Written by Amy Stephens

As a single mum in Waikerie, homeschooling my six-year-old daughter Annabelle (Belle) has been the best decision for our family, here’s why….

One of my biggest fears about putting Belle in school was the class sizes. I often heard other parents and teachers talk about how certain children would fall under the radar, and it concerned me. I wanted Belle to get the attention she needed to love learning. I wanted her to be inspired by her subjects and not to see them as something she had to do to keep up in class. For us, that meant allowing Belle the freedom to explore nature, delve into books, and tackle maths problems at her own pace, all while meeting the curriculum requirements.

I love being a hands-on teacher. I get to see Belle’s growth firsthand and ensure she gets the attention she needs when she’s struggling.

During the pandemic, I saw a lot about homeschooling on social media. One day, I met another parent who was homeschooling to fit around their child’s athletic commitments. That freedom and self-determination really spoke to me. So, when it came time for Belle to start school, we had a choice to make.

I’ve always made decisions with Belle, rather than for her. We had a grown-up discussion about the pros and cons of schooling, and she decided she wanted to stay home. That was the final deciding factor for me.

While I was daunted by the prospect of homeschooling, the hardest part has been handling the misconceptions from other parents. The implication that we’re harming our kids, even from close family members, is tough. This Christmas, a family member said Belle was missing out on socialising. After rolling my eyes, I listed all the ways she interacts with other kids, from fortnightly STEM workshops, weekly homeschool meetups with local kids, monthly catchups with children from surrounding towns, four dance and musical theatre lessons each week, and much more. The fact is, there are so many kids Belle wouldn’t get to meet if she was in school.

A homeschooling day is also nothing like a traditional 9am – 3pm school day. People often think it’s labour-intensive, but there are great online programs that align with the state curriculum and support the required learning milestones Belle should be reaching.

For example, we’re using Reading Eggs, which makes learning to read exciting, with colourful worlds and literacy games. The lessons are great at making learning fun, which really helps to keep Belle engaged. When Belle finishes, all the reports are there in the online platform, and I send them through to the education board.

What I really love about Reading Eggs is knowing I can let Belle log-on and learn in safety and then see the joy she gets from how she’s progressed. Recently, we were driving to a dance lesson, and Belle suddenly started yelling excitedly because she realised, she could read the street signs. That’s when she found her love of reading and started asking for more books and lessons.

Between educational apps and the lack of distractions from huge class sizes, we’re able to get through lessons more quickly. Our school day might consist of only a few hours of traditional learning, which we’re free to do wherever we please, like the library or in a park. The world is our classroom.

It may sound daunting, but for our family, homeschooling has opened a new world of learning and connection, that I would never change.

For more information on Reading Eggs please visit their website.