from high school hit the panic button at the beginning of the year andautomatically think that they will need a supervised correspondence course toteach their children at home. Queensland is the only state to offer privateprimary and secondary online education through religious educationalinstitutions: the other states offer public distance education but the studentsneed to meet strict criteria. There is another option and it is cost effectiveand not too daunting: write your own curriculum using the vast range ofresources available to classroom teachers.

Take a look at the range offered by long-term homeeducators, Frank and Valerie Marrett on their Homeschool Supplies website
http://www.homeschooling.com.au/catalogue.asp?time=0&id=&doc=1&page=newcatalog&k\
eysearch=1. Campions are also suppliers of school materials and have a hugerange:
http://www.campion.com.au/. Anothersupplier is Wooldridges:
http://www.wooldridges.com.au/.Ask if these companies offer discount to home educators – you might bepleasantly surprised. If you are operating on a budget, check outAussieHomeschool Classifieds http://aussiehomeschool.com/for second-hand high school materials and books: home educators have been usingthis popular forum for over a decade.

You can purchase text and student work books and simply work your way through them.This way your home educated student will be using similar materials to what shewould be using at school. Of course, his or her education isn't 'supervised' bya teacher but the scope and sequence will be appropriate and suitable for herdevelopmental stage and academic needs. Plus you can mix and match 'grade'levels - for example, she might be Year 9 in Maths and Year 10 in English, etc- you don't need to stick to the same year level across all subjects. If yourchild is self-motivated this approach will work brilliantly. If not, you will needto offer help, guidance and supervision as she works her way through the books,but you’ll find you will need to do this anyway even if you enroll her in aschool of distance education.

Most text or workbooks have 'tests' in them which will help both of youevaluate progress, plus you can use the contents as 'checklists', ticking themoff as she completes each area of learning – this would become part of his or herhomeschool records.

I created a 'report card' recording system for home educators (available from http://alwayslearningbooks.com.au)that is based on 'assignments'. You can fill it out retrospectively or use itas you progress through the year. The idea is to pick a topic if interest orconcept and create a unit study or assignment (that covers set objectives).There is space for 10 or a dozen of these to be
reported on in the report for each subject area. The report lists general objectivesfor each subject area for that stage of development (early adolescent is theone that would suit you). I used this recording approach for my sons (now adults).

For example, for English one assignment could be 'comparative texts' andincluded reading and watching different versions of the same story, lots ofdiscussions, plus a few activities. 'Reading log' was another - this couldinclude a brief 'book report' or 'summary' as well as simply log what was read.Suitable book lists can be found by browsing through catalogs such as Campions.A science unit study on animal husbandry could evolve from pet care – the complexityof the study evolves as the child ages. For a teen the unit could focus onanimal rights as well as the particular care needs of a pet, or it may involvean enterprise such as breeding and selling chickens or their eggs. If such unitstudies are drawn from areas of personal interest to the child, such as hobbiesor passions, then motivation will remain high and learning relevant to theimmediate and future needs of the student. There are many excellent maths textsavailable which teach the concept, offer examples, drill exercises, revisionand extension activities. Or you could avail yourself of one of the manyexcellent online learning programs which, for an annual or monthly fee, offer24 access to a maths tutor.

It isn't too difficult to create your own curriculum and supervise your child'slearning. You won't get a certificate of completion at the end of the year... youcan print your own! Plus your daughter will also have the flexibility and timeto look into and perhaps do accredited distance education courses - either
through open learning university, TAFE, adult colleges etc. Think aboutpathways to apprenticeships, universities etc - have a look at TAFE websitesand see what is on offer. Even a few short courses - for which she will get acertificate that will add to her personal portfolio and stand her in good steadwhen she needs to write a resume.

The flexibility and relative cost saving expenses ofcreating your own personalised secondary school curriculum will surprise you.There is always help on hand through homeschooling forums and online groups, aswell as local homeschooling groups, to support you and guide you over any bumpsor sudden losses of confidence. There are thousands of young adult homeeducated graduates that can attest to the value of ‘going it alone’.

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A Few Tips for Registering as Home Educators for the First Time

2012-01-16T11:53:00.000+10:30

by Beverley Paine

At this time of year the home education community is swelled by new families just beginning this amazing adventure with their children. While some of us choose not to register for personal reasons and some the registration process is very simple and not at all daunting (lucky Victorians!), we can all sympathise with those applying for approval to home educate from the relevent government authority for the first time as it can be very intimidating.

If you are in that situation, here's a few tips that should lessen any anxiety you might be experiencing:

Prepare a basic learning plan for the year ahead, using dot points under the eight subject areas: English, Maths, Science, Society & Environment (Geography, History), Technology, The Arts (visual, performance, drama, craft), LOTE (language and culture other than English), Health & Physical Education. Think about what your child will be developmentally and educationally ready to learn in each of these areas over the coming year and create some activities or unit studies around that, add a few well chosen student work-books, text-books or online learning programs. Can you build some activities around personal or family interests? Most can be easily related to one or more curriculum subjects. Add them in too!

Keep it simple, keep it basic! There is no need to write reams: most of us go way overboard when we write our first home education learning program. We worry if we are covering everything our child needs to learn. But it is like most things in life - as we travel along the path the detail becomes visible, we fill in the gaps, switch direction to focus on something in more detail. That's okay, it works, and the person interviewing you and assessing the suitability of your program knows that. Create a personalised simple plan that includes learning objectives in all eight subjects that you can confidently talk about. There are sample learning plans on both Homeschool Australia and Home Education Association sites.

Ask for advice and pointers on where to find appropriate resources: remember that the person interviewing you has teaching experience and will have lots of ideas. See them as a someone there to help you build an excellent education for your child, not as someone there to judge you, your child or your home.

Remember that your home education program is only a plan: it isn't set in concrete and is likely to have changed quite a bit by the end of your first month! The authorities understand this too - your end of year report doesn't have to look anything like your initial plan. And that's true for families who have been home educating for years as well as beginners: life happens and we all take advantage of whatever educational opportunity or resources come our way throughout the year.

Keep records of your children's learning and their progress. This should only take a few minutes several times a day. Try different approaches to keeping records until you find one that you are happy to use on a regular basis. Our confidence grows exponentially when we record our home education journeys. And it will mean a lot less work come the end of the year!

Make it obvious you have support from other home educators: leave homeschooling magazines and books on display and talk about your local and online support groups.

And most of all, don't stress too much. If your plan isn't instantly approved, ask why. Ask them to tell you what is missing so you can include activities and resources in those areas. Don't take no for an answer: negotiate. It has been my experience that families who persevere eventually get approval.

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Developing Strategies for Dealing with Children's Difficult Behaviours

2011-12-30T11:22:00.000+10:30

by Beverley Paine

Today I was given some examples of a child’s behaviour thatchallenged her parent and was specifically asked for ideas about what to do andhow to handle each situation. Anotherfriend gave some great ideas which I’ve tried in the past with my children andwhich have worked, so instead of adding more ideas I thought the issue from aphilosophical or general perspective: what is really needed and being asked ofhere?

All parents have wisdom to share: we learn from ourexperiences and our experiences tend to be fairly similar in most things. WhatI love most about the internet is how it allows this wonderful conversation todevelop between people: a rebuilding on the social networks that were destroyedby two world wars,
famine and disease and the embracing of the ‘nuclear age’ inthe first half of the 20^th century.

