• email Beverley contact@beverleypaine.com or phone 0424789582 or 85583212 for more information
• email Linda adnilpress@ozemail.com or phone or phone 86586019
• email Marina marina@wrightfamily.com.au

I am helping to put together this exciting event for homeschooling families with two other mums. It is a huge undertaking - much bigger than we first envisaged!

There are going to be workshops where experienced home educators will talk about the different approaches to homeschooling - Charlotte Mason, Classical Education, Unschooling and Natural Learning, using a Steiner influence approach, Bible-based and Discipleship, Identity Directed homeschooling and more! There are so many different ways a family can approach education at home - and most can be tweaked to suit the individual needs of families or children. That's what I love most about homeschooling!

In addition to the workshop program we're organising two afternoon panel sessions - one to answer any questions that you missed asking during the morning sessions about the different approaches used by homeschooling families, and the second will look at educational legislative reform in South Australia and give the opportunity to ask any general questions about getting started or registering as a homeschooler.

But that's not all! We are organising a section with displays called 'Homeschooling At Our Place' - a peek into the lives of how families go about homeschooling. I'm sure this is going to demonstrate just how diverse homeschooling can be and will illustrate the morning workshops wonderfully!

If you thought all that was worth paying the $10 family entry ($12 for non-HEA members, as the event is organised by the SA branch of the Home Education Association which offers insurance cover) - we are also holding a Curriculum Fair!

With over a dozen educational and homeschool suppliers the Curriculum Fair has a huge array of resources, from educational games and toys to text and student books for every subject to suit all age groups. And if you are looking for a bargain, we've even planned a shared second-hand stall. So if you'd like to recycle your educational resources and books, why not bring them along and swap or sell them at the Currriculum Fair.

So, when is all this happening? You won't have to wait long!

Please arrive early so we can start on time at 9.00 am!

Hi there, my name is Danielle. I have Lilly (5) Ocean (4) and Charlie (1). We are homeschooling in Maleny QLD. I wanted to join other groups around Australia as we plan to travel soon. Just a quick note about another Yahoo Group I discovered for home schoolers called Flat Travelers.

We read the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown (available at the library)before getting started and that provided a good introduction for the kids.

Basically though, the story goes that a cork board falls on a little boy while he is sleeping and he wakes up flat. (Okay it is an old story, don't freak out) He finds all the positives about being flat and one of them is that he can travel to different places in an envelope!

So here's the thing - Lilly, Ocean and I made some Flat Travelers and have been sending them all over America and the UK. We have also hosted some Flat Travelers. It's really fun!

We have used photographs and small colour ins but you can use your imagination. Put your name and address on the back and laminate or cover with contact. This is your Flat Traveler! I have seen all sorts of different travelers; fairies, animals, dragons, photos of families, cartoons and even a Flat Steve Irwin!

I include a small journal (just 2 page thickness of standard copy paper) or a mock passport or sometimes just a page of questions for the host family. You can also send information about your country and family etc.

This is a fantastic geography, literacy, socialization activity! And obviously heaps more. It is great for children at all different levels as you can modify the learning opportunity to suit. At first we just used it as a colouring in activity. The trip to the post office was fun, there's cutting and laminating to do as well. Children can write or at least create their own journal, think about appropriate questions and what to include... On a more advanced level you could use it as a tool for researching other cultures, countries and geographical locations to a reasonably in depth level. It would certainly be a great starting point anyway.

One mum wrote to me asking for Australian recipes, slang words, export/import information, maps and heaps more. She also said that she uses it to explain the timezone difference and the change in seasons. It is much easier if she can say , "Well Lilly and Ocean are asleep now."

If you use your imagination this activity is just so cool! We are only just getting started on it and the scope is massive, right from calculating postage costs to discovering what a capital city is... And of course designing a personality for your Flat Travelers.

We currently have 20 out there and 6 at our house. We are in the process of making large poster maps that plot the courses of our Flats and all the places we have visited and families we have met.. We have compiled an address book and expanding file containing all the information and souvenirs.

