Hollie Mariconte Home-schooling Figures Grow

Home-schooling Figures Grow

By Hollie Mariconte

Across Australia in 2020 there were about 26,000 students enrolled in home-school and figures continue to grow. In New South Wales, it is estimated that 7,032 students enrolled in home-school in 2020, compared to about 4,700 in 2017. Although these proportions are still relatively low, they are almost twice as high as six years ago.

Many parents had a taste of home-schooling during the Covid lockdowns. This allowed parents to see what their children were learning in school and how they were progressing with their education. Many saw that their children were falling behind and had been for years.

Robyn and Isabelle’s Story

Robyn Aleckson experienced home-schooling during the Covid lockdowns in 2021, where she recognised two main concerns. Isabelle was falling behind and also had major anxiety with her schoolwork.

When Isabelle returned to school, Robyn expressed her concerns to the teachers many times. Her words fell on deaf ears so she decided to enrol Isabelle in home-school, hoping that the one-on-one attention could help improve her learning experience.

In the first term of teaching Grade 6 to Isabelle, Robyn realised that important foundations from previous years was lacking. This is the reason Isabelle was falling behind; something her former teachers should have picked up.

The entire school year at home was dedicated to catching up with those fundamentals she had missed in both Math and English. It was important to slow down learning and focus on these areas of struggle until she fully understood them.

Robyn has described Isabelle as a ‘completely different kid’ since home-schooling this year: waking up early, having breakfast and getting set up in the home-school room to do her work for the day. Once done, Isabelle’s has the rest of the day to do whatever she wants. She is happier, more confident in her learning and is now setting goals for herself.

Among these goals was the establishment of her own Brahman stud called ‘Ruby Rose Brahmans’. After much research on sales and stud farms, using all her pocket money and with help from Mum and Dad, Isabelle secured a beautiful herd of heifers and a stud bull to start her business. Doing this has increased her confidence in learning and her schoolwork, simply because she is doing something she enjoys.

For the social side of life, Isabelle meets other children at the many agricultural events and livestock shows in the surrounding area, at the library and, now the weather is warming up, she will start swimming and tennis.

“Across Australia in 2020 there were about 26,000 students enrolled in home-school and figures continue to grow.”

Jillian, Olivia and Jack’s Story Jillian Edwards, a mother of two, started home-schooling

her children this year, due to the enormous amount of bullying in the private school that her children attended. There were also concerns about the lack of action from staff at the school.

After working with her children, Olivia in Grade 2 and Jack in Grade 4, she recognised her son, didn’t know his times tables. This knowledge is vitally important for math units, such as long division, covered in Year 4. Jillian found that learning at a slower pace and returning to some Year 3 math was necessary to bring Jack up to speed.

For the Edwards family, home education changed their lives for the better. The children are happier, learning more about nature and the family business, which is also in cattle. The kids are attending sale yards with a budget to spend and learn about different breeds, genetics and livestock qualities. Jillian and her husband John, adjusted their working hours to fit around the children. This was something they initially thought was going to be difficult, yet things have fallen into place. They even seem to have more time and freedom than before.

The children have taken on more extracurricular activities with the spare time they now have available with shorter school days and the one-onone learning advantages.

Wrapping Up

Both families do not intend to return to the traditional school options and will continue to educate their children from home, focusing on their strengths and interests.

The choice of home-based education offers a number of advantages compared to traditional teaching methods. There is more choice and freedom for parents over the curriculum and topics studied, so that they can focus on a preferred study path that suits their child, according to their passions and interests.

“…started home-schooling her children this year,due to the enormous amount of bullying in the private school that her children attended.”

“The choice of home-based education offers a number of advantages compared to traditional teaching methods.”

This flexibility also extends to the study timetable. Home-schooling offers a much more relaxed schedule, not limited by traditional school hours. Instead, teaching can be structured and approached in a way that best fits the lifestyle of the family involved, offering a more free and simpler approach which can also accommodate day trips, sports and excursions.

Hollie is freelance photographer, videographer and journalist living in the Northern Rivers area of NSW. For more information www.holliemariconte.com

Image Credit: Hollie Mariconte