My first instinct when asked parenting questions is toconsider ages/stages and then transitions. We definitely go through stages ofdevelop at roughly similar ages throughout life and just knowing that can takethe 'heat' off some of our concerns. I've found that my expectations that mychild will behave in a certain way often have less to do with her developmentand more to do with what I perceive other people will think. This is myschooling combined with a schooled parenting framework (my personal childhoodconditioning) coming into play: my self esteem was hijacked in my early yearsand subverted to serve this thing society likes to label 'socialisation' butwhich is actually a mere subset of the actual socialisation process.

So, first thing for me to be - as a much wiser, older parentwho has seen the error of her ways and observed many other families - is tostep back and try to work out what is reallygoing on in each situation. I would examine the nature of the child and askmyself:

a) Is this behaviour coming from her centre, or is it reflected behaviour, projected behaviour, isshe merely 'trying out' something she has seen? Children, especially very youngchildren, mimic behaviour. They can learn some powerful and lasting habits thisway! We all do.

b) If it is coming from her centre and you do not value it, questionwhy you don't. Are your values solid, are they centred? Regardless of theanswer: Can you change? Do you want to change? Can you accommodate herpersonality, needs, abilities, disposition, temperament, likes, dislikes? Ourchildren challenge us to grow and develop. I like to think that is why we bringthem into our world, to teach us what we need. It is so easy to ignore thelessons brought to us by strangers, parents, friends, books, movies, nature,life... Hard to ignore the lessons brought to us by our children!

c) Okay, you definitely don't like it, it's not helpful,it's not constructive, you've decided there isn't a lot to be learned from it(open your mind wider - there is so much to be learned on many levels in eachmoment from every experience): this is the time to develop strategies foreither living with, changing, eliminating, or whatever, the offending behaviouror situation. Time to brainstorm with all the people affected (if possible). Ilove brainstorming because it doesn't get into judgment - it is a visualising,creative, imaginative fest where ideas are allowed to float to the top, getjotted or drawn on a sheet or paper (whatever allows everyone to do therecording too). No idea is good, bad, silly or brilliant. They are merelyfodder for the strategy fest that is to come next. I tend to select strategiesand solutions that 'build', have somewhere to grow and usually support or solveother problems at the same time. That's my permaculture framework learningcoming into play.

d) The hard part, the bit that often isn't fun and no onewants to do or maintain, is working at the strategy. Habits take a while toform and can take even longer to change. Change requires diligence andpersistence as well as constantly reminding oneself of the desired outcome(continue the dreaming and visualising), together with celebrating the processof change. We celebrate progress, we celebrate where we are at, we celebratethe journey; we celebrate simply being as well as doing, without judgingourselves on the journey or our progress. We observe and note what is happeningand from there decide what to do next. We work on acting rather than reacting and we do this by sharing, by talking,reflecting and dreaming together, developing and trying different strategiestogether. We can do this with people of any age, from tiny babies to toothlessgrannies!

To summarise: observe and understand the inherent nature ofthe child. Understand, from a sympathetic perspective, her needs. Wants respondto and arise from our needs. See the need.Meet the need. Wants often set up oppositional or defensive reactions inourselves and others: learning to uncover the need driving the want dissolvesthis tension and allows us to genuinely and sympathetically help people meettheir needs.

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Does Natural Learning Work?

2011-12-29T09:01:00.002+10:30

by Beverley Paine

I think that expectation lies at the heart of our lack of confidence or trust in natural learning.

In my personal journey I have been doing lots of work on expectations in the last 18 months. I've come to see how easily they trip me up, confuse and distract me. For a very long time I have focused on 'realistic expectations'. Offering advice to other home educators I usually counsel them to have 'realistic expectations' when considering this question of what children should or could be doing. Realistic expectations are based on a general understanding of the nature of children/people at that age and stage of development as well as taking into account the personal nature, abilities, disposition, temperament and personality of each individual. All very logical and sound, except that I was still battling doubt, even with adult children who obviously display the 'success' of unschooling, home education, learning naturally, etc!

Obviously we're not going to eliminate expectation nor should we attempt to: it is necessary part of the dreaming, planning, doing, reflecting, celebrating cycle of learning. But we can reduce our attachment to expectation. That's what I've learned in the last half of this year and the more I practice becoming detached to expectation the greater my trust (security, general sense of well-being, joy) has grown.

John Holt said that unschooling isn't the rejection of text-books and student work-books, it is more about the how and why we use them. If we use them when we need to, not when we think we ought to, then they are simply learning resources and enhance our learning processes.

Natural learning is about using resources appropriately and in a timely manner, keeping our goals and objectives real and meaningful to learners and in context with their everyday lives, hopes and aspirations. The content and skills embedded in activities are not what we focus on, unlike traditional educational approaches where these are examined in detail and elevated to the utmost importance.

Our learning naturally children learn everything they need or want to in the same way they learn when they play. We undervalue the importance of play and hence the learning inherent in play because we perceive play as lacking effort. Another word for effort is work and work is usually defined as something we have or need to do rather than want to do. The work of learning doesn't have to be a chore or hard or unpleasant although it can be and often is, but it can also be seemingly effortless, joyful and fun. A year ago a friend said to me that we need to examine how we define 'working'. It is because we were schooled we are fixated on outcomes as well as the perception of the effort expended in achieving those outcomes our concept of educational and parenting success is underpinned by our definition of 'work'. Think about it. Can you change your definition of 'work'? In our home I interchanged 'work' and 'play': we played at working and we worked at playing. We worked playfully and we playfully worked.

Back to that notion of success and the importance of parenting style and education approach. As parents we have very little control over what careers our children ultimately choose or how they live their lives once they've left our nest. We kid ourselves if we think we do... But as parents we plague ourselves with this illusion of control and this feeds our insecurities and doubts which remain as a result of our own flawed educational process. We worry about we can plan for those careers when our children are little; what to teach, how to guide them, what resources we should buy or provide access to, etc. We feel compelled by parental instinct and need to make sure they will eventually survive and thrive as young adults; that we've given them all the tools they may possibly need and have helped them learn how to use them efficiently and appropriately. In a changing world this is indeed an enormous and difficult task!

But is it a realistic one? An achievable one? Are we setting ourselves up for failure at worst, never-ending doubts at best? The answer, I believe is to stop focusing so intently on the future and bring your attention to the present moment: be attentive to your child, to his or her needs, to your needs, the current situation unfolding, right here, now. What is happening? What do we need to do? Do we need to do anything at all? Does what we choose to do build towards the outcome we desire? Is it constructive? Helpful? Positive? Does it align with our values? But most importantly, does it meet the child's developmental needs?

As a home educator, how did I know natural learning was working? For me is was when my children demonstrated they were growing in confidence and independence. When they brought me interesting things to share. When they demonstrated they knew more about something than I did and could do things I couldn't, even - and especially - when I had no idea how they learned these things! When they were happy to think differently from the crowd - or from me - and confidently expressed their thoughts. When they questioned the status quo and made up their own minds.

Why is it so difficult to trust? It took me years to trust in natural learning. My head knew and understood the philosophy of natural learning and I confidently espoused that, but living it, breathing it, truly knowing it? That took time. Ultimately I realised that I only needed to observe without prejudice, to witness without judgement, that learning is happening all the time. I'd been trained by my parents, my schooling, and society not to notice the learning inherent in every moment of life. To help me notice it I created a list of our educational and developmental goals for our children (in our words, not drawn from some educational curriculum!) And for a while we created an annual reflection poster as well as a dreaming poster, upon which we wrote what we thought we had each learned or achieved over the past year and what we wanted to happen (dreams and goals) for the year ahead. Looking back over my lists and posters was incredibly reassuring: we consistently achieved 90% (the ones we didn't usually had something to do with owning a Lamborghini or winning 100 million dollars!)