We took our hosted Flats on the Valley Rattler and I feel like I'm in holiday mode all the time now with my snap shots and souvenirs.

Oh yes, some families will send back to you packages of goodies, but don't expect it as it is not a requirement. Many people also send their holiday photos by disc.

I have also found it has widened my eyes to the learning opportunities around us. I am always looking for interesting historical, geographical information etc for the Flats and this benefits the kids too.

So if you are like me and temporarily or even permanently grounded (
but secretly a backpacker trapped in a mother body) then visit;
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flat_travelers_homeschool/ and get traveling - there is no excuses!

Love and light,
Danielle, Lilly, Ocean and Charlie!

The Official Flat Stanley Project website is full of stories and pictures about Flat Stanley's amazing journeys, as well as ways to enhance the educational experience for Stanley and the children he visits.
The Project began in 1995, Dale Hubert, by a Grade 3 teacher in London, Ontario, Canada.

Please use student's first names only when corresponding, particularly over the internet.

At the National Home Education Conference in 2007 John Taylor Gatto spoke convincingly of the dumbing down of American education and how even simple farming folk were educated to a reasonable level that is often not attained in contemporary schools. Australia's John Peacok, author of the Why and How of Home Education in Australia, wrote about the high value placed on education by pioneering families, based on the need to survive and thrive in a harsh, unforgiving environment. One just has to dip into the study of history to see the evidence of a quality, largely home based, education system at work in past centuries.

Just another reminder of how far our education system has come...

The following is a copy of the final exam for 1895 8th grade students in Salina, Kansas, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS.

8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, Kansas, 1895:

Grammar (Time: one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph.
4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of "Lie", "play" and "run".
5. Define case illustrate each case.
6. What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.
7. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time: 65 minutes)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 12ft deep, 10ft long and 3ft wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weights 3942lbs, what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1050lbs for tare?
4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find the cost of 6720lbs coal at $6 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $515.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16ft long at $20 per metre?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Cheque, a Promissory Note and a Receipt.

U.S. History (Time: 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which US History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the cause and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620,
1800, 1849 and 1865.

Geography (Time: one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centres of the U.S.
7. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
8. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean retunes to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Note: this exam takes nearly four hours to complete and was given to 12-14 year olds.

Yesterday I read part of the Level 1 Victorian Essential Learning Standards, a .pdf document that I had downloaded a couple of years ago. I've always made a point of reading school curricula – it helps to know what schools are thinking about how learning happens. I'm not overly impressed by this document, but I was heartened to see the glossary – always a good idea in any document of
this nature. As a fun exercise I went through the glossary and translated the jargon.

Jargon is all around us. The jargon we are most exposed to and probably notice the least is the jargon of advertising. It is always a interesting and
awareness-raising exercise to identify and translate advertising jargon with children, especially during the ad breaks while watching television. Analysing the words used in magazine or newspaper advertising, and then looking for these in the news items, is another way to see how our thoughts, actions and beliefs are cleverly manipulated by the media.

• product: output of human activity in form of an artefact
• technological product: artefact created to meet an identified need or want
• sensory perception: seeing, hearing, feeling, touching, smelling...
  that is, experiencing life via the senses
• technological process/technique: human activity (eg cutting, digging, shaping, usually carried out using tools)
• skills, techniques and processes: ways and methods of using and
  handling just about anything
• manipulate: handle
• realise ideas/goals/effects/outcomes: achieve
• outcome: result, usually expressed as a desired result (goal)
• objective: what we hope to achieve
• range of processes: use various methods
• document: write, tape, film, take photos, etc what happened
• multimedia resources: anything that includes words, images and sound; eg DVDs, internet, computer programs
• media: can be anything one uses to create something as well as the way information is conveyed to others. Arts media - paper, canvas, paints, body (eg dance), clay, etc. Information media - books, television, internet, newspapers, etc.
• investigations: opportunity to think up and ask questions and then
  work out ways to answer them
• materials: anything that can be used to make into something else
• information product: something that tells/shows others what you know
  using computerised technology
• graphic/visual organiser: a way of showing on paper how different
  parts relate to each other or link together - map, flowchart, graph,
  time-line, etc.
• design brief: a statement that tells why, how, where, when and just
  about anything else that is necessary to help solve a problem.
• design: a map that shows how we transform ideas into action and
  results/products.

