| When considering their child's future, many | | | | environment. |
| parents limit their choices to public or private | | | | However, home schooling is not without its issues. |
| schooling. Very often the mighty dollar wins that | | | | If the parents are not qualified teachers, what |
| debate. More and more however, parents are | | | | guarantee does the child have that he/she is |
| choosing to school their children at home. | | | | receiving a better quality of education? It's true |
| There is no doubt the public schooling system is | | | | that not all qualified teachers are good teachers, |
| riddled with problems. Many Secondary School | | | | but in the Australian school system there is |
| teachers will tell you their main role is behaviour | | | | always the reassurance of knowing that your child |
| management, rather than passing on anything of | | | | is being taught by a trained professional. |
| value. Your child may be subject to bullying, | | | | Then there is the much-debated socialization |
| personality clashes with teachers as well as peers | | | | aspect of home schooling. It has been argued that |
| and a variety of unwanted influences. In recent | | | | Secondary Schooling is, in fact, first and foremost, |
| times there has been the additional fear of | | | | a forum for social interaction. Imparting knowledge |
| violence, particularly following the series of school | | | | to the students runs a distant second in this |
| shootings. | | | | philosophy. This emphasis on peer interaction |
| Australia seems to have escaped the worst of | | | | would appear to put the home schooled child at a |
| the violent trends to date, but that does not | | | | severe disadvantage. There are, however, home |
| mean that a public school education provides the | | | | schooling networks available that help organize |
| best environment for your child. Many public | | | | excursions and opportunities for many home |
| schools are under-resourced and ill-equipped to | | | | schooled students to interact. This would minimize |
| deal with the demands of the fast-paced, rapidly | | | | the impact of any lack of daily socialization with |
| changing society of today. | | | | peers and adults outside of the family. |
| Home schooling provides the flexibility and | | | | Another major concern for home schooling |
| freedom to provide the student with choices not | | | | involves the family's finances. Many families |
| necessarily available to them in a more strictly | | | | struggle to meet the demands of day to day |
| structured system. They are safe from | | | | living. Families with both parents there can often ill |
| harassment by others in the school community | | | | afford to live on one income while the other |
| and have far fewer distractions from the topics | | | | parent schools the child. For sole-parent families |
| under study. | | | | the pressures are even greater. The Australian |
| Most people have a mix of positive and negative | | | | Government provides no funding for home |
| memories regarding their Secondary School | | | | schooling and is, in fact, undermining sole parents |
| experience. The experiences that formed these | | | | who are considering home schooling, by pushing |
| memories depend upon individual strengths, social | | | | single parents of school-age children to re-enter |
| skills and abilities (or lack thereof). A person's | | | | the workforce. |
| self-esteem can be powerfully affected either | | | | Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to |
| way, by the predominant tone of their High | | | | home school will depend upon individual |
| School experiences. | | | | circumstances. It will be made by parents who |
| For a child being home schooled in a loving and | | | | have taken the time to become fully informed on |
| supportive environment, the issue of self-esteem | | | | the subject, and who are prepared for whatever |
| is far less critical than in the Secondary School | | | | challenges their decision entails. |