What we do as adults isn't hinged on what and how we learned as children: it has as much to do with who we are, where we are and in what times we live. Ambition, competitiveness, talent and other personal traits make a difference in our children's adult lives. Opportunity and access to resources makes a huge difference. These are things we could be dwelling on instead of worrying about if our children are learning what we think they ought to be.

Three years ago I wrote; "My 22 year old finds it difficult to do some of the things he wants to because he doesn't have the skills and ability. He's impatient to do it now, not wait until he's paid for a uni or TAFE course to get him there in 2-4 years time. He finds his own way and usually gets there. Sometimes he thinks he is failing, other times he feels more confident. He's not willing to compromise on his lifestyle to reach his goals - he'd rather modify his goals! Or wait. Is this because he learned naturally as a kid? Nah - I've met schooled grads who are much the same. In fact, once they hit their twenties, there isn't a lot of difference between this wonderful schooled, unschooled, homeschooled, naturally learned young people. That is to say, I really don't think not learning in any particular way has much of an impact on how they achieve their goals. Method isn't as important as personality. But then again, maybe my kids attract free thinkers with 'have a go' attitudes as friends. Not many of their friends believe that to learn you have to do it in a particular way, even the ones that have become teachers.

By and large, my children have grown up to be the people they innately are. Nourished and loved, given everything a child needs to thrive and survive, in particular timely attention, they have become relatively confident and secure adults. 'Relatively' because they are still learning and growing, as we all do throughout our lives: life is a learning journey and who wants it to be over at 18 years of age! I recognise that we're exceptionally lucky to have lived such a privileged life where my children didn't have to suffer hardships, abuse, neglect, the effects of war, famine or pollution. Being able to lavish them with the attention they need and want as children, 24/7 every day of each year was an immense joy and privilege. And as a result, my children are awesome, people I look up to, admire and take counsel from!

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Wants Versus Needs: is this the key difference between radical unschooling and natural learning?

2011-12-08T07:50:00.001+10:30

by Beverley Paine

I've worked out what I don't like about the word 'want' - it places my thoughts into the future rather than focusing on the blessings of the present.

Listening to so many people recently I felt overwhelmed by the focus and prominence given to 'wants'. It really hasn't been part of my conscious vocabulary for so long now and hearing it passionately voice over and again jolted me out of my comfort zone. Feeling at peace now that I am back to counting my blessings.

Below are snippets from a conversation I'm having on Facebook: writing, reflecting and conversing are the ways I learn optimally: voicing my insights and understandings as they arise helps me clear any remaining confusion from my mind.Muddling through thoughts about wants versus needs I wonder if this is the key difference between radical unschooling and natural learning.

I can dream without wanting - my goals and visualisations are dependent on wants. I am motivated by my needs, in particular my need to be creative, imaginative, to think laterally. My need to love others, to be there, to be caring, to be responsive, to give. My need to look after myself and my environment. Given the huge complex nature of my needs, is there any room to find time to attend to 'wants'? And if these needs are met what more could I possibly want?

Caring for the environment is a basic human need. If we soil our nest we don't thrive. And our current lifestyle soils our nests to the most incredible degree... Humanity's food chain now contains substances poisonous to the human body - many of these substances did not exist in nature a century ago. As consumers we all complicit in contributing to this undesirable situation. So caring for the environment is not a want, it is a need, a very vital one.

For example: if a baby sleeps in a room filled with cigarette smoke the baby will develop lung disorders, if not now then later in life. The quality of the air we breathe is vital to our health and to be healthy is a basic need. The provision of clean air is a basic need. We don't want clean air, we need clean air. If we think we only want it then we give ourselves the choice to ignore that need, which is just plain silly and counter to common sense.

Of course we all ignore needs in preference to wants all the time. What I've found though is that the quickest path to fulfillment of my wants is through meeting my needs. Life gets simpler, less complicated, the choices become much easier to wade through, I get to know myself better quicker.

Lately my mind has been tripping over comparative words that I and others use, such as 'better' and 'best'. Thinking about a friend's statement "I want to be a better person": this is how I spend a lot of my life, judging myself as not quite good enough or there yet... I am not interested in being better or the best I can possibly be. This moment and the choices I make now is all that really matters: if I meet my basic human needs in this moment I will be acting in a manner that ensures my survival and that will help me thrive, both in the now and in the long term, as an individual and as a member of my community.

That doesn't mean I don't make mistakes, interpret information inadequately or inappropriately or trip myself up - I do that frequently. And that's how I learn - by not be perfect.

'Want' brings the realm of choice into the area of meeting needs. I don't think there was ever a time it was a choice to meet our basic needs as humans... However, we lucky people living in our developed countries have become so accustomed to living lives of luxury we have removed ourselves from understanding and knowing what our basic needs are: when kings and emperors and the ruling class did this in times of old their empires crumpled as they became feeble-minded and corrupt, mental states which in part stem from a lack of any truly meaningful to do in a day. Fear is a tool used by those so disconnected from nature to prop up the perception of power that maintains their silly and self destructive lifestyles.

A natural education, led by understanding our nature and the nature of elements and interactions around us, is what is most needed now. We need to get back in touch with our nature and what we truly need. Wants are a distraction from the main game and the time we spend pursuing only delays the necessary inevitable adjustment.

I love how we can sit and chat about stuff like this over the internet or in our homes. My grandmother never had this kind of luxury - she could only dream about living like the 'upper classes' yet I am considered to be living on an income below the poverty line here in Australia. I am free to discuss philosophy at any time of the day whereas she would probably only find time at the end of the day and instead of doing that would choose sleep. Meanwhile, as I type this, a million tons of unbelievably high radioactive water seeps into the Pacific Ocean with unknown effects on the food chain on which billions of people are dependent and the proponents of nuclear power spend countless millions on propaganda to convince us that nuclear power is the solution to climate change...

It is only by holding the big picture in my mind that I feel empowered to make the changes that are necessary to ensure my survival.

Love and lack of judgment are so necessary to healthy development and growth. When we stray from meeting our basic needs we move into dis-ease and confusion. We can want to meet our basic needs, but meeting them in the now, focusing on making choices that truly honour our bodies, the environment in which we live and our growing sense of self within a supportive community makes more sense. Instead of saying and visualising 'what do I want to feel okay, at peace, whatever', say 'what do I need now to feel okay, at peace, whatever'. Just naming it is often enough to bring that state into being. Recognising how I am feeling and naming it, accepting the feeling as valid in the here and now, reduces the confusion in my mind, and I am able to ask for what I need. When I am clear to others about my needs others are more able to help me meet my needs. Recognising what I need and naming it - no matter what I need - brings clarity and motivation and I move in the direction that brings that need into realisation.

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Will Your Children Homeschool Their Children?

2011-12-07T16:33:00.001+10:30

by Beverley Paine

The yardstick for success as a home educating parent used to be if your kids grew up 'okay' or made it into university: now people want to know if my adult home educated children are going to home educate their children... The pressure to perform never ends! In the last year or two it is a question I am being asked more often. At first it seemed innocent enough but then I began to think, what is driving this need to ask? Is it yet another expression of the insecurity we home educators all experience?

It is hard not to feel the pressure or to put pressure on our kids, especially for those of us who continue to be strident home education activists...

I've moved beyond wanting that reality for my grandchildren into accepting that my children will make the decision that suits the needs of their children and their families - just as I hold that space open for everyone I talk to about education. I feel blessed that I had the opportunity to walk a different educational path with my children and celebrate what that gave us as a family. But it was my journey much more than it was their journey - they came along for the ride because ultimately the choice to home educate was mine. As it will be theirs...