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

The Acts may be found at the General Index for all Australian legislation http://www.austlii.edu.au/databases.html

Many homeschoolers question the interpretation, validity and legal status of policies and regulations regarding homeschooling given by authorities. Even within states regional requirements may vary in their their application and interpretation of the law or regulations. Local help and advice, reflecting recent experience, can be an invaluable aid. The Home Education Resource and Legal Information Network has been set up to help homeschoolers find information.

Where regulation of homeschooling exists the process generally involves requiring the parents to prepare a program of learning for the children, which is then assessed by an officer of the authority, a process usually including at least one interview, plus regular review. The review process varies and can be annual, every two years, or negotiated.

When considering contacting the educational authorities and applying to homeschool it is important to think seriously about what your intentions and responsibilities are - both to yourself, your children and to society.

Although many home educators feel the regulations or policies relating to home education to be fair and adequate, others argue they have no basis in law, infringe on basic human and parenting rights, are discriminatory and inequitable.

Thinking carefully and becoming clear in your own mind about your role and the role of the authority will offer you the most confidence in whatever path you follow.

At all times read all paper work very carefully, and never sign anything you are not entirely happy with. Put things in your own writing, using your own words, rather than simply signing forms presented to you. Be careful not to sign away any rights to resources, assistance or help for your children as homeschooling students. Although they may not require these things now keep options open for the future.

Keep records of any communication with authority officials, including tape recordings or transcripts of telephone conversations. This is simply professional and responsible behaviour and offers you confidence in further dealings.

Insist of written clarification of telephone calls and ask for letters outlining what will be discussed and dealt with during interviews, and what is required of you. Be assertive. It is your right, especially if you are inviting strangers into your home.

Arrange for interviews on neutral territory if you wish. Keep records until the child is past compulsory schooling age.

Information sought by educational authorities in the process of 'approving' homeschools varies considerably. The emphasis should be on the quality of the proposed learning program, and this includes the learning environment. A comprehensive guide to establishing learning programs and environments can be found in the Australian homeschooling manual "Getting Started with Homeschooling - Practical Considerations".

In general, most authorities require a broad outline of a proposed program of work for each child, which should includes areas of study, essential skills and understandings, resources to be used and description of the teaching methods. This is a summary only, not a detailed curriculum guide, and should be brief and concise.

Offering a more detailed outline of a sample day often reassures officers assessing the learning program, as do exhibiting samples of recent learning activities. Children do not have to be subjected to interviews by the officer if you don't wish - be firm and assertive, and clear about the assessment of the learning program, rather than the children's current educational abilities and understandings. As the educator it is your responsibility to monitor the progress of your child - not their’s.

You will also be required to demonstrate that educational progress is being monitored, evaluated and assessed. This generally requires some degree of record keeping. Never give away original documents or children's work: use photocopies if necessary.

In most cases a simple annual report prepared by you should suffice. When working through the review simply write brief summaries of what the children have done during the year, and then a brief outline of the next year's program. If you are feeling less than confident get help - many experienced homeschoolers are happy to help, or be present at your interview as objective observers.

Socialisation and adequate provision for contact with peers and other adults, and involvement in cultural and sporting activities is considered important. Usually familes retain friends from school and other activities, plus gain homeschooling friends, through support groups, excursions and camps. Be sure to inform the authorities you are in contact with a local or state based homeschooling group for support and social opportunities.

In Australia the recommended areas of study are English; Languages other than English; Mathematics; Society and Environment Studies; Health, Physical and Personal Development; Science; The Arts; and Technology and Enterprise. You can offer a range of other subjects or categories as you see fit. The aim is to offer a broad and balanced curriculum over time.

Devising your own programs to suit your individual children is recognised and celebrated as accepted homeschooling practice throughout Australia. ™

The article below, written by Ann Zeise can be found at http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/articles/062899.htm and I thought it is a good introduction to get a discussion going on the topic of support groups.

