In Australia it is compulsory to send your child to school at the age of five. Children can go to a public school or a private one. Private schools normally cost more than $20,000 per year. Public schools are not expensive. They cost only a few hundred dollars per year. At school children do many activities inside and outside class. They also interact with other parents and staff at their schools.
There are many parents who decide not to send their children to normal schools. They choose to teach them at home. This is called Home Schooling. Parents can teach their children at home from year one till the end of year 12. You may be surprised to know that some famous people did home schooling when they were young like the British author Agatha Christie, the American tennis players Serena and Venus Williams and singer Justin Timberlake.
Before a child can start home schooling in Australia, a parent has to register as a home educator with the Department of Education. There are many web sites to help parents get started even if they don’t have any experience as teachers.There are many good things about home schooling. It is a one-on-one teaching experience where a child gets personal attention instead of going to a class that is overcrowded. It creates close bonds between parents and their children. Sometimes parents choose home schooling for their children if they live in remote areas that don’t have any schools. They may want to provide their children with religious education that is not provided by local schools. They may want to make sure their child does more work than that provided at normal schools.
Parents may also choose home schooling for their children if they feel that the education system is failing them. Homeschooling helps children keep away from drugs, alcohol and bullying. Home schooling may be a good idea if the parents always travel because of work and the child can't stay at one school for a considerable amount of time in one city or country.
Other people oppose the idea of home schooling and say it is bad. They say that children don’t have a chance to make friends. Parents also miss out on many social activities because they spend most of the time teaching their children at home. Children can miss out on taking part in team sports and other activities that can’t be provided through home schooling. They also say that parents sometimes can’t teach their children science, languages and mathematics because these subjects are not easy.
Parents may also choose home schooling for their children if they feel that the education system is failing them. Homeschooling helps children keep away from drugs, alcohol and bullying. Home schooling may be a good idea if the parents always travel because of work and the child can't stay at one school for a considerable amount of time in one city or country.
Other people oppose the idea of home schooling and say it is bad. They say that children don’t have a chance to make friends. Parents also miss out on many social activities because they spend most of the time teaching their children at home. Children can miss out on taking part in team sports and other activities that can’t be provided through home schooling. They also say that parents sometimes can’t teach their children science, languages and mathematics because these subjects are not easy.