A friend commented to me the other day, "To those of us who've read your books and heard you speak, your children are 'characters' from the story of your experiences. We're naturally curious about what comes next for them where education is concerned. Relating it, of course to our own children and wondering how they will reflect on the choices we're making for them."

I don't see my children as 'characters' from the story of my experience and I'm sure they don't either.

As a reader I rarely want to know what happens next to characters - if the story was good enough it would satisfy me. As a writer I find it intrusive for people to want me to write sequels - for me, and for the characters in my stories, the story finishes on the last page. If the characters have something else to learn or do they demand I write more - the reader doesn't come into the equation.

For me the point of home education was to launch our children into adult life as capable people who can confidently determine their own paths. Being asked the question if my children will home educate their children steps beyond this: it does put pressure on me to validate home education as an option, particularly as my chosen role in life is to publicly promote and support the idea and option of home education. It may be an innocent question born of mere curiosity by some people (and I am being asked this question so often now I doubt that mere curiosity is the main reason) but it falls into the same uncomfortable area as 'what do your children do' (as in employment, tertiary aspirations, etc). Never felt comfortable about talking about my children's futures - that's for them to talk about not me. And I invariably get it wrong any way!

We shouldn't need grown-up home educated children home educating their children to validate the effectiveness of home education or to feel reassured about own choices: putting the question out there does raise this spectre of doubt and does evoke subtle pressure to perform (if not by me, then perhaps by others whose children are not yet adults listening to the question) even if it is not the conscious desire of the person asking the question.
I tell people that the decision to home educate is made by both parents and that beyond being the wonderful support I am for whatever decision is made I have no role in that decision.

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If you haven’t already done so, please think about joining our Homeschool Australia FAQ, it is a friendly, on-topic homeschool Yahoo group. We encourage people to share information and tips, as well as reviews on favourite homeschooling resources and where to get them. And, of course, to ask questions about any and all aspects of home education! To join send an email to HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ.

Our Learning Naturally Yahoo Group aims to cooperatively widen our understanding of how learning occurs naturally in the home and community, and to share advice, tips, trials and tribulations so that we may all grow! We want to help dispel some of the myths that are out there about Natural Learning and Unschooling and make it easier for everyone to capitalise on these approaches as home educators. To join send an email to: learningnaturally-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningnaturally.

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Home Education: Lifestyle Choice Not a Religion

2011-12-02T08:38:00.001+10:30

by Beverley Paine

Home education - homeschooling, unschooling, radical unschooling, natural learning - is a lifestyle and educational choice not a religion extolling us all to simply believe or have faith or trust that all will be well if we follow the 'right' path as announced by enthusiastic individuals excited by their own experiences.

As a lifestyle, like any other, as parents we are required to actively think and reflect on our actions and decisions and respond accordingly to meet our changing needs and those of our situation, circumstance and environment.

Uncritically following a rigid 'this is the path, do not deviate or else' approach preached by popular or self-appointed gurus leads to disappointment after the initial period of euphoria passes.

Home educators are vulnerable to hard and soft selling techniques proclaiming that if they do this or that they and their children will be better off, experience more success, or more joy in their lives.

Never let someone who does not know you or family intimately tell you that your past or present parenting or educating practices are abusive simply because they do not match that person's idea of 'perfect'.

We are all on parenting journeys, learning all the time, exploring and experimenting, becoming gradually aware as we make many 'mistakes' and get it 'wrong' countless times working to meet our children's and our own needs and those of the community in which we live.

We are all amazing wonderful people working hard and conscientiously doing something that is not appreciated, understood or valued by our peers. Remember that and be strong. Find your own path and what works for you and your children. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way: there is only learning.

Is There a Difference Between Unschooling and Natural Learning?

2011-11-21T07:42:00.001+10:30

by Beverley Paine, Homeschool Australia

I definitely see a difference between unschooling and natural learning - my experience of the recent Unschooling Conference brought this into sharp focus for me. I posted this on my Homeschool Australia Facebook page in response to a question yesterday and once the National Home Ed Week Online Conferences are over and I'm home again, I'll be writing some more about my reflections on the Unschooling Conference - it was awesome and we definitely need events of this calibre happening around Australia at least annually!

My definition of natural learning is based on the nature of the child and the nature of learning rather than something we do or don't do with or to them... It's learning based on needs rather than wants. I see it as completely different to unschooling - unschooling is something we chose to do, natural learning is something we are all already doing. I think John Holt was talking about natural learning in his books How Children Learn and How Children Fail when he began to encourage people to trust in children's ability to learn without being taught.

For me, unschooling is choosing to let go of the need to overtly 'teach', especially for the sake of teaching or because of arbitrary standards or extrinsic goals - abandoning traditional educational approaches/methodologies and values. To get there one has to go through a process of deschooling, unless one has been unschooled since birth. But even then I think we pick up enough societal values (that don't make sense) and that deschooling is a process that is life long!!

John Holt definitely advocated for getting out of the way of the learning process - he saw what we tend to do as parents and teachers is mess up the natural learning that is already occuring, often causing huge problems which we then say belong to or arise from the child!

We're all going to do this anyway - we can't help interfering in our children's natural learning processes, especially if we aren't consciously in touch with our own. Plus we're all 'learner' parents and educators - none of our kids come with a user's manual!! Imagine how wonderful that would be - say if the placenta birthed and magically opened and had all the instructions tailored for this particular child, catering to his or her unique needs, disposition, temperament and personality with 'what to do when and/or if' different situations arise!! That would be nice! But it ain't going to happen so we learn by making a billion brilliant beautiful mistakes for which our children happily forgive us, provided we are attentive aware parents dedicated to consciously learning from those mistakes.

We interfere every day in unconscious and subconscious ways in our children's learning: our values determine what kind of life we lead, what type of house we live in (or not), how much money we have available for whatever purchases we want or need to make - all these things pre-determine what our children will experience and from birth our children have very little input. Our circumstances determine how our children will be educated and nurtured as much as anything else. Of course, we have choice - we can change our circumstances, but if we are to be authentic people, meeting our own needs, that necessarily produces compromise.

I love the way our children immediately compromise our lives from the minute we conceive them! That is a huge learning leap for most of us! Life is full of give and take when we focus on meeting needs - we aim for a win/win outcome as often as possible and gradually learned not to fret too much if that wasn't possible.

So unschooling is letting go of the need to do things that don't make immediate sense to us or the child - if we can find a rationale that satisfies us or the child as to why something must be done (or in a particular way) then let it go - it's not important! Children respond to reason - especially if their brilliant brains and bodies aren't bogged down with unnecessary unhelpful stress, particularly emotional stress. Children love having things explained to them and love contributing to the discussion - it can be really hard with little people but the effort is worth it.

Natural learning happens anyway - children at school often learn things the teachers and system least want them to, usually because schools are learning deserts, devoid of meaning and value and resources. There isn't much for kids to do but learn the stuff we'd rather they didn't! Their brains and bodies are itching to learn, driven by nature to learn. Give a child something constructive to do and value their efforts and they'll naturally be cooperative, friendly, helpful. They totally appreciate being treated as people.

I find it very unhelpful to define unschooling as the same as natural natural learning because I want homeschoolers and schoolers to see that no matter what their children are learning. I come at it from the position of feeling distressed every time I hear someone say that children need to learn how to learn, or learn how to think - they already do these things brilliantly - until we interfere too much and teach them how to shut down these exceptional skills.

