By Sue Wight It doesn’t have to cost an arm and leg So you’ve decided to home educate, but now you are worried about how you will ever afford all of those flashy curriculum resources, especially if home education means living on one income as it does for most families. The good news is that home education does not have to be expensive. You
By Lyn Saint ‘How can I give my child a high level of education when I didn’t do very well at school myself?” is not only one of the most asked questions, but many adults today assume that, just because they failed or dropped out of school themselves, that they are uneducated. As a notorious school failure and drop-out, these were also my thoughts
By Sue Wight By far the most frequent question about home education is: But what about socialisation? In order to answer this question, it is important to look at what people mean when they ask about socialisation as the question can be taken in more than one way. Will the children have friends? Home educating families go out of their way to ensure their
Many people home educate teenagers so you won’t be alone. If they wish, teens leaving school can maintain school friendships in out-of-school hours; they also maintain or make friendships from sporting and hobby groups; and are made most welcome amongst the home education community. To be ‘in the loop’ about what’s on, it is worth joining the network. Members receive weekly emails with coming events.
What problems can arise? You are seriously considering home education but wondering, “There must be a downside that they aren’t telling me about.” Of course home education brings its own problems – but doesn’t parenting in general? Life is an inherently challenging process and we are not promising you a bed of roses! Home education will neither solve all your problems nor mean you
New home educators and those enquiring into home education often fear that socialisation will be a problem but it seldom is. Home educating does not have to mean your children are isolated – stuck at home all day with no contact with people outside their family. Joining HEN will get you ‘in the loop’ for home-ed events, camps, excursions and so on. Your kids
When kids, especially teenagers, come out of school, there is a process they need to go through in order to work through the stress of school and to regain their love of learning. Many experienced home educators say to allow one month of recovery time for every year of schooling that the child has had. Leaving school can be a turbulent time. We
By Susan Wight I rarely doubt that home education is a better way for children to learn, but I have to admit there are times when it all seems too hard. I guess this happens to all of us now and then. Some days I feel discouraged and dispirited with home education and I fear my children are just not becoming the kind of
It is quite possible to home educate right through to university entrance without VCE but keep in mind that, in Victoria, home education at this level does not result in a recognised qualification and students are therefore ineligible for Youth Allowance. Students who choose to home educate through to year 12 level then have the option to enter a further education institution, start businesses
By Carol Naigon Question: I’ve been homeschooling for 10 years now. I have five children ages 3-18 years. My question is, how do I effectively homeschool when I no longer have the heart for it? I am burnt out, tired and just plain bored of it. Yet, my conscience won’t allow me to imprison my precious children in the typical school setting. Burnout is
This information has been updated from an article written for Otherways magazine by a home educating lawyer in 2006 when registration became a legal requirement in Victoria. Why register? The law requires it. It is a serious thing to break the law. Victorian home education law remains among the least restrictive regimes in Australia. Registration is straight forward. The regulations and processes are not
By Susan Wight Natural Learning is not ‘Doing Nothing’ Confession time: Sometimes I get ‘the guilts’ and think I’m not really educating my children at all. This feeling usually creeps in following someone’s wide-eyed response when I tell them that I home educate. “Wow, I could never do that! You must be so organised!” The overawed responses vary but the words ‘busy’, ‘dedicated’ ‘organised’
The Commonwealth Child Dental Benefits Schedule allows for up to $1000* basic dental treatment over a two-year period for eligible 2–17 year olds. 2-17 year olds are eligible if they receive Family Tax Benefit A or other relevant Australian Government payments. Notes: Treatment is bulk billed through Medicare Eligible children pay $0 – no out of pocket costs No wait list – your
