TracyR Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 A friend of mine that lives in Australia shared this with me this evening. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-28/thousands-of-parents-illegally-home-schooling/3798008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 As the government is currently mandated (both here in the states and in Australia) to ensure that all children receive an education, I've never been fussed by registration. I don't fully get why so many parents find mailing in a form all that intrusive on their rights. When it goes beyond that when a family is actually educating their child and not practicing abuse, then I'm first in line to defend the family, but I don't really get the refusal to register that spurred the homeschooling movement in England a couple of years ago and which occasionally crops up as a big issue other places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyniffrec Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Maybe the parents don't trust authority because the authorities don't think the parents are capable of making decisions for their own children. :glare: ETA: I'm not responding to farrarwilliams - you posted while I was posting. I'm responding to the article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amey311 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Oh, this is a great reason: At a get-together of home schoolers in a suburban park in Brisbane, one mother, Cindy, said she was about to start home schooling her son but was afraid of the paperwork involved."I'm not planning (on registering) because of the work involved," she said. "I'm not very organised and disciplined in that sense so that would be a big thing for me to undertake." The paperwork might be hard, so I'm just not going to file it. Great example, that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy in Australia Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Here is the full story: Opting out and staying home This really pushes my buttons because in most states (as far as I'm aware) the level of "intrusion" is minimal. They really just want to see that we are educating our children. This year will be my 10th visit from an education department moderator. I have had 3 different ones over the years. In each case, not only did they not intrude, they helped me to teach my kids better. I got suggestions, encouragement & pats on the back. Maybe I've been fortunate, but I still don't understand parents who are determined to "go underground" at all costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Good timing. Dh just found out that his company might send us to Australia for a year. I was wondering how that would work with homeschooling. I hope we get to go, it would be Brisbane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I don't really trust the government either... speaking in the general sense of any government. One of the things I don't like about our district law here is that there is almost no due process for appeals on the side of the parents if you are found to be noncompliant. However, I don't see refusal to comply with the completely reasonable parts of the law to be especially useful, which is why I would never not register just to protest. But I suppose if I felt differently, I'm rather stubborn and might do it then, just to prove a point. I'm like that sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I wonder where they pulled the figures from. I think there are way less homeschoolers than what are mentioned in the article. Each state has different requirements. In Victoria where I live, I sign a stat dec each year that I am going to provide effective education in the 8 key learning areas. and that is it, no inspectors or anything. other states have different requirements. I think Queensland wants people to be affiliated with some sort of umbrella school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I wonder where they pulled the figures from. I think there are way less homeschoolers than what are mentioned in the article. Yeah, I wondered that too. What have they done? Compared school registration numbers with 'Births, Deaths and Marriages?' This is the third time today this article has popped up in my face. My sister sent it to me because I might not know I have to register :rolleyes: and dh sent it to me because, as far as I can work out, he thought I'd be interested in a crappy, media beat up, pot stirring article. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I'm inclined not to take the article too seriously unless I see a lot more detailed information. A couple of years ago, media outlets were making a huge fuss over homeschooling being illegal in California. It was all a big exaggeration of a minor kerfuffle on the part of a judge who had no business doing what he did, but the rumors persisted for months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazakaal Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 but I don't really get the refusal to register that spurred the homeschooling movement in England a couple of years ago and which occasionally crops up as a big issue other places. The controversy here was two-fold. First, there are many (notice I say many and not most or all - they are a minority, but a vocal one) home educators here who are extreme in their beliefs in autonomous education. Think of the far end of the unschooling spectrum. They don't want to have to register as home educators and list what materials they would use and what their goals for their child's education would be because they don't have any - materials or goals. Second, the legislation that had been proposed as a result of the Badman report was not just a requirement to register as home-educators. I don't remember all the details, but I do remember that there were parts of the legislation that caused many parents around the country who don't even home educate to protest the legislation as intrusive on parental rights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 (edited) I read the original article when that guy was complaining how the government was "forcing" him to send his daughter to school :glare: Firstly, nobody just randomly turned up on his doorstep and accused him of anything. HED contacted him MANY times via phone and letter asking him to submit paperwork to register his daughter. It was only after his continual refusal that they insisted he send her to school and copped a fine. Honestly - this girl was the last of nine kids he HS -I think he was burned out and wanted to send her to school but didn't want to look like he was "giving in" so he whined around saying "the government forced me".. The fact is -if this guy really wanted to homeschool his daughter he would have registered her - if he was so adamantly opposed to her going to public school - even if he hated the idea of registering her - it would be better then sending her to school KWIM. All he had to do to keep her at home was send in the paperwork (and it isn't that much) but instead he sent her to school to prove a point about not registering :confused: That doesn't make sense. I don't like doing the paperwork either but I do it because it's the sacrifice I make to keep my kids at home. I can understand why QLD would have so many hidden homeschoolers. Up until a few years ago you were not allowed to homeschool unless your kid joined a distance school (which they would only allow if your kid was sick or unable to attend school due to distance) or you had to have them taught by a teacher with a degree. So yes, people homeschooled illegally then. Now all they have to do is fill in the paperwork and they are good to go. My DD is not 6 till June -so that is when I register. I'm not thrilled about having an interview in my home but at the same time I know they are just trying to make sure my kids are being educated and are safe. I don't take it as a personal afront to my privacy - I have nothing to hide. At a get-together of home schoolers in a suburban park in Brisbane, one mother, Cindy, said she was about to start home schooling her son but was afraid of the paperwork involved."I'm not planning (on registering) because of the work involved," she said. "I'm not very organised and disciplined in that sense so that would be a big thing for me to undertake." Again - the paperwork is minimal -if this woman can't write up a 1 page scope and sequence for each of the 8 subjects required to be taught and get together 2 samples of her kids work for each subject and a list of the resources she is using then she really has no business homeschooling in the first place. IMO - the reason people don't register is they are afraid they will be told they can't homeschool. They forget that hs is LEGAL in Australia and as long as you show you are educating your children decently they will let you do it. They are not looking to deny permission -they are making sure every child gets an adequate education and the parents know what they are doing. Even if what you are doing is not up to scratch they don't send your kid straight off to school - they give you advice and then maybe come back in 6 months to see how it is going. Plus if you don't register you can't get the educational rebate when you file your taxes -and I definately want that :D Edited January 30, 2012 by sewingmama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy in Australia Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 IMO - the reason people don't register is they are afraid they will be told they can't homeschool. They forget that hs is LEGAL in Australia and as long as you show you are educating your children decently they will let you do it. :iagree: And I think they forget that the more homeschooling parents register and prove that they can do a good (and even sometimes excellent) job teaching their own kids, the less ammunition they will have to make homeschooling illegal on the grounds that it doesn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Yeah, I wondered that too. What have they done? Compared school registration numbers with 'Births, Deaths and Marriages?' This is the third time today this article has popped up in my face. My sister sent it to me because I might not know I have to register :rolleyes: and dh sent it to me because, as far as I can work out, he thought I'd be interested in a crappy, media beat up, pot stirring article. Rosie :lol::lol::lol::lol: ay Rosie! You ALWAYS say the perfect thing! hehehehe :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 :lol::lol::lol::lol: ay Rosie! You ALWAYS say the perfect thing! hehehehe :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Untrue, but I appreciate the support. It helps me through those hard times when I definitely haven't. Like the next time I see my MIL, probably. Remind me to tell you about yesterday... Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Untrue, but I appreciate the support. It helps me through those hard times when I definitely haven't. Like the next time I see my MIL, probably. Remind me to tell you about yesterday... Rosie hehehehee okay. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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