Unschooling is choosing not to do certain things with or to our children, but at the same time it is choosing to do things in a certain way with our children. The pre-fix 'un' is often translated as 'hands off' or a 'do nothing' approach to education. What I often see with people new to the idea of unschooling though is the complete opposite, even though they believe they are not intervening at all: children are plied with an incredible and sometimes bewildering array of choices, particularly if the parent is worried they aren't meeting the child's wants or needs. This often provokes unnecessary stress in many children which interferes with their natural learning ability.

Natural learning brings the focus back to the nature of the child, the nature of the situation - from here we can help them determine what is needed, or simply meet those needs without fuss.

Proud to be a Hard-core Home Educator

2011-09-09T09:33:00.000+09:30

Lately I've been going through a hard-core home educator phase - I know that there are really truly fantastic and wonderful parents who opt to put their children through the school experience and who believe it was and is okay and really good for them, blah, blah, blah. And I know LOTS of young people in their 20s who went to school and are lovely people - as lovely as my wonderful three. But I am going through this very intolerant phase right now where I think of all the time and opportunities wasted during those school years and of the unlearning that needs to be done to break through those useless assumptions that will dog their lives for years to come... And they are the ones that have a chance of challenging those assumptions because their parents obviously put the time and energy and care that was needed. There are plenty of other young people I know who startle me with their ignorance, apathy, attitude - and sadden me as I watch them fall into despair and harm's way. Far from protecting these children from not so brilliant parenting and giving them choice and a chance school reinforced the self-esteem destroying messages these children were exposed to from an early age.

Albeit along with a lot of other factors, school is implicitly responsible for the woes in our society. Which is why I'm going through a hard-core home educator phase at the moment! I usually don't like to be so militant in my approach -I work hard to be inclusive and supportive. However, seeing young people with messed up lives makes me angry - I want to blame someone and so I blame the parents and the schools and the teachers and the whole school system. Humanity can do so much better than this - and does! Home education, in its modern revision, has proven beyond doubt that there is a gentler, kinder and saner way to bring up and educate young people. It is time the school system started looking at why we are succeeding and natural socialisation is one of the main reasons. Perhaps then I'd feel less angry and frustrated and more hopeful for the future.

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If you haven’t already done so, please think about joining our Homeschool Australia FAQ, it is a friendly, on-topic homeschool Yahoo group. We encourage people to share information and tips, as well as reviews on favourite homeschooling resources and where to get them. And,
of course, to ask questions about any and all aspects of home education! To join send an email to HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ.

Our Learning Naturally Yahoo Group aims to cooperatively widen our understanding of how learning occurs naturally in the home and community, and to share advice, tips, trials and tribulations so that we may all grow! We want to help dispel some of the myths that are out there about Natural Learning and Unschooling and make it easier for everyone to capitalise on these approaches as home educators. To join send an email to: learningnaturally-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningnaturally.

And once subscribed, don’t forget to post an introduction and begin asking questions, sharing tips and ideas, etc!

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Addictive Socialisation

2011-09-07T08:32:00.003+09:30

by Beverley Paine

From birth we are conditioned by the school system that being in the company of same aged children is normal socialisation. It isn't. It's warped and very unnatural. No one hangs out with people all the same age year after year for 12-15 years, or didn't until compulsory education arrived only a dozen generations ago. However because of systematic brainwashing of successive generations schooled societies have come to believe that it is is 'normal' socialisation.

If every child was forced to drink cola for 12-15 years and the natural alternative, water, was frowned on, drinking cola would become the social norm - after half a few generations people would take it for granted that cola was essential to healthy development, even though there was mounting evidence that in these compulsory and large doses it actually harmed people. A few people would find cola doesn't affect them very much, but the majority would become addicted to some of its elements. Almost everyone would not consider they were addicted and would claim that drinking cola is beneficial, essential - to not drink it would be very damaging both short and long term!

School socialisation is like that. We were socialised in this way and it is hard for us to feel okay about allowing our children to socialise differently. We were taught that not having special friends our own age means we are social failures. The more special friends of our own age we have the more successful we are - success based on popularity. Because school is a competitive environment based on comparison the values upon which friendships are based are often distorted. If our best friend is in another class next year she no longer is demoted to simply friend. The frequency of how often we spend time in her company is important to maintaining this kind of friendship. If her parents can't afford or won't let her keep up with the latest fad then in order to protect our 'image' we drift even further away. It isn't socially good for us to be seen hanging out with 'losers'. We won't win the popularity contest that socialisation has become if we do...

Schools are deliberately structured this way. By alienating people from natural social situations, where friends are selected based on compatibility, interests, personal growth needs and companionship it is possible to manipulate whole sections of the population. In the early years of school the bond between the child and the family (parents and siblings) need to be undermined so that the teacher and principal and school can replace the natural authority and responsibility of the family in order to manage large numbers of children. Break the loyalty and ties to family and you create additional consumers down the track, fodder for the 'economy'. In traditional societies where family bonds remain intact people share, in fact, whole communities share expensive resources and resources are recycled (that's the way its been for millennium).

If our children have been in the school system then they have been exposed to this very powerful addictive socialisation process. The fact that we, their parents, have also been exposed and are in recovery means we are very vulnerable to self-doubt. We feel that what we are doing and asking of our children is radical, an experiment. In fact, in terms of human history compulsory schooling with its abnormal socialisation is the experiment. Given the increasing stress levels in society and accumulating incidences of mental illness I'd say the experiment is failing...

When we deschool our children and worry enormously that we're not meeting their needs, we can think about the cola example above. Our child might not be affected yet (or at all) by the addictive socialisation prevalent in society thanks to compulsory schooling and the attitude and beliefs it engenders. She might simply be an wonderfully social child who definitely needs a range of people in her life every day to thrive plus regular access to one or two special friends who are at the same developmental stage of life (not necessarily the same age!) Or she might be like the rest of us, craving something we've been coerced to believe we need, but when given in bulk and without alternatives, wears us out, makes us fractious and irritable, and leaves us confused, but still craving more.

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If you haven’t already done so, please think about joining our Homeschool Australia FAQ, it is a friendly, on-topic homeschool Yahoo group. We encourage people to share information and tips, as well as reviews on favourite homeschooling resources and where to get them. And,
of course, to ask questions about any and all aspects of home education! To join send an email to HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ.

Our Learning Naturally Yahoo Group aims to cooperatively widen our understanding of how learning occurs naturally in the home and community, and to share advice, tips, trials and tribulations so that we may all grow! We want to help dispel some of the myths that are out there about Natural Learning and Unschooling and make it easier for everyone to capitalise on these approaches as home educators. To join send an email to: learningnaturally-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningnaturally.

And once subscribed, don’t forget to post an introduction and begin asking questions, sharing tips and ideas, etc!

Please become a ‘fan of our Homeschool Australia page by copying and pasting this very long url into your browser... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Homeschool-Australia/102822156428377?ref=ts

A Week's Worth of Reading - Many things home educational!

2011-09-04T15:58:00.001+09:30

Happy Father's Day to all those wonderful home educating dads across Australia and beyond!

Today’s blog is simply an eclectic collection of links I’ve picked up over the past week – take your pick of and enjoy! Thanks to all my friends who send these links my way… Every day I learn something new, revisit old lessons and grow some more!

Teaching Empathy at Home and School – Can Schools Teach Empathy was the impetus for my last blog post and started me thinking about the benefits of home education yet again. So many benefits!

Climb, Swing & Snuggle: Reading Readiness Involves the Whole Body discusses a subject I feel strongly about – allowing children plenty of time and space and encouragement to move. It is too easy for everyone to neglect this vital aspect of being alive!

