[1]
Harper (7) and Liberty (11) are happily schooled in their Dunedin home.
Mrs Pye found it an easy decision to make, having had them at home since infancy.
"It's quite natural."
Allowing her children to absorb information through practical experiences was preferred to having them spend hours sitting at a desk.
Key learning tools were conversation and observation and with "every moment being a teachable moment", simple tasks such as making lemonade became a science lesson and baking bread became a mathematics lesson.
"You really can't stop them from learning," Mrs Pye said.
Liberty spent one term in a primary school as a trial, before she pulled out, while Harper's only schooling has been at home.
As an energetic boy who could barely sit still, he and his mother did not believe he would cope well with the restrained nature of school.
Liberty also preferred home-schooling because she had more opportunities to learn her own way and was not tied to a desk.
However, Mrs Pye believed it came down to the individual.
"I think both ways are good. I think it depends on the kids."
To those who believed home-schooled children missed out on social opportunities, Liberty said, "That's not true at all".
She took part in 12 different activities with other children of all ages including drama, gymnastics, choir and underwater hockey.
"I know heaps of kids."
She was unsure if she would attend high school, which was a common move among home-schoolers, but knew she "definitely" wanted to go to university, entrance to which could be achieved by correspondence.
Mrs Pye believed about 50 families home-schooled in Dunedin, going from those who were part of two groups in the city - Dunedin Christian Home Educators and Supporting Home Education Among Families in Dunedin (SHEAF).
Both groups intermingled and provided opportunities for parents and children to socialise and attend trips to museums or go walking.
Yolanda Storm home-schooled her five children, through different stages of their education, for a different reason - religion.
With no "Christian" high school in Dunedin, she sent her children, who now range in age from 5 to 23, to a Christian education primary school.
They started home-schooling at varying stages of their primary and intermediate years, according to their individual needs.
The oldest remained at home until he enrolled in a bible college, with the next three returning to school at different stages as they pleased.
Her decision to home-school was initially based on a fear of the children being exposed to sex and drugs but later, having them at home became a preference.
"This was where my heart was - to have my children at home," she said.
She operated with a purchased curriculum which included English, mathematics and social studies.
With no set study time at home, the children followed their own routines and efficiently completed their work.
About half of home-schoolers she knew followed a set programme, while others created their own.
The most significant benefit she said she experienced was having confident, outgoing children.
"They are able to talk to anybody because they are not confined in their peer group at school."
Children also spent a lot of time with their parents, so engaging in adult conversation was common.
To her, the beauty of home-schooling was having a say in what was being taught to her children.
"To me, home-schooling is the ultimate."
The only thing she thought may be a disadvantage was a lack of personal time for the parent involved.
Some "struggle with the fact they don't get any time away from their children".
Prof Terry Crooks, of the University of Otago, believed, from his casual observations, it was important home-schooling parents gave their children the opportunity to socialise with other children and to ensure they filled any gaps in their knowledge by engaging in their community's museums, groups and clubs.
He also believed the one-on-one tuition home-schooling allowed offered children "a very good education".
"It really depends on the expertise of the parent and the willingness to make it a priority."
ellie.constantine@odt.co.nz
- Between July 1 July 2008 and July 1 2009, the number of home-schoolers increased by 286 students, 4.4%.
- Children could legally begin home-schooling at age 6.
- An application for exemption had to be filed with the ministry which asked for lesson plans outlining how the parent intended to educate their child.
- Parents were exempt from having to follow the NZ Curriculum Framework Requirements but they did have to satisfy the ministry their child was being taught regularly and well and were subject to Education Review Office visits.
- For more information about home-schooling in Dunedin, visit http://sheafdunedin.blogspot.com/ [2] or http://dunedineducators.blogspot.com/ [3].
Links:
[1] http://www.odt.co.nz/files/story/2009/11/nicola_pye_enjoys_home_schooling_her_children_harp_1444608156.JPG
[2] http://sheafdunedin.blogspot.com/
[3] http://dunedineducators.blogspot.com/