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Homeschool Australia
Teach your children at home!


After 20 years of being a contact and support person
Beverley no longer takes phone call or email inquiries.
Please join one of her yahoo groups (see below) if you want
to know more about homeschooling or have a question.

 

Save time and simplify your homeschooling life...
Learn from experienced homeschoolers how to write your own curriculum.
It really is that easy!

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  "Thank you... The information you supply is real and generous - fantastic reading. I am so inspired... Your honesty is rare. Most books do not really explain 'how' as well as you do." Tracy

"I cannot seem to get enough of your writings on the whole home ed subject! You portray a lot of wisdom, knowledge and experience..." Marie

"A fabulous source of information and inspiration. I am very pleased to have some of your titles on my bookshelf... providing me with wonderful, detailed information and resources." Faye

  "Every time I read your writing it feels like a pat on the shoulder, and that feels really good...Thanks!" Maaike

Back in print for a limited time only! Beverley's manual on how to write your own homeschool curriculum! $25

Getting Started with
Home Schooling:
Practical Consideration

 
photos of children learning at home
photos of children learning at home
photos of children learning at home
photos of children learning at home

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Thank you for visiting!

Why Do You Want to Homeschool?
The Essential Australian Guide

by Rochelle Sutherland

House of Hadrian Press , 2006 ISBN 0977502813
available from the publisher, 42 Bayly St Gulgong NSW 2852

© Reviewed by Beverley Paine, 2007,
www.alwayslearningbooks.com.au

Families beginning the homeschooling adventure are usually hungry for information. It's easy to source excellent 'how to' books on homeschooling by American authors: a quick Google search will bring up hundreds of books! Not so for Australian titles, which is why I was excited to receive Rochelle Sutherland's Why do you want to Homeschool? The Essential Australian Guide in the mail.

Rochelle begins by offering a brief examination of what is going wrong with schools, followed by a quick reference to the history of the development of schooling in Australia . Although NSW-centric the information echoes that by John Taylor Gatto in his  Dumbing Us Down and Underground History of American Education . Understanding the real purpose of schooling helps to boost our confidence that home education is a wise and valid choice for our families.

The real meat in Rochelle's book begins after her concise definition of homeschooling - "education taken primarily in the child's home" and a quick review of the different approaches and methods used by homeschoolers. Some approaches are examined in more detail than others, which will satisfy some readers and annoy others, but taken together demonstrate that home education isn't simply replicating 'school at home'.  

Beginning homeschooling is a huge subject: the more one dips into it the bigger it gets! Rochelle's brevity is a blessing as it allows her to cover many aspects and questions that always arise for newcomers without bogging the reader down in detail. Drawn from personal experience, the advice and information have a homely, 'real' feel without being preachy. The book includes a comprehensive sample learning program readers can use as a guide to developing their own curriculum. Readers will also appreciate the detail in the chapter on Relevant State by State Legislation.

A good book always leaves the reader hungry for more... Rochelle's book is a great opener on the subject of home education for any family interested in taking personal responsibility for their children's education.

available from House of Hadrian Press

 

 

After 20 years of being a contact and support person Beverley no longer takes phone call or email inquiries. Please join one of her yahoo groups if you want to know more about homeschooling or have a question.

 

SEARCH this site:

If you like what you read here, you can order Beverley's books!

Getting Started with Homeschooling - how to write your own learning programs
Beverley's E-books
Learning Without School - how 30 families homeschool
The Homeschooling Trail - Christian unschooling life
Learning in the Absence of Education - how we did it
Practical Homeschooling Booklet Series - your questions answered!
Educational Games Booklet Series - make learning fun!
Practical Homeschooling Language Development Series
Natural Learning Series
Homeschool Diaries
Ready to use Portfolios / Report Cards
Fridge Magnets - handy reminders!
Homeschool DVDs
Sample Learning Programs
Stock Clearance

HOW TO ORDER

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but still not sure? Read

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Home education is a legal alternative to school education in Australia.
State governments are responsible
for regulating home education.
Different states have different
requirements, however homeschooling
families are able to develop curriculum
and learning programs to suit the
individual needs of their children.
For more information:
Home Education Association


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Please note:
The information on this
website is of a general
nature only and is not
intended as personal
or professional advice.
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photo of Beverley and Robin PainePioneering members of the home education movement in Australia, Beverley and Robin Paine are passionate advocates of true educational choice for families. They began homeschooling their children in 1986 and three years later started the South Australian Home Based Learners network.
Beverley wrote Getting Started with Homeschooling in 1995-97 and since then continues to write books and booklets on home education. She balances spending time helping home educators with working in her garden and renovating her home, as well as continuing to build her collection of writing on a variety of homeschooling subjects. Beverley maintains an extensive collection of websites as well as several Yahoo groups supporting families teaching their children at home. In 2007 Beverley joined the HEA and became a committee member in 2008: she also edits and produce the HEA Newsletter, HEA magazine, Stepping Stones for Home Educators, annual Resource Directory and other HEA publications. If you'd like to keep in touch with what Beverley is up to her in her life, sign up for the Homeschool Australia Newsletter or visit her Facebook page.