Free Homeschooling Ideas, Activities and Resources : Inspiring ideas for creative home educating - free activities, resources, worksheets and information

Our Spring Nature Tables : more great ideas from Rhythm of the Home ezine, great for anyone interested in Montessori or Waldorf approaches to home education.

My friend Wendy has been busy blogging on different subjects:

Birth Matters: To grow up, the women's movement needs to focus on the truly transformative possibilities of valuing how we bring new life into the world, and how we live together in our families and communities.
Unschooling Prepares Kids for a Changing World: Rather than handicapping kids for dealing with the real world, life learning is helping them both create and flourish well in the coming sustainable economy.
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Rocks the Boat; unschooling is the ultimate feminist act.
Save money and time, eat well, have fun, and build community by organizing a food buying club and a batch cooking group. For more information about how, see Food and Fellowship: Projects and Recipes to Feed a Community

Have a look at 7 year old Spiral’s Sing With Spiral blog! If you have a blog or know of any home educated children with blogs, let me know and I’ll add them to my Australian Homeschoolers Blogs page.

I enjoy dropping by at Parent at the Helm: Linda's articles are usually either reassuring or thought-provoking but always informative. This one is a favourite: Homeschooling Doesn’t TAKE Time, It MAKES Time

And I participated in an online conversation about how adults talk – or should talk – to girls and boys in relation to gender stereotyping provoked by Don’t Dumb Girls Down in the Sydney Morning Herald and my friend Jo’s excellent blog on how to talk to boys: http://unboundedocean.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/sunday-unschool-how-to-talk-to-little-boys/#comment-368

I am great fan of Ken Robinson, have been for a long time. It came as no surprise to me that he is a passionate advocate of personalised learning based on the way students (of any age!) learn: http://www.vancouversun.com/mobile/iphone/story.html?id=5298060. See also his TED talk.

Some of the ideas in this blog relate to home educating as well as school education: The Innovative Educator: Back to School Dos and Don’ts. Most of them we already know and do, but a gentle reminder now and then never hurts!

Everyone loves to read anything about home education written by someone who was home educated! Stories in the media such as I Was Homeschooled: What it Taught Me That a Classroom Never Could are a lot more reassuring and encouraging than anything written by their parents! Thank you Kate Fridkis for this excellent article.

Another convert to home educating life! Why we switched to Home School. Adding this one to my International Blogs page – if you have any favourite blogs by overseas home educators email the urls to me and I’ll add them too.

RESOURCES

Don’t forget to look into the annual Premier’s Reading Challenge – this link came up for the SA Challenge but there is one held in every state. http://www.premiersreadingchallenge.sa.edu.au/prc/

Geradine shared these links suitable for older home ed students looking at tertiary studies:

And while we’re on the subject of tertiary education, 5 reasons a college degree won’t help your business echoes my beliefs on the subject.

Alternative Learning Centers is a group for anyone interested in alternative learning centers as a choice for those who want a choice of learning environments outside of traditional school options.

Eclectic Homeschooling is a new FaceBook page by Joanne, a Californian homeschooling mom.

Unschoolers' Arts Gallery is an online art gallery for unschooled youth of all ages from around the world – well worth a visit!

Some homeschoolers devise their own forms for recording elements of their home educating programs, others find the perfect ones online. This site has 823 (and counting!) forms… http://highland.hitcho.com.au/Forms.htm

Whoa! What a huge list of links and articles… and it is only half of what comes my way each week. There is so many excellent things to share with my home educating friends, which translates into the wonderful fact that the times really are a’changing! There are so many of us working hard to shift the education paradigm from school-centric to student-centric. Well done everyone!

All the best

Beverley

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If you haven’t already done so, please think about joining our Homeschool Australia FAQ, it is a friendly, on-topic homeschool Yahoo group. We encourage people to share information and tips, as well as reviews on favourite homeschooling resources and where to get them. And,
of course, to ask questions about any and all aspects of home education! To join send an email to HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ.

Our Learning Naturally Yahoo Group aims to cooperatively widen our understanding of how learning occurs naturally in the home and community, and to share advice, tips, trials and tribulations so that we may all grow! We want to help dispel some of the myths that are out there about Natural Learning and Unschooling and make it easier for everyone to capitalise on these approaches as home educators. To join send an email to: learningnaturally-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningnaturally.

And once subscribed, don’t forget to post an introduction and begin asking questions, sharing tips and ideas, etc!

Please become a ‘fan of our Homeschool Australia page by copying and pasting this very long url into your browser... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Homeschool-Australia/102822156428377?ref=ts

Can Schools Teach Empathy?

2011-08-31T09:54:00.000+09:30

A friend posted a link to an article about teaching children empathy on Natural Learning Australia today.

The focus on 'success' at the start of the article brought to my attention Can Schools Teach Empathy instantly put me on guard. I have a lot of trouble with that word... I don't want my children (or me) to be successful. And I don't necessarily want us to be happy either. I know that we can't be both all the time but education sets up to have the expectation that it is possible if only we work or try hard enough and if we don't reach those goals there is something wrong with us. If we don't believe that (which is soul destroying stuff), we end up believe it is 'not our fault' and fall into the blaming/victim game.

'Be kind' is a 'nice' rule but some people define kindness differently. If I had to have one rule I'd chose 'be respectful'. Less open to being patronizing.

Schools have to teach these things - empathy, respect, ethics, morals - because one of the basic tenets of an institutionalized education system is to assume they don't have them in the first place - this is incredibly disrespectful and most kids are so confused by this they decide that what they do know and understand must be wrong and ditch it. In effect they become the 'blank slates' the school system assumes they are... This translates into more jobs, creation of more 'innovative' resources, more buildings, etc. Education is an industry with a vested interested in dumbing kids down. What saddens me is that almost everyone in the system truly believes they are doing the best they can to help children.

And the story concludes with a reference to the 'dog-eat-dog world' - another myth perpetuated by those who need to be in positions of power to do 'good'. Human nature is not enhanced by protectionist behaviour that promotes fearful attitudes. If we accept that children have advanced empathy from birth (that's obvious isn't it?) and learn from them how to repair and enhance our damaged empathic ability to build a world where bullying and intimidation aren't the norm.

Another fault I find with the thinking behind this article is the assumption that 'good' will prevail. I find 'good' a wishy-washy word, over used and not at all well-defined. Better to say what we need, actually find words which describe as accurately and precisely as possible what those needs are. 'It can't be good for me unless it is good for others' says very little at all. 'If it doesn't help me achieve my goal of feeling safe, then it won't help others feel safe' or 'Biting hurts me so I won't bite others because I don't like hurt'. Be specific. Good is a value laden word with moralistic overtones - too easy to misuse and confuse, especially young minds.

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If you haven’t already done so, please think about joining our Homeschool Australia FAQ, it is a friendly, on-topic homeschool Yahoo group. We encourage people to share information and tips, as well as reviews on favourite homeschooling resources and where to get them. And,
of course, to ask questions about any and all aspects of home education! To join send an email to HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ.

Our Learning Naturally Yahoo Group aims to cooperatively widen our understanding of how learning occurs naturally in the home and community, and to share advice, tips, trials and tribulations so that we may all grow! We want to help dispel some of the myths that are out there about Natural Learning and Unschooling and make it easier for everyone to capitalise on these approaches as home educators. To join send an email to: learningnaturally-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningnaturally.

And once subscribed, don’t forget to post an introduction and begin asking questions, sharing tips and ideas, etc!