Local Site Wish List

"Who should read this?

• Local & Regional Support Group Webmasters;
• Library site developers making homeschool resource pages;
• Local, Community or City site developers making homeschool support pages;
• Local parenting resources e-zine publishers.

After the usual homeschooling information, what homeschoolers would really like to see are pages with links to your unique regional resources for families. If you don't know much about homeschooling, link to this site, your state page, and then provide local resources. May I suggest these links could include but not necessarily be limited to:

• Art resources (from supplies to lessons)
• Banks with free children's accounts
• Bookstores (including used books)
• Businesses and industries that give tours (Contact information)
• Children's theater and musical groups
• Drivers ed resources & teen driving regulations
• Educator Discount retailers who include homeschool teachers
• Genealogy collections available locally
• Historic sites, reenactments, societies
• Kid-friendly gyms, athletic clubs, and community athletic teams
• Libraries (and how to access online)
• Music schools, piano teachers
• Museums (especially kid-friendly, hands-on places. Info about classes.)
• Natural areas, especially those that have nature guides
• Publications that list family activities
• Science supply outlets (low priced) and classes
• Trails (within the city or out; bike paths)
• Tutoring and mentoring services (especially math and reading)
• TV stations with community college classes or similar programming
• Volunteer opportunities for young people
• Youth organizations (scouts, 4-H, Campfire, etc.)

I cannot hope to be an "expert" on such a wealth of materials that are already in your grasp. Please! Let us partner in what we each can do best. Link to the pages on my site that give your audience what they need. Email me and let me know you have begun a regional resource section on your site, and I'll most likely link it in my "Regional and Worldwide" resources page most relevant to your area."

I welcome your comments... I'm forever 'tweaking' my websites with the aim of offering homeschoolers what they need in order to make homeschooling a breeze. It's good to get feedback. Home education is coming of age in Australia - what do you think we need to do to make it more accessible for interested families?

Over the years I've seen many families in the unfortunate situation of being continuously harrassed and bullied by schools and over-zealous education authorities, and those that have finally sought legal advice and representation find that the presence of a lawyer or letter is often enough to make the bullies back down.

In South Australia in the past it seemed customary for the authorities, when they weren't 'happy' with an application for exemption, to refer the case to Family and Youth Services, and they'd look for neglect or abuse... usually absent of course! FAYS would hand the case back to the education department and often a compromise would be hatched. All too often the harrassment was enough to convince the family that they couldn't homeschool and send the kids back to school, or the family starts thinking about moving interstate (and every where you go is the same old story, regardless of what the law actually says, which is why I definitely DON'T recommend this as an option)

There are thousands of homeschoolers in all states who aren't 'registered' or 'exempted' or 'approved' and the authorities know it. The best way to handle the situation is to KNOW your legal rights and responsibilities - read the relevent Acts and regulations - and then weather their bluffs or get legal help straight off.

Check my website http://homeschoolaustralia.beverleypaine.com/approval.html for more info.

The best way to prepare for home education - with or without approval - is to write your own curriculum or learning plan, start recording your children's educational progress, and keep a social 'diary' or scrapbook. To be on the absolute safe side, if your documentation is ever needed to prove you are educating your children adequately in a court of law (really rare and usually only in custody cases) remember to DATE your entries and samples of your children's work. Don't give original documents away - always use photocopies in your correspondence. And keep records of your conversations and letters with the education authorities. This may sound a little heavy handed or worrisome, but it's the only really effective way of building your confidence as a home educator when dealing with people who think they have more authority over your children than you do. Act like a professional educator (because you are!) and they will feel less inclined to treat you as just another parent in the classroom.

fromVanessa…

I have read Beverley's response about this and I agree with everything that she said.
I am in SA and when we began homeschooling some one from the Education Department used the mandatory reporting legislation to make allegations of abuse against myself in regards to our son (but not our daughter, who we also began homeschooling at the same time).