Please become a ‘fan of our Homeschool Australia page by copying and pasting this very long url into your browser... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Homeschool-Australia/102822156428377?ref=ts

Reassuring the Education Authorities with 'Evidence' of Learning - Recording Homeschooling

2011-08-28T14:48:00.000+09:30

Leanne asked: "Are you really required to keep such school-like records to satisfy the government?"

Many families find it helps to keep records in an organised way throughout the year as it makes pulling a review and learning plan for the next year less daunting, plus - and more importantly - helps to maintain and build confidence that their children are progressing. Records can also help to defuse 'concern' shown by extended family and reassure working parents who don't see the huge amount of learning that happens throughout the day.

Generally speaking the authorities require to see evidence that education is actually taking place. Because the officers who handle home education registration and exemption applications are (for the most part) teacher trained, this usually means they want some kind of documentation, usually on paper. It is what they know and it reassures them.

Some people manage to fit their learning program on a couple of pages and some states (such as South Australia) provide fill-in-the-blank forms to complete. Other people provide a lot more. One family I knew wrote 13 pages covering the different educational programs for her four children and was told not to 'write
a thesis next time'... Less detail definitely seems to be preferred!

The 'evidence' doesn't have to be much... but it does have to be enough to demonstrate that your children are actually getting educated. For example, whatever you provide should show educational progress, this is why it is important to date 'work' samples or examples of learning (photos, videos, etc). Three pieces of writing collected every four months would be enough to show progress in some areas - perhaps composition skills, grammar, spelling - or the progression of logical thinking or problem solving skills. That one piece of writing could be from one subject area or cover several - all depends on the topics. The topics could be unrelated too but still show progress in one or more skill areas.

I kept anything mathematical my children produced (which as unschoolers wasn't a lot) - it showed that they were thinking mathematically and developing, testing and using their own calculating and problem solving strategies. Often these were 'workings out' on scrap pieces of paper or charts, maps, rules for games, etc.

We had 'scrapbooks' I pasted our meagre collection of 'records' into - at first, in the early years, there was one for each subject for each child, but as time progressed it became one big scrapbook for each child. I wrote comments in the scrapbook, largely to remind me of the situation or the insight or developmental
milestone the collected item represented. We also had a photo album that showed the children working and playing with other children (socialisation!)

My experience leads me to believe the paperwork is purely only used to reassure the authorities that you are aware of the responsibility you are taking on. From their perspective, if they are 'approving' someone to educate their children at home they need to be sure they aren't approving someone who is going to neglect
their children's educational, developmental and social needs. The way I see it, giving us permission means they take on some of the responsibility for the outcome... So basically the paperwork really only means that they've done their duty.

I developed my Weekly Homeschooling Diaries and Learning Naturally Diaries to help reduce and simplify the amount of record keeping for families, especially unschooling families. I personally think that jotting down notes about what the children are learning and doing should only take 5-10 minutes a day at the most. That was enough to reassure me and my husband and my kids, and over the year it amounted to a much more impressive 'report' and collection of evidence than we ever received from a school teacher...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

If you haven’t already done so, please think about joining our Homeschool Australia FAQ, it is a friendly, on-topic homeschool Yahoo group. We encourage people to share information and tips, as well as reviews on favourite homeschooling resources and where to get them. And,
of course, to ask questions about any and all aspects of home education! To join send an email to HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ.

Our Learning Naturally Yahoo Group aims to cooperatively widen our understanding of how learning occurs naturally in the home and community, and to share advice, tips, trials and tribulations so that we may all grow! We want to help dispel some of the myths that are out there about Natural Learning and Unschooling and make it easier for everyone to capitalise on these approaches as home educators. To join send an email to: learningnaturally-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningnaturally.

And once subscribed, don’t forget to post an introduction and begin asking questions, sharing tips and ideas, etc!

Please become a ‘fan of our Homeschool Australia page by copying and pasting this very long url into your browser... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Homeschool-Australia/102822156428377?ref=ts.

National Home Education Week WIN WIN WIN

2011-08-27T13:41:00.000+09:30

WIN A FAMILY TRIP FOR FOUR TO ATTEND CAMPFEST 2012 in Albury - Attend the online daily conferences and workshops and receive a FREE entry for every workshop attended.

Do you want to know more about Home Education? Homeschooling is a legal and viable education alternate for Australian families. Join us to find out more and to get your questions answered.

National Home Education Week will occur during the week of 21st – 25th November 2011 and is a joint collaboration between Jenni Domansky of Australian Homeschool Network and Beverley Paine of Homeschool Australia.
Everyone is Welcome.
Thousand of Australian families are choosing to Home Educate their children. With numbers rising annually, this week-long series of daily information sessions will be invaluable for getting answers to your questions.
This event will be conducted online in the Australian Homeschool Network Online Chat Room and access will be available to ALL Australians – regardless of location. There will be daily online workshops and forums for anyone that is considering Home Education or for those who are new to Home Education and wanting to get more information.

National Home Education Week Flyer

For more details or to register your interest email nationalhomeedweek@gmail.com

National Home Education Week is Very Proudly Sponsored by the following Australian Homeschool Networks and Business's:Please offer them your support whenever possible.

What I am Reading Today - Saturday's Thoughts on Education and Parenting

2011-08-27T12:36:00.001+09:30

Some thoughts on the need for approval from a reply I posted on Homeschooling / Unschooling / Home Education... all things Unplugged! yesterday:
Kids only want approval if they are conditioned/trained to want it. If we don't teach our children to need or want approval then they don't seek it. Kids want support, recognition, acknowledgement, etc, not approval. They know they don't need our approval to feel okay about themselves and what they do.
Sometimes children's passions and interests line up with those of their parents, sometimes they don't. It is only natural for parents' interests and passions to be scaffolds for learning for children - no harm in that unless the parent restricts the children's activities. Children who are restricted in having their own learning needs met soon show resistance - this can be demonstrated as adverse behaviour, illness, boredom, depression, unhappiness. Parents who love their children seldom let their children fester in these states for very long - they encourage and support their children to pursue their own interests and passions.

I’m always learning and my online conversations with friends are one of my best learning tools. Today I had an insight about an important lesion I’m currently learning after reading Wendy’s blog called Cynicism is a Form of Resistance.

Great blog on ‘open source learning’ from Radio Free School picks up on the free courses offered by Stanford University I mentioned the other day and quotes another favourite author, John Taylor Gatto.

And finally, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Free Range Food - How Do You Do It and Does It Work? by Teresa Graham Brett. Food is a sensitive issue for many parents because the health of our children depends on the quality of what goes in – this is true not only of food but many other things. And this constant focus can lead to a great deal of stress as well damaging feelings of guilt. We allowed our children relatively free range to food without going the whole way – I still controlled the purchases and would maneuver them away from what I considered undesirables while shopping. I wish I’d been more adventurous and less insecure though… Hindsight is great isn’t it? Luckily there is a lot more support for adventurous parents nowadays. If you are already on the unschooling/life learning path, consider adding free range food to your family diets. It is never too late – in fact, I’m going to give up feeling guilty and start totally free ranging myself as from today!

cheers

Beverley
Homeschool Australia
proudly affiliated with Always Learning Books

What I am Reading Today - Thursday's Thoughts on Education

2011-08-25T15:09:00.000+09:30

I am feeling revived and revitalized after reading Laura’s blog, A Day Like No Other – really puts my problems into perspective!

What I love most about learning is that I am constantly reminded that everything that I have learned so far isn’t necessarily fact or truth: anything can change and frequently does! Black Death study lets rats off the hook: A study by an archaeologist looking at the ravages of the Black Death in London, in late 1348 and 1349, has exonerated the most famous animal villains in history.