We sought legal advice from our lawyer and also from the lawyer at Light Education Ministries, who put us in touch with a civil liberties lawyer. This person gave us excellent advice and support and was prepared to come to court for us if necessary.

Some things we were told to do were so that if we were made to appear in court we would have covered all our legal requirements extremely well, and the judge would usually say that his time was being wasted and toss it out.

1. Keep a separate home school diary for all planned home school social outings. Judges want to know you are not isolating your children. If you have to present a family diary you are giving them more information than they can legally access and they could then use any of that information against you.

2. Keep a record of all the days you do school work. I have an A3 sized planner in my folder. I use a highlighter pen to record every day we do school work even if we go on an outing even if it is on a Saturday or Sunday. If I may use it later as a reference, it is school related and countable. I write "school day" over the highlighter colour. This was something the civil liberties lawyer said was of the highest value.

3. I do keep a record of work we actually do, in retrospect. It is more accurate.

4. I keep a record of my planning for each topic or area on a pro-forma I made up that suits me.

5. Date everything.... the work the children do, my planning, letters sent and received..... we use a date stamp.

6. No communication by phone. Everything in writing and when you send them something let them know you have kept a hard copy yourself and if you are seeking assistance of a politician or anyone else indicate on the bottom where you are sending other copies. The power base shifts when they know you have other people supporting you! They will not put in a letter anything that is not enforceable by law. So if the intimidation is by phone, stop talking and politely ask them to put it in writing so that you can get your own private legal opinion. And do get that opinion and follow the lawyer's advice! It lets them know you have backup as often they will try to intimidate women and it helps you feel that you have support and options.

7. Send any communication by registered post so they have to sign for it and you will be notified that the addressee has received it and on what day. Keep that slip you get back in case you need to prove you sent something. This prevents them from saying that you haven't given them this or that and "accidentally on purpose" loosing something you have sent and trying to lay responsibility on you. It is empowering to be able to say “That's strange, I have this registered post slip that says you signed for it on this date".

8. We now have an advocate who attends any meetings who is an uninvolved third party that takes notes as an independent record. This prevents "he said, she said" which lacks proof.

9. I am married and the lawyer advised that my husband should be present at every meeting, and it has been amazing how much differently they speak and act when he is present. It can be a pain and costs us if he needs to refuse a job/shift to be there but it has been important. If you are not married, a friend or relative attending with you to act as support for you may help your comfort and confidence levels.

10. All meetings should be out of your home. We have them at the Education Department's meeting room. In extreme cases if they turn up on your doorstep, politely refuse entry. If a police officer is present and has a warrant, the police officer only can enter to act according to the warrant. But you are able to telephone your lawyer asking him/her to give you advice or come to ensure your rights are protected.

By following this we were able to prove the allegations were without evidence, gain the first exemption and we have just had our first review and we were told our summary and presentation was extremely professional and complete. It has made me so much more confident to have guidelines to follow that eliminates their power to cause me extra stress. I am also so much more comfortable knowing my legal rights and responsibilities. Also they are not the department’s supposed guidelines but the legal ones which would assist me in a court of law, therefore my motivation is different.

From my understanding of the law, Principals play no part in an application/exemption to home school, therefore their opinion/actions have no relevance, it is only intimidation factor. Politely refuse to participate. Ask the Principal to put his/her issues in writing and just file it. If threats of action are made, seek legal advice quickly. Don't think it will just go away. You could ask your lawyer to write a letter demanding that the Principal stop harassing you and he should list the laws that give you the right to homeschool.

Light Education Ministries, based in Canberra, have a booklet or booklets that list the appropriate laws of each state. It costs a small amount but you may find it useful to have a copy of what impacts you. It was a boost to my confidence to know what the law said and to have it in a hard copy to re-enforce that in meetings or in responding to issues with the department.

If you have evidence that proves that your children are doing work and you are able to show that with records of actual work completed, you are able to easily prove your children are not truant from school as they are being schooled at home and therefore the truancy law is nor relevant either. It is confusing for the poor things, but eventually they understand that there are laws to protect our decision to home educate our children.