In the northern hemisphere summer holidays are over and it is the first week or so of school. Millions of children will be starting school for the first time. Our family were lucky: we discovered home education before our eldest turned six and when we did venture onto the school grounds we picked a school that let us attend with our children – homeschool at school! My thoughts echo those of one of my all-time-favourite home education authors, Wendy Priesnitz, “I live for the day when the supports are in place so that children can maintain the close physical and emotional attachment they need as long as necessary, and are given the freedom to explore the world at their own pace...no matter what their age.” Read the rest of her blog The First Day of School and explore the rest of her thoughtful and informative website: www.wendypriesnitz.com

I had to pass on this link to the Essential Parenting site – it says in a nutshell many of the parenting practices I feel I learned the hard way through experience!

http://www.essentialparenting.com/get-started/nuts-and-bolts/

And another site worth taking a peep at is Early Play Australia, which aims to be "a great place to connect all those involved in early childhood in Australia".

And this is for everyone who asks me if their homeschooled children will be able to get into university, etc… Education is changing, faster than our school system can handle. Every year I read about tertiary courses and subjects being made available free through online learning. Stanford University is now offering limited certificate courses for free. “We want to open our lectures and bring education to places that can’t be reached today, to people that haven’t had access to higher education,” said Professor Sebastian Thrun, artificial intelligence lecuture from the engineering science department at Stanford University. 124,000 students have enrolled in his free class…Stanford for Everyone: More Than 120,000 Enroll in Free Classes.

Until tomorrow,

all the best

Beverley

Homeschool Australia
proudly affiliated with Always Learning Books

What I am Reading Today - Thoughts on Education

2011-08-24T09:12:00.000+09:30

So many great stories and links come across my desk each day that I want to share with everyone and I thought, why not add them as a blog page?

Parenting: Don't Praise Your Children! | Psychology Today

www.psychologytoday.com

‎"Good job!" is the worst kind of praise. By Jim Taylor, Ph.D....
My favourite quote from the article: “…you don't need to praise them at all. The best thing you can do is simply highlight what they did.” That just about sums it up for me! Common sense prevails. An excellent tip on exactly what to say when that inane and probably damaging praise is about to tumble from our mouths.

Can Education and Creativity Mix? | Innovations

blogs.smithsonianmag.com

"Most schools follow a model designed for an industrial economy. Can our education system foster the creativity and collaboration needed in a digital world?" This article argues that we need to focus "on teaching digital literacy, not so much how to use the tools—the kids could teach that—but how to use them to develop ideas and express themselves responsibly." Follow the links to videos, which include some by Sir Ken Robinson.

Home schooling grows in popularity Local Gold Coast News

www.goldcoast.com.au

LAST year 195 Gold Coast children were registered for home schooling as parents attempt to combat a growing culture of schoolyard bullying, misbehaviour and limited teacher-student contact.Another Aussie media story about home education!

Age distorts ADHD diagnoses in kindergartners, studies say

www.theglobeandmail.com

Research suggests immaturity is confused with disorder – and many children could be misdiagnosed. Essential reading for parents of toddlers and preschoolers... I have long suspected this - we have become so accustomed to reducing everything down to a list of symptoms we are losing sight of the big picture - children should be allowed to get on with simply being children! We are in such a hurry to churn out adults that we make the same mistake with our adolescent children too. A timely and important article - essential reading for parents of pre-school aged children.

Parental Intelligence Newsletter Issue 199

Latest issue of the Parental Intelligence Newsletter! Always a great collection of relevant articles and a great read – thanks Bob!

That's all for today - don't have the time to read anything else!

cheers

Beverley
http://homeschoolaustralia.com

A Question About Age Appropriate Chores for Children

2011-08-15T12:07:00.002+09:30

Jude asked: "How do you know what amount of chores are reasonable for each age/stage/child?"

I think we all tend to think our children are capable of a lot more than they really are. Children are in a hurry to grow up and most of the time their parents (and other adults) are in just as much a hurry... One of the best things about home education for our family was that it helped us slow down so that we made time for the really important things in life, such as being, working and playing together.

Like most parents I asked my children to do things I thought they should be able to do and was stumped when they either didn't do them, didn't want to do them, got grumpy, acted bored, started crying, became irrationally angry, fought with their siblings, etc. What actually was happening was that they didn't know how to do the task I'd given them or they actually couldn't do it on their own and needed help.

Helping our children is teaching our children. Helping them do chores teaches them a lot more than simply doing chores.

My children taught me (the hard way!) that I need to look at them as individuals when considering what they could and couldn't do. Age came into it a bit, but learning styles and personality much more.

Tidying their rooms was probably my hardest lesson. In the end I gave up and simply did it myself, asking them to help out in small ways. What I later discovered was that this was actually only giving them manageable tasks, things they could reasonably accomplish. I also manipulated the environment so that it was much easier for my children to find things and put them away afterwards (shelves instead of cupboards and drawers, many of them labeled, some with pictures as well as words). We didn't have too many things either: the children didn't have oodles of toys and clothes so it was fairly simple to keep these under control. They had high bunk beds which meant they had doonas which made it easier for them to make their beds. My aim was to create an environment in which it was easier for them to look after their own things. We also had a few rules, such as there always had to be a clear path through whatever game was being played on the floor at the end of the day, just in case I needed to get to them in the night. Another one was that they couldn’t have more than one game or set of toys in one area at the same time (unless they were being used for the same game).

Most days the children helped with preparing dinner. They got their own breakfast and lunch. I didn't ask them to do the dishes as a chore (I'd been forced as a child to do this) but if I did ask I expected help. What I found was that because we didn't have a list of chores for each child when we asked them for help they were usually willing. But again, I think this worked because we helped them with the tasks we asked them to do, especially when they were younger, rather than making them do them on their own.

Involving the children in the day-to-day work of living in a house together from an early age is something children naturally expect: if we do everything for them they learn to be entertained and waited on! But if we do things with them they watch and learn and naturally get better at doing them. In time they build confidence in their ability to take on the responsibility of doing tasks on their own.

I don't think it is unreasonable to ask a toddler to help you. Just keep in mind that he is helping you, not working for you!

The older and more capable children get the more they look forward to being given responsibility. You'll know if you're asking too much or giving them too much - they will show signs of stress. Just back off a little, talk to them about the task, tell your reasons for wanting them to help you, if there are any problems you've not thought of, etc.

If you liked this article you'll enjoy Jan Hunt's Ten Ways We Misunderstand Children, an excellent and well written succinct article that goes to the heart of the matter.

If you haven’t already done so, please think about joining our Homeschool Australia FAQ, it is a friendly, on-topic homeschool Yahoo group. We encourage people to share information and tips, as well as reviews on favourite homeschooling resources and where to get them. And,
of course, to ask questions about any and all aspects of home education! To join send an email to HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolAustraliaFAQ.

Our Learning Naturally Yahoo Group aims to cooperatively widen our understanding of how learning occurs naturally in the home and community, and to share advice, tips, trials
and tribulations so that we may all grow! We want to help dispel some of the myths that are out there about Natural Learning and Unschooling and make it easier for everyone to capitalise on these approaches as home educators. To join send an email to:
learningnaturally-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, or visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/learningnaturally.

And once subscribed, don’t forget to post an introduction and begin asking questions, sharing tips and ideas, etc!

Please become a ‘fan of our Homeschool Australia page by copying and pasting this very long url into your browser... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Homeschool-Australia/102822156428377?ref=ts.